Tia Gil
Prof. Schmidt
Criminal Justice
10/29/17
2nd Amendment & Gun Control
For quite some time now, there has been big controversy about whether we should have the right to bear arms and how we should be able to obtain weapons / how we should be with them (gun control). The 2nd Amendment ties into gun control and stirs up a lot of debate. Some people believe it’s a danger to society, and some people believe that taking away guns would be taking away our freedom in a way. If we had stricter gun laws, people say there would be less tragedies and mass-shootings. But on the other hand, it’s said that we need guns to defend ourselves maybe in times like this. Although it’s in the Constitution some people just don’t agree and say that the 2nd amendment can be interpreted different ways. There is serious disagreement about whether guns protect liberty or threaten it (Waters, Timothy William, 2017).
As the Second Amendment implies, the right to bear arms isn’t given to us by the government, and it just isn’t an American right. It’s a human right (Gingrich, Newt 2012). They say that they shouldn’t repeal the 2nd Amendment because it’s believed that it gives us a certain level of protection and lowers criminal attack. They claim that if guns were easier to get we’d be able to protect ourselves better and be less helpless/fearless of attackers. But then comes the counter statement, people can become violent and do what they want with a gun. Studies show, when a criminal is faced with a gun or a weapon, 55% of the time a criminal will run away. Another strong point made by people that don’t want strong gun control laws is that banning people from legally allowing to buy firearms will help criminals get money, therefore when it is made impossible for people to legally purchase guns, this can easily end up creating a black market where guns will be traded illegally just like other serious drugs and causes crime to go up. In order to prevent this from occurring, guns should not be banned all the way. People who follow the law should be able to purchase guns whenever they want. It is shown that violent crimes go down with more citizens having access to guns: According to the National Rifle
In recent years, the topic of gun control has become an increasing heated debate. Some think that the second amendment does not grant people with the right to bear certain guns. Others argue that under the second amendment, the right to bear arms involves all guns and that their right should not be infringed on by the federal government. Issues surrounding the interpretation of the Second Amendment has been involved in many Supreme Court cases throughout the years of the United States of America.
The second Amendment to the Constitution, which concern is the rights to bear arms, has always been a hot-button issue, especially during election season. In the United States, the ability to choose whether or not to own a gun means favoring or opposing the right and the legislation restricting rights that come with it. For years, gun rights and gun control groups alike have been lobbying Congress for decades to sway legislation to their respective favors. The question then become, should the United States have more control over guns? The issue of guns in America should remain in the hands of the citizens because it helps people feel more safe and they help prevent people from becoming victims of crime.
The controversy with the Second Amendment is that it does not clarify who “the people” are. Therefore, leaving room for legislative bodies and courts to interpret and influence their decision on how laws become introduce and enforced. Therefore, if we let an individual interpret the Second Amendment we will get different opinions. For instance, we have the gun control activist, that believe that since there is not a militia, no individual should possess firearms.The activist back up their claims by stating that the possession of weapons make the country unsafe and puts children at risk children at risk of finding the weapon and accidentally shooting themselves or someone else. They also believe that only the police or government officials should have the right to carry weapons and that by banning guns it would minimizes the gang related shootings that take the lives of many innocent bystanders every day. On the other hand, we have the anti-gun control activists arguing that banning guns will not reduce crime instead it would leave law abiding citizens vulnerable to armed criminals. For instance, they mention that if convicted felons manage to get their hands on a weapon now, who says that by banning them is going to stop them from doing
Ever since the Bill of Rights was passed in 1791 the right of the people to keep and bear arms has played a factor in the United States history. Sides have been taken and people have fought over the interpretation of the Second Amendment. Everybody has an opinion on every topic that has ever come up. While opinions can vary, there can be some common grounds for viewpoints. Commonly, the Second Amendment is looked at as a two-sided issue; (1) Citizens should be allowed to own and carry firearms and (2) Citizens should not be allowed to own and carry firearms. But in looking at a community of people who own firearms, it is evident that even in what seems to be a two sided argument has room for many different positions on one side
President Barack Obama says we have an “obligation” to try anything that could save one child, but many people find this statement to be ridiculous. Gun control is thought of as a government policy or regulations to control or limit the sale and use of firearms. In the U.S. constitution, the 2nd Amendment 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. Inside America today, gun control is a major issue, especially in the political arena. People debate on the daily that not all things in society make it a safer place to live. The best intentions of America’s lawmakers often do not achieve the desired outcome; therefore, the nation
What would you say if I were to tell you that over the past seven days, approximately 200 people have been killed by guns in the United States? What if then I said that from 1982 to 2012 in the U.S., there have been 62 mass shootings? And then, what if I told you that of the shooters in those 62 shootings, the youngest was only 11 years old? This child, along with a 13-year-old accomplice, stole 7 guns from his father and the other child’s grandfather and ambushed people outside of a school, killing 5 and wounding 10 (“A Guide to Mass Shootings in America”, April 18, 2016). The Second Amendment to the Constitution gives the people the right to bear and own arms, but it has been misinterpreted because when it was created, it was intended for states to have a militia to prevent the government from imposing unfair legislation as King George did to the colonies. Now people look at this Amendment as an unconditional right to own a gun no matter what. This was not the intent of the Amendment originally. It was originally intended to keep the citizens of this country safe and the way to do this, at the time, was to let them have a gun. Now there are many more ways to keep people safe other than owning a gun. The current laws regulating the purchasing of firearms and ammunition in the United States are practically nonexistent, and so badly upheld and enforced that they might as well not be there at all.
Guns have been around for a very long time. People love being able to have the freedom to do what they want, especially when they can possess something that make them feel superior. The introduction of the Second Amendment opens up the controversial, yet well anticipated opportunity for United State citizens to be able to own guns. Americans enjoy the benefit of being able to own guns for decades over people in other countries. People can buy guns and carry them around in public. They own guns for many reasons such as to hunt, to protect themselves, and simply to satisfy their desire of owning a gun, but in recent years, the issue of people carry guns has become a problem. There are so many people get killed by guns in different parts of
Those against gun control claim gun control violates the second amendment, which states, "A regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to bear arms shall not e infringed.” However, some people do not know how to handle guns, and for that reason gun control is needed to limit those people from misusing and mishandling guns. For those who argue that this amendment gives “freedom” to Americans, this “freedom” causes more than 30,000 deaths a year in the U.S. The constitution was written in the 18th century when times were different. Unlike today, there were no police departments, but instead, armed citizens protected society. They needed guns because they heavily relied on hunting for food. Society has changed in so many ways since then, and if the founding had known the outcome of this law, they would have written it more specifically to ensure the safety of the civilians.
There are two different arguments and interpretations of the second amendment. The first being that only the militia should have the right to bear arms, whereas the second being that the amendment give every citizen the right to bar arms. There is proof that the second amendment gives every citizen the right to bear arms; Thomas Jefferson said that, “No free man shall be debarred the use of arms. ("Second Amendment to the United States Constitution")” Patrick Henery Said, “The great object is that every man be armed. ("The James Madison Research Library and Information Center")” Even James Madison who introduced the bill of rights said that, its amendments “relate first to private rights. ("2014 NRA-ILA Firearms Fact Card")” So Americans have the right to bear arms. Violence is bad in the United States, and guns are being targeted as the problem, however criminals kill people not guns. If a person wanted to kill someone they would find another way to do it. The problem is not the guns it is the criminals. Banning far arms would not stop violence; banning firearms would increase
In America guns have been a part of the country’s society since it’s birth. Throughout history the citizens of the US have used firearms to protect the nation, protect their families, to hunt for food and to engage in sporting activities. The issue of Guns and gun control takes on a proportion of extreme magnitude. Weighing the rights and liberties of the individual against the welfare and safety of the public has always been a precarious balancing act. In the United States, gun control is one of these tumultuous issues that has both sides firmly entrenched in their positions. Those parties in favor of gun ownership and the freedom to use and keep arms, rely on the fact that the provision for such rights is enshrined in their constitution.
The second amendment has always been deeply rooted in the American culture and constitution. The amendment states "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." Being able to protect ourselves, gives us Americans a peace of mind, but now-a-days people are thinking otherwise. Being able to access a firearm so easily without a thorough deep background/mental health check is un-nerving. In the last two decades there has been roughly 200 mass shootings. All it takes to buy a firearm, like a shotgun simply requires your driver 's license and a couple pages of paperwork from the 4473 form. I am here to discuss Gun control in America through our 3 levels of representation, Federal, State, and City.
For years proposals for gun control and the ownership of firearms have been among the most controversial issues in modern American politics. The public debate over guns in the United States is often seen as having two side. Some people passionately assert that the Second Amendment protects an individual's right to own guns while others assert that the Second Amendment does no more than protect the right of states to maintain militias. There are many people who insist that the Constitution is a "living document" and that circumstances have changed in regard to an individual’s right to bear arms that the Second Amendment upholds. The Constitution is not a document of total clarity and the Second Amendment is perhaps one of the worst drafted
Gun control is a very controversial topic for Americans. Many feel that due to the recent tragedies, Congress should enforce stronger gun control law while others believe that banning assault weapons will not help reduce crimes. In the article titled, “Treasure the Second Amendment, but Ban Assault Rifles”, Miller argues that assault weapons should be banned, but the second amendment right to bare arms should be valued. While in the article titled, “A Ban on Assault Weapons Would Not Reduce Crime”, Merino argues that banning assault weapons would not lower the crime rate because most criminals will just find a loophole.
A major issue that is spreading like wildfire lately is the right to bear arms. This Second Amendment enshrined by the Constitution proclaims: “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” (“Right to Bear Arms”). Many people have the argument that the Second Amendment provides individuals the right to own guns, others say that this amendment was set to apply to states’ rights, rather than individual rights. One side claims violence while the other side states protection and legal right.
Do you agree with gun control? The second amendment and gun control has always been a special and talkative topic in United states. Left and right incidents happen and there is always someone arguing that we should have gun control. I personally and 100% disagree with gun control. Although the choice is yours I bet you will agree with me after reading my essay. Lets dive into the world of politics.