Persuasive Essay On Gun Control

953 Words4 Pages

Gun control is an issue that has divided our country since its founding. The Second Amendment guarantees American citizens the right to keep and bear arms but this statement still leaves much up to interpretation. Simply stating the term “gun control” is sure to start a heated debate. Our country is sharply divided on political, ideological, and geographic lines on what needs to be done with firearms. Since the country was founded, many laws have been enacted to limit the violence and destruction caused by various firearms. It is important for citizens of the United States to fully understand the history and present meaning of the term so that they can enact laws that they feel will best suit the country. Gun control has a very long and contentious …show more content…

The Bill of Rights contains the Second Amendment, "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." This simple phrase in the Second Amendment is the basis for much debate over gun control in the United States up to this very day. The next important milestone is in 1871 when the National Rifle Association was formed by veterans of the Union Army. The NRA still holds a lot of power in the political and societal gun debate. Due to criminal activities during Prohibition, the National Firearms Act was passed in 1934. This created a tax on the making and transfer of various types of firearms. In 1939 the Supreme Court upheld a federal ban on sawed-off shotguns. This decision implied that the Second Amendment was only created to prevent the federal government from disarming state militias, not private citizens. In 1976 the D.C. City Council banned residents from owning handguns. Both the Firearm Owner's Protection Act and the Law Enforcement Officers Protection Act were passed in 1986. The Firearm Owner's Protection Act prohibits felons from owning or possessing any type of firearm or ammunition. The