You will have to do some cross researching - but you can get a list of the 1st Congress who "wrote" the BOR, and some of the ratifying stuff will have committee names (after the Constitutition, before the 1st Congress).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_United_States_Congress - list of members
http://www.constitution.org/dhbr.htm - will get you many of the ratifying docs, with signatures.
If you start doing a search on each member, it can get frustrating, however there are some good comments by ALOT of the founders. And yes, many served in the State commitees, at the Constitutional Convention, and in the Congress.
James Madison HR Virgina: "The right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed; a well armed, and well regulated militia being the best security of a free country: but no person religiously scrupulous of bearing arms shall be compelled to render military service in person."
Senator Fisher Ames Sen: "Mr. Madison has introduced his long expected amendments ....
"The rights of conscience, of bearing arms, of changing the government, are declared to be inherent in the people.
Senator William Grayson: Last Monday
a string of amendments were presented to the lower House; these altogether respected personal liberty
Joseph Jones: "
they are calculated to secure the personal rights of the people ...."
Seven of the ten amendments in the Sherman draft declared rights of the people, while three concerned the structure and power of government. Sherman's rights guarantees were far more limited than those of Madison: the draft included no declaration of the rights of the people to keep and bear arms, against unreasonable search and seizure, to counsel and to due process of law, and no mandate on separation of church and state; Sherman's draft was not adopted by the House Select Committee, which instead, on July 28, reported Madison's proposals as amended by the Committee.
Select Committee of 11: "
The right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed; a well armed, and well regulated militia being the best security of a free country: but no person religiously scrupulous of bearing arms shall be compelled to render military service in person."
SAMUEL ADAMS ... "And that the said constitution be never construed to authorize congress ... to prevent the people of the United States, who are peaceable citizens, from keeping their own arms
Representative William L. Smith : "The Committee on Amendments have reported some, which are thought inoffensive to the Federalists & may do some good on the other side .... There appears to be a disposition in our house to agree to some,
which will more effectually secure private rights, without affecting the structure of the Government."
Elbridge Gerry :
This declaration of rights, I take it, is intended to secure the people against the mal-administration of the Government; if we could suppose that, in all cases, the rights of the people would be attended to, the occasion for guards of this kind would be removed. Now, I am apprehensive, sir, that this clause would give an opportunity to the people in power to destroy the constitution itself. They can declare who are those religiously scrupulous, and prevent them from bearing arms
Thomas Scott of Pennsylvania: objected that the exemption would mean that "a militia can never be depended upon.
This would lead to the violation of another article in the Constitution, which secures to the people the right of keeping arms
Richard Henry Lee:
"to preserve liberty, it is essential that the whole body of the people always possess arms, and be taught alike, especially when young, how to use them .
On September 9, the Senate again took up what became the Bill of Rights. It passed a form of the First Amendment similar to the final version. The
Senate then rejected a proposal to add "for the common defence" after "bear arms" in the Second Amendment.
Congressman Josiah Parker of Virginia: objected that the requirement that "
every man in the United States shall 'provide himself' with military accoutrements would be found impracticable, as it must be well known that there are many persons who are so poor that it is impossible they should comply with the law."
Thomas Fitzsimons of Pennsylvania": As far as
the whole body of the people are necessary to the general defence, they ought to be armed,"
James Jackson of Georgia: "the people of America would never consent to be deprived of the privilege of carrying arms".
Jeremiah Wadsworth of Connecticut: "Is there a man in this House who would wish to see so large a proportion of the community, perhaps one-third,
armed by the United States, and liable to be disarmed by them?" Masters would assist apprentices, and "as to minors, their parents or guardians would prefer furnishing them with arms themselves, to depending on the United States when they knew they were liable to having them reclaimed."
Patrick Henry, in the Virginia Convention on the ratification of the Constitution:
The great object is that every man be armed. Everyone who is able may have a gun.
