I was just mulling over; for all that America is relatively driven by it's founding father's mythology, I don't recall seeing any reputably sourced quotes from any of the founders re: the second amendment. This seems especially odd, given the number of gun control debates there have been.
So- what was the earliest restriction on private firearms ownership in America after the Constitution was the law of the land? How was it received, what were the consequences, was it challenged on Constitutional grounds, etc.
Thanks!
One of if not the earliest gun law in the US was a 1813 Kentucky law that band the carrying of concealed weapons though not the the right to carry them in public so long as the weapon was holstered. The Kentucky Court of Appeals struck down the law in 1822 as a violation of the state constitutional protection of the right to keep and bear arms.
In the same pre-civil war period Arkansas, Indiana and Alabama also banned concealed weapons and in 1837 Georgia banned the sale of knives “used for offensive or defensive purposes” and all pistols except “horseman’s pistols.” Possession of those weapons was also prohibited, unless the weapons were worn in plain sight.