Trump’s Recent Gun Comment Mirrors ‘Misfire,’ Says Author of the Second Amendment Book

Steven C. Markoff

LOS ANGELES, CA, UNITED STATES, February 5, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Steven C. Markoff, author of "Misfire: The Supreme Court, The Second Amendment, Our Right to Bear Arms," believes that President Donald Trump may have read his book following his recent remarks about gun possession after the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti by federal immigration agents in Minneapolis.

According to the media, Trump was asked about the killing of Pretti, a peaceful protester lawfully carrying a concealed pistol pursuant to a Concealed Pistol License (CPL) in Minneapolis. Trump reportedly said: "You can't have guns, you can't walk in with guns, you can't do that, but it's a very unfortunate incident."

Markoff believes that Trump may have read his book "Misfire" because the author’s conclusion was that “nothing in the 27 words of the Second Amendment or in contemporaneous historical documents provide for a personal right to arms excluding a connection with the militia or military.”

Based on his extensive research of two centuries of American history leading up to the Second Amendment’s enactment in 1791 as part of the Bill of Rights, Markoff's view is that the Amendment covers only the right to arms connected with the militia or military.

While the Supreme Court in District of Columbia v. Heller, 554 U.S. 570 (2008) held that the Second Amendment in fact conferred on individuals like Pretti the right to arms, Markoff believes the Court misinterpreted history. He explains, for example, that the operative five words of the 27 words of the Amendment—"to keep and bear arms”—"historically referred to the state-organized militia and military, and not about a constitutional guarantee for individuals to possess weapons.”

Markoff further explains that the words "individual right" do not appear in any of the nation’s foundational documents, nor do those two words appear in our Constitution or in any of the 10 Amendments known as the Bill of Rights. Markoff also points out that there were over 170 laws restricting the use of firearms in colonial America, passed between 1609 and 1791.

The author added: “I wrote 'Misfire' to showcase the facts and data surrounding the Second Amendment in order to promote a better understanding of its origins, historical context, and to counter disinformation about the Amendment."

Steven C. Markoff is an American entrepreneur, film producer, author, and educator celebrated for his diverse contributions across multiple domains. His dedication to illuminating critical subjects is evident in his publications "The Case Against George W. Bush" (2020), "Handbook: The First 100 Years of the ACLU" (2023), and most recently, the three-volume compendium of "The First 100 Years of the ACLU" (2025), and the creation of ProCon.org, acquired by Britannica in 2020.

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