Racist roots
Some scholars argue that the Second Amendment was written to ensure white people could control Black slaves. Historian Carol Anderson has traced racial distinctions in gun ownership back to the country's founding and the Second Amendment. She claims that the amendment was part of a legislative compromise to appease representatives from states where slavery was legal and essential to the economy. Anderson also points to other factors that may have contributed to the amendment, such as the desire to keep the military in check and to support slave patrols.