Vermont Humanities

Do We Still Need an Armed Citizenry?

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Speakers Bureau

Minuteman Statue in Lexington MA

The right of the people to keep and bear arms has become one of the more contentious rights in American politics. On the one side are people who have legitimate fears that the government wants to take away their guns. On the other side are people who have legitimate fears that armed militias will threaten the peace. How can we address both of these concerns?

This presentation considers the political theory behind the Second Amendment and how two recent Supreme Court decisions overturned federal and state gun laws. If the Court cannot resolve this issue to everyone’s satisfaction, how might pro-gun and anti-gun forces peaceably coexist? The goal of the talk is to take seriously an opposing point of view even if you can’t endorse it.

Photo by Oeoi via Wikimedia Commons.

Additional Costs

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Special Arrangements

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About the Presenter

Meg Mott

Meg Mott

After twenty years of teaching political theory and constitutional law to Marlboro College undergraduates, Meg Mott has taken her love of argument to the general public.

Talks by Meg Mott

Image of preamble to the Constitution

A Dramatic Constitution

We often are divided on the merits of the Constitution: can it redeem us or is it a convenient cloak for white supremacy? Meg Mott explains that the Constitution might be seen as an invitation to develop the habits of political engagement through deliberation and adjudication.

Minuteman Statue in Lexington MA

Do We Still Need an Armed Citizenry?

The right of the people to keep and bear arms has become one of the more contentious rights in American politics. Meg Mott focuses on the political theory behind the Second Amendment. How might pro-gun and anti-gun forces peaceably coexist? The goal of the talk is to take seriously an opposing point of view even if you can’t endorse it.

Vermont Humanities*** March 8, 2021