The right of self-defense against others or institutions is generally accepted under natural law as a God given right to preserve our liberty. The original intent of the Second Amendment is to ensure three basic principles of defending individual liberty; 1. Self-defense against others 2. Self-defense of the home 3. Provide that every able-bodied American was armed and willing to defend their liberty against any standing army thus securing the protection of the citizen from the tyranny of foreign powers, the Federal government and the States. The Fourteenth Amendment was enacted after the civil war to reaffirm that the Second Amendment applied to the States as well. This right can only be invalidated by an amendment to the Constitution proposed by the Congress or a Constitutional Convention and ratified by three-quarters of the states.