A short musket of wide bore and flaring muzzle, formerly used to scatter shot at close range.
The blunderbuss used by the British Royal Mail during the period of 1788–1816 was a flintlock with a 36 cm (14 in) long flared brass barrel, brass trigger guard, and an iron trigger and lock
@sunsporter1649 >\The late great Justice Scalia believed the Constitution should be interpreted according to the original meanings of the words at the time it was written ) AKA "original public meaning." He did NOT believe in an "evolving" Constitution. Scalia said judges should look to what a law meant when it was adopted and not "to what society today thinks it ought to mean.”"He further specified that the 2nd Amendment only covered arms one could "bear" so cannons and the like are not protected.
In the late 1780's, "arms" meant swords and knives and guns that loaded with powder, wadding, and ball. According to Scalia's strict interpretation, the right to bear arms ends with blunderbusses and muskets and pistolaires with a firing rate less than 1 shot per minute.
Many will say that as weapons evolve, the interpretation must evolve. But that kind of "living Constitution" approach would eventually lead to terrible things like gay marriage. Clearly the Founders never intended gay marriage and that is why Scalia opposed it.
BTW, the Constitution does not mention concealment of weapons one way or another, so. according to the 10th Amendment, it is left to each state to decide if you may conceal your blunderbuss or antique pistolaire.
To tell the truth, Scalia and the other conservatives use Original Intent to oppose what they disapprove of, but they allow "evolving" interpretations to allow modern guns. In other words, the whole Original Intent thing is just a conservative thumb on the scales of justice.
@ElwoodBlues Like the thumb on the scales of justice that gives the demonocrats the right to ignore The Constitution whenever the demonocrats feel it advances their obscene objectives?
@Majorsite What if Trudeau was like Ron Desantis? That would mean Trudeau would pass a law that would have made it legal to run down and kill the freedom Trucker protesters in Ottawa blocking the streets. I wonder how many would support that?
I’m glad Canadians have resisted the authoritarian nonsense that Americans are suffering from in some right wing states .….
@sunsporter1649 i’m telling you what you have taught me about yourself is that every story you distort . You’re a consummate liar and that reputation will follow you no matter what you type. Even a basic look at your comment it’s clear that Biden didn’t send anybody.