The Catholic Second Amendment

This article to be published in the Hamlin Law Review in 2006 presents an argument that the American principles of a right to bear arms, and a right to overthrow an unjust government are firmly rooted in Catholic principles. The author calls (in part) upon the canon law to make his case.

Summary:

At the beginning of the second millennium, there was no separation of church and state,and kings ruled the church. Tyrannicide was considered sinful. By the end of the thirteenth century, however, everything had changed. The “Little Renaissance” that began in the eleventh century led to a revolution in political and moral philosophy, so that using force to overthrow a tyrannical government became a positive moral duty. The intellectual revolution was an essential step in the evolution of Western political philosophy that eventually led to the American Revolution.