The History of the Right to Bear Arms - An Early Precedent—militias And The Ownership Of Weapons

One of the first documents to link the bearing of arms with a militia (an army composed of citizens called to action in time of emergency) was the Assize of Arms of 1181, which directed every free man to have access to weaponry. Henry II of England signed this law to enable the rapid creation of a militia when needed, but the law also permitted carrying arms in self-defense and forbade the use of arms only when the intention was to "terrify the King's subjects." In 1328, under the reign of King Edward III, Parliament enacted the Statute of Northampton, which prohibited the carrying of arms in public places. However, this law apparently did not overrule the right to carry arms in self-defense.