The Elephant in the Room
'A Well-regulated Militia' (2022)
On the brink of a challenge to the interpretation of the Second Amendment, an associate justice of the Supreme Court passed away.
President Gloria Addison aimed to replace the justice with someone who shared her views on the amendment.
She believed she had found the right in Randolph Cavendish, but supporters of the amendment's 'individual right' clause conspired to stop her.
The ongoing struggle over gun rights left no one safe, not even the president, Justice Cavendish, or Congress.
"I really enjoyed your book. I tried but I couldn't tell which side you're on!" — G. Davis
5 stars Excitingly educational
Reviewed in the United States on January 22, 2024
This is an awesome book! The author, Stephen Carey Fox, is sharp as a tack! A Veteran military officer and retired history professor, he cleverly keeps us intrigued while explaining the intricate details of the principles behind the debates regarding our 2nd amendment. The educational aspect has great flow, first acquainting us with the vastness of the debates around our gun law, sharing valuable insight on both sides of the argument, then bringing in the simple yet priceless big picture view toward the end! I absolutely love this way of learning!! Thank you to the author for sharing this book with the world! :) — G. Davis on Amazon
(Curiously, my interpretation of the 2nd is different from the various ones you presented. It seems to me the second clause obviously assumes that a right to bear arms exists, but it does not create such a right. How can you infringe upon, or not infringe upon, something that does not exist? I believe it assumes a “common” law, or customary right, since most men at that time did possess arms.
Thus, I would interpret the second in full as saying that the right to bear arms cannot be infringed in such away as would prevent the establishment or existence of militias. This could mean that a government could restrict the guns in whatever way it wishes so long as it has established state guards or militias or set up armories that militia members could access if needed. So there.)
THIS NOVEL is a contemporary political thriller written by the ever-productive Mr. Fox that is focused on the archaic language and convoluted interpretations of the Second Amendment to the US Constitution. We learn on the first page that the President is a woman, Gloria Addison, and that an associate justice of the Supreme Court, one Angus Wilson, has died suddenly. The President now has the opportunity, and the challenge, to propose a replacement justice for the United States Senate to consider. How and who she chooses, and what happens when that choice is made make up the heart of the story.
Along the way we meet, among others, unpleasant senators, disloyal friends, lying lawyers, the shadowy NRA and grievance-laden losers as the plot spins toward a crisis that explodes among the marble sculptures of the US Supreme Court itself.
Mr. Fox, a retired college history professor, also entertains us with several brief asides such as how the famous Resolute desk of the oval office came into existence; Roger Williams of Rhode Island and the separation of church and state; the definition and troubled history of the term militia; the birth and multiple interpretations of the Second Amendment; the US Code’s definition of treason, and more. From beginning to end, this novel provides an informative and entertaining reading experience. — D. Ingold on Amazon