The Importance Of Self Defense

Why Self-defense should be part of the Second Amendment

You wake up in the middle of the night to the sound of breaking glass. Fear grips you and your body tenses up. You frantically remember that your children are asleep down the hall and heavy footsteps can now be heard coming up the stairs. You reach to your nightstand, there is no firearm, and you dial 911. When seconds count, the police are minutes away and now all you can do is hope that they are not too late. This is the situation millions of law abiding Americans would have found themselves in throughout the history of this nation if not for the Second Amendment. As cited by Gary Kleck and Marc Gertz, Armed Resistance to Crime: The Prevalence and Nature of Self-Defense with a

The founding fathers recognized that along with the First Amendment and the freedom of speech it affords citizens, the right to bear arms should be next. It’s what affords citizens the ultimate ability to preserve the constitution and what we naturally value most, our safety and that of our families. I believe that self-defence by extension is a natural part of the Second Amendment. As statistics indicate, responsible firearm use lowers crime rates and saves lives daily. Without the the Second Amendment, citizens would be without the basic tools needed to protect themselves, their family, and property. The legal use of firearms is the constant factor that holds violent criminals in check. If law abiding citizens did not have the tools necessary to prevent criminals them from committing terrible acts, criminals would be more open and bold in their actions. Self-defense through the Second Amendment, along with its original intent to defend the populace from a tyrannical government, are an important deterrent against crime and tyranny for every citizen of the United

The right to self-defense and protection of your loved ones should not end at the doorstep to your house, but should be afforded to all lawful citizens in public also. Having Concealed Carry laws that allows citizens to carry firearms secretly and discreetly to protect themselves and others in the general public is a common sense deterrent to deal with mass shootings. According to the Gun Owners of America, a comprehensive nationwide study in 1996, showed that states with conceal carry laws have been shown to lower rates of murder by 8.5 percent, rapes by 5 percent, and robbery by 3 percent nationwide. These numbers make it very clear that conceal carry laws help people defend themselves and any problems that may arise from concealed carry is far outweighed by the positives. Most gun owners in the United States are responsible law abiding citizens and should be able to lawfully protect themselves on a moments notice anywhere and not have to wait for a police officer to arrive. Even a moment delay can be the difference between life or death in the most dire of