The Second Amendment

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Is the second amendment outdated; or misinterpreted for recreational use? The Second Amendment to the United States Constitution protects the right citizens have to keep and bear arms. The Second Amendment was added to the Bill of rights in 1791. It was one of 10 original amendments in the Constitution. The Second Amendment reads; “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.” The English Bill of rights 1689 has very similar rights listed and is thought to have heavily influenced the Second amendment. The Second Amendment has been interpreted in many different ways. The people leave it up to the Judicial system to interpret the Second Amendment.
Miller, an interesting precedent was set. The courts ruled some restrictions and regulations on guns (Short barreled Shotguns and short barreled rifles) as constitutional. This court case was one of the earlier Supreme Court decisions dealing with the second amendment.(United States V. Miller) It set a limit on the freedom citizens have with guns and really started gun control. The court case District of Columbia vs. Heller also set a very interesting precedent. The Supreme Court ruled the Firearms Regulations Act of 1975 as unconstitutional and also ruled the right to own firearms as an individual right to self defence.(DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA) The right to bear arms will not be infringed, even if there is no modern militia to be registered in. This idea is really solidified in the Presser vs. Illinois court case. The court 's rulings were very clear again stating that the right to bear arms is an individual
However, despite the United States being the number one country in gun ownership, it is number nineteen in gun related homicides rates.(Wikipedia) Even at number nineteen, there are still nearly 12,000 gun related crimes/homicides per year.(FBI) In Australia, Finland, and the UK, there are less than 40 gun related crimes/homicides. The solution to less crime now seems to lean towards banning guns. However when looking at the overall violent crime rate in the United States, the numbers are 367.9 violent crimes per 100,000 people.(FBI) The violent crime rate in America is also going down every year. However, the amount of guns in the United States goes up every year. The top 3 countries in violent crime rates are Australia, South Africa and the UK. All these countries have banned guns and nearly triple the violent crime found in the United States.(James Slack) So for a law abiding citizen, having the right to a gun might not be such a bad idea. If citizens have a right to protect themselves and the tools necessary to do so, crime rates actually seem to go down. Crime rates decreasing with the presence of the second amendment solidify that the right to bear arms is not outdated at all. Modern America enjoys the benefits of safer

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