But does that right allow people to walk around with assault weapons?

As we remember the 27 people killed during the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting and await an assault weapons ban bill, we decided to take a look at the history of gun control laws:

1860s — Many southern states passed "Black Codes" around this time, which severely limited African-American southerners' rights, including their right to own guns.

1927 — Congress passed the Mailing of Firearms Act, also known as the Miller Act, which banned mailing concealable firearms.