Rachana Bhowmik

In the following viewpoint, Rachana Bhowmik argues that the Second Amendment’s “right to bear arms” was not intended to protect individual gun ownership, but rather to safeguard the right of states to maintain organized militias. Bhowmik asserts that the idea gun control laws are unconstitutional is a “fraud” perpetrated by pro-gun organizations such as the National Rifle Association. The author concludes that Congress should stop pretending that gun ownership is constitutionally protected, and instead pass meaningful gun control legislation that will reduce gun violence. Bhowmik is a staff attorney with the Center to Prevent Handgun Violence’s Legal Action Project, which helps represent victims of gun violence in suing gun manufacturers.

As you read, consider the following questions:

1. What did the Supreme Court conclude...