The Second Amendment As A Defining Characteristic of American Culture
“I will get rid of gun-free zones on schools…and on military bases. My first day, it gets signed, okay? My first day. There’s no more gun-free zones,” Donald Trump said.
At the campaign rally in Burlington, Vermont, in January 2016, Trump claimed that mass shootings in areas such as San Bernardino, Chattanooga, and Orlando could have been prevented if the victims “had guns on the other side.”
The Second Amendment grants Americans the right to bear arms, which allows them to protect themselves. This freedom to use guns is a privilege, but one with many consequences.
Mass shootings such as the Orlando shooting, which killed 63 people and wounded 75, may have very well been prevented if the victims were armed. However, that’s not the issue. The issue is that America has become a country where people must anticipate random acts of violence and be prepared to defend themselves. As a country,
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But the concept that the more weapons, the more secure America is, has shaped our nation since the formation of the Second Amendment and continues to be the factor inhibiting stricter gun control laws.
According to Global Research, “In the late eighteenth century, the meaning of ‘bearing’ arms also referred to a citizen being part of a militia or army. It didn’t mean that an individual had the right to possess whatever number of high-capacity killing machines that he or she might want.”
Although the original purpose of guns was to provide protection for American citizens, guns are now increasingly being used for recreational or sporting purposes, which increases the uses of firearms to the common citizen. Nearly an equal number of people use guns for recreational purposes (66%) compared with crime protection (67%). This shows that the Second Amendment grants citizens the freedom to use guns for purposes other than