The Right to Keep and Bear Arms in the USA

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“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 words have become forgotten as individuals, former member of the U.S. Supreme Court John Paul Stevens, attempt to strip away the individual aspect of the second amendment. Gun control is not effective as it has not been shown to actually reduce the number of gun-related crimes. However, if more Americans were to purchase a gun, be trained to use the gun, and carry the gun, gun violence would begin to decrease.
The second amendment was incorporated under the fourteenth in the landmark case McDonald v. Chicago. According to The Fourteenth amendment, “No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States.” Prior to this the city of Chicago had infringed upon the rights of Otis McDonald by making gun registration required and by making handguns illegal. McDonald’s house had been broken into five times. He had legally owned shotguns but felt that the shots were to wild, to be fried in the home. Consequently, McDonald, a law abiding citizen, was unable to purchase a hand gun to protect himself in the home, infringing upon the castle law, to defend themselves against an intruder, free from legal responsibility/prosecution for the consequences of the force used. This court case set a standard that states must abide by the second amendment, furthering the law abiding citizen’s right to carry a firearm and defend themselves.
Washington D.C. was believed by many to be the American ideal until the controversial Firearms Control Regulations Act of 1975 that forced citizens to have guns unloaded, disassembled, or locked up. It ...

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