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the importance of the second amendment essay
second amendment and its impact on the issue of gun ownership
will gun control reduce crime
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The right to bear and keep arms is guaranteed by the Second Amendment of the Constitution. Liberals are looking to amend the Constitution or misinterpret the intent of the Second Amendment in order to carry out their desire to ban handguns, even though research has revealed that gun control cannot halt citizens from committing crimes. Gun control laws and restrictions should not be put in place as it would violate our rights and freedom under the Constitution of the United States. Keywords: Constitution, freedom, gun control, Second Amendment While the Founding Fathers of the United States were making a structure of the nation, as stated before in the Constitution, people were afraid that a country with a powerful government and army would …show more content…
In 1993, there were eighty-five thousand crimes involving guns. Even with the enactment of some gun control regulations, murder rates have only decreased eighteen percent over the past twenty years. In fact, seventy-five percent of homicides involving all weapons, not just guns, were committed by those under the age of twenty-four (Gottlieb, 1991). In robberies and assaults, unarmed victims tend to be more likely to die once the perpetrator is armed with a weapon (Gottlieb, 1991). Firearms are usually the main weapons used in robberies or assaults because they are convenient. “Thirty percent of homicides in the United States occurred in the four large cities of New York City, Washington D.C., Detroit, and Chicago” (Gottlieb, 1991). One thing all of these cities have in common is they have the strictest regulations in the nation in regard to the purchase of guns (Gottlieb, 1991). Therefore, one can conclude that gun control is ineffective at curbing violent …show more content…
Congressman Jack R. Kingston of Georgia cautions citizens to look at what occurred in Jamaica after the enactment of very strict gun control laws in 1974. “In Jamaica, the law included random house-to-house searches, secret trials, detention, and mandatory life sentences for possession of one bullet” (Alpers et. al., 2013). Within six months violent crime dropped significantly, however, within a year it went back to the level it was before the gun control law was enacted and it continues to increase (Bijlefeld, 1995). Interestingly, one-third of murders were committed by the police because citizens were not able to protect themselves from tyranny. Kingston wants gun control advocates to realize the importance of the Second Amendment. "You have to worry about the United States government, not merely the burglar" (Bijlefeld, 1995). "Why it is that police may have guns, but you and me and the average American citizen cannot?" says Kingston (Bijlefeld, 1995). Congressman James M. Collins agrees. He believes “Americans must maintain the right to purchase guns for the defense of their loved ones, homes, property and for sporting purposes” (Kruschke,
The second amendment grants all Americans the right to bear arms. The ability to hold a firearm at any time as long as the firearm is registered. In the United states, all it takes to hold a firearm is a background check and a safety class. In a short reading from the “American Now” book a short article By Christina Tenuta called Responsible gun ownership saves lives she asks “do Americans really need guns?”, but are the guns really the problem? Although the second amendment requires some decent documents , the qualifications to obtain a firearm needs to be revised to a mental check, a family history check , and also to make it a priority for reinforcement to check on the registered firearm every six to twelve months.
Lott, Jr. John R. More Gun Less Crime: Understanding Crime and Gun Control Laws. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000. Print.
Bam! Bam! Guns are everywhere in the US. It can be in a strictly enforced federal gun store, or a private dealer selling guns left and right. Through anguish and pain, many Americans are suffering through the overuse of guns. This can be through either by losing a loved one, or being permanently impaired, mentally and/or physically for life (as many innocent Americans are victims of Gun Violence).
Taking into account of the recent shooting sprees, the gun control debate has started again. However, people have contemplated: “Why does America need gun laws” and “Why are so many states disagreeing about the restrictions that need to be put in place for civilians looking to purchase firearms.” The reasoning for such contemplation is that the fluxuating strictness of gun laws have led to several incidences within states that have strict gun laws due to the fact that the perpetrators of these incidences have purchased their firearms either from black markets, or states where the severity of gun control is at minimal levels.
Gun control activists claim that banning handgun purchases will reduce murder and other gun related crimes. However, cases where handguns were declared illegal were shown to be ineffective. During the years in which the Washington, D.C. handgun ban and trigger lock law were in effect, the Washington, D.C. murder rate averaged 73% higher than it was at the outset of the law, while the U.S. murder rate averaged 11% lower (Agresti and Smith). Not only in Washington, D.C. was this banning of guns unsuccessful, but also in Chicago. Since the outset of the Chicago handgun ban, the percentage of Chicago murders committed with handguns has averaged about 40% higher than it was before the law took effect (Agresti and Smith). Chicago has recently been named the nation’s murder capital by the FBI and had about as many murders in 2012 as the entire country of Japan, further demonstrating how these ordinances are ineffective. More than 8.5 million Americans legally carry concealed handguns, yet only at a rate of less of 1% do they commit fire...
As firearm technology evolves, weapons become more efficient. These improvements come from the increasing ammo capacity, rate of fire, accuracy, and overall user friendliness. According to everytownresearch.org, roughly 91 Americans are killed each day as a result of gun violence. Currently, the murder rate of the U.S. is 25 times more than the average of other countries. The United States has also endured various mass shootings. Incidents such as the Columbine High School massacre and the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting have inspired the awareness of gun control. Although the government has been debating ways to reduce this violence, no major reforms have been developed. In response to these rates, President Obama delivered the “Address
Written on December 15, 1791 was the second amendment of the constitution. It states that "A well-regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed."(Cite)? United States citizens have used guns for various reasons that include protection, hunting, and sporting reasons. The topic on gun control is a very complex topic that is discussed daily. It is such a big issue that it has both the democrats and republicans firmly established in their positions. One of the main reasons this has been such an important topic in recent years is because of all the murders and massacres that have happened recently in the United States. As our newly nominated president, Donald
Guns, Crime, and Freedom states that, no gun law which restricts the right of law-abiding citizens to own guns has been proven to reduce crime or homicides, not even the Brady Law and the “Clinton Crime Bill.” These two laws st...
Gun violence is studied to determine its causes and how to reduce it within society. In many studies, it has been proven that firearm owners have used their weapons in self defense many times (“Methodologies for Studying” 2). When citizens were given the right to concealed carry, crime was reduced, especially violent crime (“Methodologies for Studying” 3). This has been proven in Florida, where the concealed carry law has been active since 1987. However, there will always be some form of danger around when guns are present. One theory is that often, a person killed in a homicide is an owner of a firearm, proving that being around guns causes crime (“Methodologies for Studying” 2). Studies say that even if firearms were inaccessible to criminals, they would not hesitate to use other legal weapons to commit acts of violence. Crazy people do not grasp reality the way normal people do. This prob...
The second Amendment states, “A well-regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right to bear Arms, shall not be infringed.” This is one of the amendments that uplifted our amazing country. The right to bear arms is an American quality that is strong to build dour nation. Why try to take this away? Gun control policies are an arising problem that the united states face. Taking away guns is not going to prevent major mass shooting, guns are needed for personal safety, and sport shooting is a major industry and community that united states citizens do for a living.
Gun rights are the source of much controversy in today’s society. People have been skeptic after the multiple shootings that happened in the past few years. Recently, the NRA has been under constant threat by Congress. Background checks are not effective as planned. In order to keep the gun rights, changes need to be made in order to prevent gun control from being created.
As actor Vince Vaughn once said, “I support people having a gun in public full stop, not just in your home. We don 't have the right to bear arms because of burglars; we have the right to bear arms to resist the supreme power of a corrupt and abusive government. It 's not about duck hunting; it 's about the ability of the individual. It 's the same reason we have freedom of speech. It 's well known that the greatest defence against an intruder is the sound of a gun hammer being pulled back. All these gun shootings that have gone down in America since 1950, only one or maybe two have happened in non-gun-free zones. Take mass shootings. They 've only happened in places that don 't allow guns. These people are sick in the head and
Another controversial issue in America is the issue of gun control. The Second Amendment to the Constitution guarantees the right to keep and bear arms. However, the extant of this right remains highly debated. In the past two decades, massive killing sprees and school shootings have given rise to debates about this issue. In the 1990s the prevalence of guns in our society has allowed these mass killings to occur, angering a majority of the Americans. Therefore, in the 1990s there was a massive public push for stricter gun control with the majority of 60 percent Americans thinking laws needed to be stricter (Figure 4). However, as state laws became stricter and shootings became more prevalent there was a push back on gun control in a few short
Gun control and self-defense has been a hot topic in the United States in the last couple of years, with the United States having 88.8 guns for every 100 people. People argue whether individuals should have the right to own and carry weapons or whether there should be a stricter regulation on guns. With crimes occurring everywhere in the United States it’s only logical to allow those who qualify for a concealed weapon the right to obtain a permit to carry. With the recent laws of concealed carry weapons being allowed in all 50 states and Jerry Brown banning concealed carry on college campuses, controversy is hotter than it’s ever been. Although we have seen weapons used for hurting, guns, when placed in concealed carry hands, are not the cause
Will gun control stop harm or protect citizens? Today, the opinions of Americans vary on whether guns harm or protect citizens. However, gun control is not a new controversial issue. In 1924, U.S. Senator, Robert La Follete, said, “Our choice is not merely to support or oppose gun control but to decide who can own which guns under what conditions.” This proves that gun control has been a concern to Americans since the mid- twentieth century, and possibly even earlier than that. Even with the U.S. laws limiting the access of guns, it has not stopped the misuse of guns. Thirteen school shootings have been recorded in the United States within the first six weeks of 2014. Gun control is an effort to stop crimes by limiting who can access guns. Guns are very powerful weapons that have a great impact on society. They can change a family’s life forever. The destruction they cause cannot be reversed or taken back, and one trigger could take a person’s life away. For these reasons, government interference is needed to restrict the harm guns can cause. The U.S. government should place more limitations on guns because of the carelessness and misuse of guns, which has led to an increasing number of crimes and violent actions against the innocent.