I've finished preparing my presentation slides for PhreakNIC regarding the history and current interpretation of the Second Amendment. I think I've provided a faithful review of the history of the Amendment that explains the reasons for the controversy that surrounds it. In doing so, I found a minor error in the Opinion of the Supreme Court in D.C. vs. Heller - the recent landmark case recognizing an individual right to keep arms for self defense in the home. The Opinion makes reference on page 41 to two rulings of the Tennessee Supreme Court, Aymette v. State, decided in 1840, and Andrews v. State which the Opinion dates "21 years later." In fact, Andrews v. State was decided in 1871 - 31 years later.

I don't think that this error has any significance other than proof that I've been staring at this material too long. In 1861, Tennessee was in the process of withdrawing from the Union, which would have been very disruptive to the adjudication of Constitutional issues! In any event, I'm looking forward to speaking about this subject at PhreakNIC, and I hope that I can shed some light on it for everyone there.