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The Pros And Cons Of Gun Control

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According to a poll by CNN, forty-nine percent of Americans support stricter gun control, while fifty percent oppose. With the question of gun control constantly brought up with well thought out arguments from both sides, the topic has become one of the most controversial issues in American Society today. Before delving into this issue, a person must understand what the current regulations on firearms are. The highest law in the land, the United States Constitution, made the original laws on gun control as stated in the second amendment. It reads as the right to, “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.” In the 223 years since the …show more content…

v. Heller and McDonald v. Chicago in 2008 and 2010 respectively.. Both these cases were Supreme Court cases that affirmed that the second amendment applied to individuals. This made the government unable to ban handguns as they had tried to in both Washington D.C. and Chicago. The cases were a huge victory to gun supporters. Millions of Americans are gun supporters, as and estimated 80 million Americans own a gun themselves. While the National Rifle Association, founded in 1871, the biggest pro gun group in the country, claims to be 4.5 million strong. Completely removing guns seems to be almost an impossibility as there are thought to be approximately 270 million privately owned guns already in the country. These statistics seem to show that guns are as American as baseball, or apple pie. What is it then, that could make so many people so attached to these violent weapons. Mass killings flood the news yet people still will relinquish all else before their right to bear arms. If guns were gone today, I believe that it would lead to a safer tomorrow. What comes after that however, leaves me unsure. It is that uncertainty I believe that leaves so many Americans with a death grip on their guns. If it were not for guns, then would we even be America, or just another British

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To Justice Scalia, this means that the individual has “the right to possess and carry weapons in case of confrontation” (Scalia, 4). The question at stake, however, is not whether the individual or collective is protected but the scope of the right in question. In other words, while it is clear that the amendment protects the right to use guns for military services but does not protect its use for crimes, what rights does it encompass in between those extremities, such as the right to carry a weapon for personal self-defense? A more natural reading of the amendment, where the prefactory clause is read chronologically before the operative clause, shows the text’s intent to solely protect the rights of militia. This is proven, as pointed out in the dissent, by the fact that states such as Virginia and Pennsylvania explicitly articulated in their Declaration of Rights at the time the separate right of individuals to bear arms for self-defense.

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Constitution, the Second Amendment, ratified in 1791, has been the most publicly contentious of late. With the spate of mass shooting tragedies that made headlines in the past year, the meaning and intentions of the Second Amendment is once again being openly debated. As Voice of America reports, the framers of the Constitution wanted to ensure the protected basic rights, including the right to bear arms, that they enjoyed as Englishmen. In fact, English laws even required that men practice using their firearms should they ever be called to defend the nation

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To be able to preserve it’s people’s liberties, the founding fathers found it essential for the entire nation to bear arms, so even without the militia the people could stand

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The Second Amendment forms part of the 10 ratified amendments of the constitution which form the Bill of Rights and was enabled by the United States Congress in December 1791. 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” . These twenty-seven words have been the focus of much debate and lobbying not just within the three branches of government but across the whole of the United States. It is the most controversial topic regarding the American Constitution and has become an emotive subject with two very distinct camps of thought. The one side of the debate, the loud minority, arguing for and protecting their constitutional

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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." –James Madison, The Second Amendment. The founders of our country as well as our constitution believed that without weapons in the form of firearms, there is no freedom from the harsh rulings of a corrupt government. These founders had just been freed from the duty of war from a corrupt and harsh government, without their weapons or the weapons of the people; this country would not be where it is today.

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Heller.", Oyez). Furthermore, in dealing with the text of the Constitution as well as the history, the court held that “militia” will not be limited to citizens currently in the armed forces but, “…comprised all males physically capable of acting in concert for the common defense” (Syllabus). The majority felt that due to the period in which the Constitution was penned, to define the Second Amendment as restrictive, and allotting the right to possess firearms to those only serving in the United States military, would be to juxtapose what was expected of the Amendment and enact a state-sponsored power that the Constitution was trying to safeguard the people from ("District of Columbia v. Heller. ", Oyez). Therefore, in correlation to the original and plain meaning of the Second Amendment, the operative clause as Scalia stated, should be interpreted to “…protect an individual right to possess a firearm unconnected with service in a militia, and to use that arm for traditionally lawful purposes, such as self-defense within the home” (Syllabus).

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Guns are extremely powerful weapons. They can cause destruction, harm or even death. They can be used to defend and protect or to threaten and kill. Any way you look at it, guns are powerful tools, not only physically but socially.

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Proponents of more gun control laws believe that the Second Amendment was intended exclusively for militias, that gun restrictions have always existed, and that gun regulations would prevent criminals from possessing firearms. However, Opponents claim that the Second Amendment protects an individual’s right to own guns, that guns are needed for self-defense, and that gun ownership helps to dissuade crime. Because of this obvious difference, proponents of stricter firearm regulation demand more laws to help prevent mass shooting, and want reform in the area of background checks. Meanwhile, opponents of gun laws often accuse the proponents of manipulating a mass tragedy in order to further strengthen their fight. Gun ownership has been a tradition within the united states since before the country itself was formed.

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The right to bear arms has been a controversial issue ever since James Madison established it as the second amendment of the constitution. The second 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” (US Const. amend. II). Those in favor of the second amendment, believe that arms are used for protection, dangerous situations, and sports.

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The Second Amendment says, “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.” Gun rights has become the subject of intense political, social, and cultural battles for much of the last century. The pro-gun right side has asserted that the right to arms was absolute, and that any gun control laws infringed that right (Kopel, 2013). This right has been supported by the Supreme Court who has reinforced what has become the American consensus that the Second Amendment allows the right to keep and bear arms, especially for self-defense, and that it is a fundamental individual

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However, in the twentieth century “[c]onstitutional scholars have argued vociferously about whether the comma separating those two parts signifies that the right to keep and bear arms without state interference is confined to the use of such arms in conjunction with one’s duties as part of a government-sanctioned militia or army, or whether there is an individual right to keep and bear arms under any circumstances” (Beeman 63-4). Throughout the years the Supreme Court has made a number of important rulings on the Second Amendment and the individual right to keep and bear arms. The first major court case concerning this issue was United States v. Cruikshank (1875) in which the Supreme Court held that the individual right to keep and bear

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One of the most controversial issues our nation faces today is gun control laws. This controversy has been created due to the different interpretations of the 2nd Amendment of the Constitution which states the right of citizens to bear arms; “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” (Cornell Law School). Anti-gun control laws believe that the amendment guarantees the right to bear any kind of firearms. On the other hand, we have does that believe that more controls laws should be implemented since the 2nd amendment was for the right of States to have an armed militia during wartime. Both sides have strong point, however, the safety of our children comes first, and a firearm means death in the wrong hands.

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Since the Second Amendments’ ratification in 1791, Americans still debate with one another, because of its many controversy views. The amendment allows every citizen of the United States the right to own guns and to defend themselves when in danger. The problem arises when the laws being set are restricting people from their rights. There are so many gun control laws, varying from state to state. The development of arguments surrounding gun control correlates to the increased violence and altercations related to the use of fire weapons.

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Guns are just a tool, like knives and hammers and it completely depends on the people on how they use it. People who support guns and arms say that the Second Amendment secures individual’s right to carry guns with them and that gun rights is needed for self-protection, and was intended for military to have peace and defend the country if needed (Spitzer, 70). Most of the Americans use guns as a source to protect themselves and they believe that gun ownership prevents crime. A study conducted on November 26, 2013 showed that bans on weapons did not significantly affect murder rates at the state level (Lane, 5). Moreover, even if the rules and regulations are executed on gun control, not all criminals obey the law.

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Gun Control Gun control has become a polarizing and controversial issue around the globe. There have been many reported issues of mass shootings both in schools and in the public, making it a hot button issue. Proponents argue that, if the government strictly controls the ownership of guns, such tragedies can be prevented. Most Americans have an obsession with guns because the law allows them to do so. Therefore, they are always ready to scoff at anyone trying to control gun ownership.

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