The right to bear arms in English history.

Joyce Lee Malcolm provides an excellent discussion of English history behind the American 2nd Amendment to the Constitution: http://www.guncite.com/journals/maltrad.html

In medieval times, the right to bear arms was not merely a right, but a requirement. Able bodied men joined together in the militia. Custom required that they maintain their own arms.

However, the conflicts of the 17th century between Catholic and Protestant, King and Parliament greatly complicated the rights of citizens to keep weapons. Malcolm provides an excellent discussion of the evolution of the law and English Bill of Rights relating to weapons.