Which founding fathers pushed for the right to bear arms?
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Turns out there wasn't much of a "push" involved. The right to bear arms predates the US constitution, and had been seen as an extension of the natural right to self-defense in English culture well before. In fact, the issue had been raised well before US independence, with king James II attempting to disarm his Protestant subjects (James himself was pro-Catholic). In the wake of King James II's deposition in the Glorious Revolution (Wikipedia) the Parliament of England approved the 1689 Bill of Rights, guaranteeing certain civil rights in England. The right for protestant subjects bear arms for self-defense is included.
During the American pre-Revolutionary period, the right to bear and keep arms was both a pragmatic and idealistic issue. Allowing arms to the population was important for safety on the developing frontier areas as well as a natural right that needed to be protected. The Parliament attempted to prevent firearm exports to America to avoid armed uprisings, something seen by the Patriot side as a infringement of their natural rights not unlike what James II had done.
The Revolution came, the Patriot side won and the United States got its independence. The US constitution borrowed heavily from ideals set in English common law, including the right to keep arms codified in the Second Amendment. The amendment was proposed by James Madison (Wikipedia) as a part of his Bill of Rights. The amendment was ratified without much controversy - it didn't really change anything much, just set current practice into law.
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