In 1999, 39% of American households had guns. Approximately 28 million households. In 2001, the Fifth Circuit held that the Second Amendment protects an individual's right to keep and bear arms. But in 2002, the Ninth Circuit ruled contrary, that there is no individual right; there is only a collective right of the states to arm the National Guard. Who is right? What does the Second Amendment do? 28 million households want to know!

A People Armed and Free: The Truth About the Second Amendment, using plain, common language, easy to understand, goes through six factors that the courts consider in determining the meaning of constitutional provisions: The text itself, the history of the Amendment, the structure of the government, previous court decisions, public policy, and the ethos of the American people. The applicability of the Fourteenth Amendment to restrict the states' efforts to regulate gun ownership, the current status of federal gun regulation and current proposals for more regulations and their possible constitutionality are also discussed. Unlike most books, this book looks at all arguments, from all sides, and makes a decision, as an appellate judge would do after reviewing briefs and hearing arguments, only cutting through the legalese.