Can the 2nd Amendment be repealed??

In DFTRTD the plot largely revolves around President Clarke’s attempts to repeal the 2nd Amendment to the US Constitution. As I note in the book, the 2nd Amendment was not part of the original US Constitution – it was added some years later, as part of the a larger bill of rights.

Now to many people in the US, the 2nd Amendment is like some sacred shibboleth. Repealing it would be unthinkable, as it’s now as American as apple pie…..in fact probably more so.

But it raises the question….has ANY part of the US Constitution ever been repealed? Is there any precedent that would show this is even possible, let alone practicable?

The answer is……YES! Have you ever heard of the 18th Amendment, which was ratified as recently as 1919? Probably not, because it no longer exists. The 18th was ratified on January 16, 1919. Its sole purpose was to implement Prohibition on alcohol use across the United States. Now as we all know, the Prohibition ultimately failed. So on December 05th 1933, just 14 years later, the 21st Amendment was passed. The 21st Amendment’s sole purpose was to repeal the 18th Amendment. So it CAN be done, and there IS a precedent.