The History of Gun Control in the United States

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Recommended: Essays over federal gun control laws

“The right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.” A gun license grants a user the right to own and use a firearm. Gun-right supporters strongly oppose federally mandated licensing or registration. They see both as dangerous steps toward revoking Second Amendment rights. They say that with mandated licensing or registration, a right guaranteed by the Constitution becomes a privilege granted by the government (Doeden). The topic of gun control/rights in the United States has a long history, which some see as unconstitutional, and could easily be relaxed by requiring background checks. Historically, guns were a necessity to history. The Ku Klux Klan, Ronald Reagan, the NRA, and most of history all worked to control guns and gun rights. The Founding Fathers? They required gun ownership and regulated it. No group has more fiercely advocated the right to bear loaded weapons in public than the Black Panthers-- the true pioneers of the modern pro-gun movement. In the battle over gun rights in America, both sides have distorted history and the law, and there’s no resolution in sight. Opposition to gun control was what drove the black militants to visit the California capitol with loaded weapons in hand. The Black Panther party had been formed 6 months earlier by Huey Newton and Bobby Seale. Guns became central to the Panthers’ identity, as they taught their early recruits that “gun is the only thing that will free us-- gain us our liberation.” In time, the Panthers’ arsenal included machine guns, an assortment of rifles, handguns, explosives, and grenade launchers and boxes and boxes and boxes of ammunition (Winkler). Having gun control is a step toward revoking the Second Amendment. Some gun-control supporters bel... ... middle of paper ... ...ry Reference Center. April 2, 2014 Trotter, Gayle S. “Should Congress Pass Stronger Gun Laws?” Congressional Digest. Mas Ultra-School Edition. April 2, 2014 PR, Newswriter. “Gun Rights Groups Call For National Commission to Study Causes of Violence” PR, Newswire US. Regional Business News. April 3, 2014. Valerie, Richardson. The Washington Times. “Gun-Rights Rallies in All 50 States Take Aim at Restrictions” The Washington Times. Regional Business News. January 21, 2013 Editorial. “Balancing Gun Rights With Public Safety” Washington Post. Regional Business News. April 7, 2014 Gardner, David. “Having a Gun is Your Right” Daily Mail. Regional Business News. June 27, 2008 The Washington Post. “Gun Rights and Mentally Ill” The Washington Post. Regional Business News. April 7, 2014 Friedman, Corey. “Amendment Seeks to Expand Gun Rights” Wilson Daily Times. March 14, 2013

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