Nashville History Corner

Militias, the Second Amendment and Gun Control

BY RIDLEY WILLS II

When the American Revolutionary War began in April 1775, the Colonial revolutionaries did not have an army. Previously, each colony had relied upon the militia made up of part-time civilian soldiers. Congress initially authorized ten companies of riflemen. The first full regiment of regular Army infantry, the Third Infantry Regiment, was not formed until June 1784. After the war, the continental Army was quickly disbanded because of the American distrust of standing armies, and irregular state militias became the new nation’s sole ground army, with the exception of a regiment to guard the Western frontier and one battery of artillery guarding West Point’s arsenal.

During colonial America, all able-bodied men of a certain age range were members of the militia, depending on each colony’s rule. Because each militiaman was responsible for providing his own weapon, usually a musket, Congress, on Dec. 15, 1791, passed a Second Amendment to the Constitution. It read as follows: “A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the rights of people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed.”

Following the War of 1812, during a long period of peace, militias became dormant. Capt. Aden Partridge, an early superintendent of the U.S. Military Academy, established the American Literary, Military and Scientific Academy in Vermont, later at Middleton in Connecticut. He was intent on revitalizing and reforming the militias. Quite a few Southern boys, including my great great grandfather, William Giles Harding, attended the academy, being interested in its course of study, methods and the studiousness of its students. William Giles graduated four years later, standing first in his class. He returned home to Belle Meade Plantation, bringing with him old Capt. Partridge, who was making his first visit to the South. In 1838, Harding was named a brigadier-general in the local militia.

Between 1815 and 1860, the main role of the U.S. Army was, most unfortunately, to fight Native Americans in the West and to man coastal artillery stations at major ports. At the outset of the Civil War, the U.S. Army was small, but it grew enormously during the war. Militias by then had almost disappeared as able-bodied Americans no longer needed to own weapons to defend America. The U.S. Army had assumed this role. Nevertheless, the Second Amendment remained in force as millions of American men owned pistols, shotguns and rifles, which they used primarily in hunting birds and wild animals for food and for recreation.

The first semi-automatic weapon was produced in 1885. By early in the 20th century, many companies, including Remington Arms, were manufacturing automatic pistols, rifles and shotguns for the civilian and military markets. Many developed countries, including Japan, England and France, prohibited their use by civilians. The United States took an opposite stance, making it easy for civilians to acquire automatic weapons.

As recently as 2014 there were only 17 mass murders in the United States. Unfortunately, that number has skyrocketed since then with 117 in 2017, 175 in 2021, and 215 in 2022. As of April 1, 2023, there have been 131 this year, including six in Covenant School in Nashville on March 21.

According to Everytown Research and Policy, the homicide rate in the United States in 2019 was 4.382 per 100,000 people. In Japan, the homicide rate was 0.01 per 100,000 people. Here are the rates in other high income countries, all of whom have tighter gun control laws than the United States.

South Korea 0.002

Denmark 0.017

United Kingdom 0.049

Spain 0.082

Germany 0.100

Austria 0.103

Switzerland 0.104

Greece 0.112

Australia 0.154

Belgium 0.159

Finland 0.164

Italy 0.182

Netherlands 0.186

Sweden 0.388

France 0.400

Israel 0.709

The only reason to have a semi-automatic weapon in your possession is to kill someone. Yet Tennessee has no red flag laws and our Republican legislature is actually considering making our weak gun restrictions even more so. On April 3, Gov. Bill Lee announced that he would propose legislation to put armed guards in every public school in the state and provide funding for private schools who choose to have guards.

Our state has attracted gun manufacturers to move to Tennessee. Every time I drive to my cottage in Monteagle, Tenn., on I-24, I pass by Barrett Firearms in Christiana. A couple of years ago, I read that one of the prizes offered at the Swan Ball was a tour of Barrett Firearms. I was horrified. They manufacture semi-automatic rifles and advertise themselves as the, “world leader in large caliber rifle design and manufacturing.” Tennessee also has gun manufacturers in Clarksville, Minor Hill, Smyrna, Springfield, Tullahoma and Union City. The United States is by far the world’s leading exporter of lethal weapons. And there’s no doubt Tennessee is doing its part.