History Forum: The founding fathers and the origins of gun control

The Supreme Court said Tuesday it will take up the first major gun case in nearly ten years. Depending on how broadly the justices rule, it could have major ramifications for gun rights and gun control.

Historian Saul Cornell is the author of "A Well-Regulated Militia: The Founding Fathers and the Origins of Gun Control." He's a professor of history at Fordham University.

He said all the amendments to the Constitution "speak to both aspirations and anxieties ... in the 18th century, the concepts of rights and obligations were fused the hip."

"We have to remember how different the world was, that gave us the Second Amendment," Cornell said. He added that 98 percent of other countries have nothing like the Second Amendment.

Saul Cornell spoke in St.Paul on December 8, 2018, at the Minnesota Historical Society's History Forum.