Prime logo Prime members: New to Audible?
Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.
The Second Amendment  By  cover art

The Second Amendment

By: Michael Waldman
Narrated by: John Glouchevitch
Try for $0.00

$14.95/month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $17.19

Buy for $17.19

Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.

Publisher's summary

Widely acclaimed at the time of its publication, the life story of the most controversial, volatile, misunderstood provision of the Bill of Rights.

At a time of increasing gun violence in America, Waldman's book provoked a wide range of discussion. This book looks at history to provide some surprising, illuminating answers.

The Amendment was written to calm public fear that the new national government would crush the state militias made up of all (white) adult men - who were required to own a gun to serve. Waldman recounts the raucous public debate that has surrounded the amendment from its inception to the present. As the country spread to the Western frontier, violence spread too. But through it all, gun control was abundant. In the 20th century, with Prohibition and gangsterism, the first federal control laws were passed. In all four separate times the Supreme Court ruled against a constitutional right to own a gun.

The present debate picked up in the 1970s-part of a backlash to the liberal 1960s and a resurgence of libertarianism. A newly radicalized NRA entered the campaign to oppose gun control and elevate the status of an obscure constitutional provision. In 2008, in a case that reached the Court after a focused drive by conservative lawyers, the US Supreme Court ruled for the first time that the Constitution protects an individual right to gun ownership. Famous for his theory of "originalism," Justice Antonin Scalia twisted it in this instance to base his argument on contemporary conditions.

In The Second Amendment: A Biography, Michael Waldman shows that our view of the amendment is set, at each stage, not by a pristine constitutional text, but by the push and pull, the rough and tumble of political advocacy and public agitation.

©2014 Michael Waldman (P)2018 Tantor
  • Unabridged Audiobook
  • Categories: History

What listeners say about The Second Amendment

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    55
  • 4 Stars
    21
  • 3 Stars
    12
  • 2 Stars
    3
  • 1 Stars
    4
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    55
  • 4 Stars
    16
  • 3 Stars
    7
  • 2 Stars
    1
  • 1 Stars
    2
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    51
  • 4 Stars
    14
  • 3 Stars
    11
  • 2 Stars
    3
  • 1 Stars
    2

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

were not paying attention, just passed it

I don't buy it, they just fought and won a war that started with the government marching on concord to take there guns. It seems to take the view that since it was included in the bill of rights it must be a good one so it slipped into law, except 12 amendments went out to be ratified, two were not ratified neither of wich was the current second amendment. No original historical evidence of scrutiny, such as letters to the editor and editorials in the ubiquities news papers we are familiar with from the federalist papers are presented, as far as I can tell it is circular dogma. To bad I am still really curious what they were thinking.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Excellent history of the second amendment

A great listen for anyone concerned about the gun debate and the second amendment, and a excellent history altogether.
Thanks

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Surprisingly fair

This book is an excellent review of Second Amendment history. Though the narrative does lean a little bit to the left at times, I still think it was fair, based on my study and fact checking.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

very bias views.

the author is definitely one sided with his views of the 2nd. it would have been better sticking to just the history and relate facts. we get enough bias info from the news.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Excellent analysis of the ENTIRE Amendment

I can understand why extreme gun rights advocates would not like this book. A clear analysis of the opening clause of the Second Amendment, referencing the need for a "well regulated militia," makes it evident that the ensuing phrase "the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed" is not the unlimited right that extremist claim. The book also makes it evident that Justice Scalia was not the "originalist" he claimed to be. Whatever "originalism" means, if Justice Scalia was attempting to discern the intent of the framers of the Bill of Rights, the book is a strong argument that he got that wrong. I recommend this book to gun rights advocates who are open minded enough to subject their beliefs to scrutiny. They will learn something.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Understanding BOTH clauses of the Second Amendment

An enlightening and enjoyable history and analysis of what the Second Amendment really means, including the popular meaning in colonial days of “a well-regulated militia” and even the military implications of “to bear arms”. The book is just the right length, not overlong or redundant, and so, unlike many extended essays, it does not wear out its welcome.

Highly recommended for anyone who wants to better understand the meaning and significance of gun rights in America.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

My Opinion On This Book

I found the book to be quite informative. I found out things I hadn't known prior to listening to it. I can recommend this book to historians and 2nd Amendment enthusiasts. There, at times, when the book, while listening, where it got a bit long. I mean, my mind would stray from time to time. Other than that, It is a good listening book.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Strong liberal bias but a good book

The author doesn’t try to hide his political leaning but no less an engrossing book on the history of the 2nd amendment.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Balanced and in depth perspective

Historical perspective & accuracy as well as its balance. Its detailed recounting of the US Constitution’s drafting and redrafting and efforts for adoption is excellent.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

An interesting cherry picking of history

The author obviously did his homework but seemed content to be fairly one-sided, which of course is his right. Maligning people on the other side (Scalia) is not often a sign of a strong case.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!