Last Wednesday evening, a 21-year-old white supremacist shot and killed nine black churchgoers in Charleston, S.C., in one of the most horrific terrorist attacks of recent years. Because of where it happened — and why — it represented an assault not only on a group of people, but on American history itself. In consequence, both the grief and the condemnations were more pronounced than is typical.

At first, the reactions were almost exclusively sentimental, the vast majority of the mourners electing to focus in on what the killings meant. But as the dust settled and the news sank in, many turned to more practical considerations. Predictably, the fractious question of America’s unique firearms laws was pushed to the fore. Because I am well known for my staunch support of the Second Amendment, I received a number of critical e-mails and tweets both asking me what I thought and enjoining me to change my mind. Typically, these took the following form: “The United States Constitution is amendable. In fact, the Second Amendment is itself an ‘amendment.’ It may have made sense in 1791 for the people to be armed, but it does not now. Americans should come together and excise this provision for the good of all.”

Source:  Charlie Cooke, http://www.nationalreview.com