As long as there have been men and women on this planet there has been violence. This is an immutable fact. In all likelihood, there will always be violence within the human race. Robert Heinlein said, "Violence, naked force, has settled more issues in history than has any other factor, and the contrary opinion is wishful thinking at its worst. Nations and peoples who forget this basic truth have always paid for it with their lives and freedoms." Indeed this is plausible. The premise of these arguments is that giving a creature with a proven track record of violence a phenomenally powerful tool of destruction is less than wise. As an alternative, this paper proposes to limit access to such powerful devices (semi-automatic firearms) through the use of tracking methods, restricted sales, and heavier penalties for illegal possession of firearms. The firearms most specifically addressed are semi-automatic weapons including repeating rifles and handguns. The Second Amendment of the United States Constitution (in the Bill of Rights) specifically grants U.S. citizens the right to keep and bear arms. The founding fathers saw the power of firearms and knew that they would be disputed. But the firearms of our forefathers weren't nearly as powerful as what we face today. Black powder rifles have a repeat rate of approximately one shot per 45 seconds. They are deadly, indeed, but not nearly as deadly as a repeating semi-automatic handgun with a 17-round clip that can pump 17 rounds into another humans chest in mere seconds. Arguably, these modern weapons are more power than one human ought to be able to wield. The power that one firearm gives to one man is, in certain circumstances, supreme power. The argument here is not to ... ... middle of paper ... ...cts with his life." Indeed this paper does not advocate the complete removal of all firearms, only the selective restriction of certain extra-powerful models. American citizens should be allowed to hunt and protect themselves from wild animals or intruders. Simple bolt-action rifles and/or black powder models are arguably sufficient for these ends. Our children deserve a future where the threat of their peers walking into their school with semi-automatic weapons and pumping hundreds of rounds into their peers is almost non-existent. Indeed there will always be evil among us and they may use these simple weapons that are allowed for evil. But the extent of that damage would be much less. May our future contain many great freedoms for all. And may there be sensible limits imposed that protects the freedom of all men to pursue happiness as they live without fear.
In America guns have been a part of the country’s society since it’s birth. Throughout history the citizens of the US have used firearms to protect the nation, protect their families, hunt for food and engage in sporting activities. The issue of Guns and gun control is complex. Weighing the rights and liberties of the individual against the welfare and safety of the public has always been a precarious balancing act. In the United States, gun control is one of these tumultuous issues that has both sides firmly entrenched in their positions. Those parties in favor of gun ownership and the freedom to use and keep arms, rely on the fact that the provision for such rights is enshrined in their constitution. In this climate of growing violence, rife with turmoil and crime, gun advocates feel more than ever that their position is justified. As citizens of the “Land of the Free” possessing a gun is a fundamental right, and may even be a necessity... Anti- gun lobbyists point to the same growing violence and gun related crimes in an effort to call on the government to take action. By enacting more laws and stricter control, these people not in favor of guns feel society would be better safer.
United States is a country that has problems with gun control, and this issue has many debates between whether or not people should be allowed to carry a gun on them. This free county not only for speech and religion, but also allows people to have the right to bear arms. The Second Amendment of the United States was written by our Founding Fathers,“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” (Government). The main purpose of the Second Amendment when our Founding Fathers wrote this amendment was to help the American citizens to defend themselves from the government at that time, and other countries from invading their properties. However, the Second Amendment could be the opposite of what our Founding Fathers wanted it to be in the twenty-first century, because many criminals are taking advantage of the right to carry guns, which in example results with the purpose of showing off with their friends, revenge for their gang’s members, or try to be like their favorite hero in the movie they had watched. On July 20, 2012, a massive shooting occurred inside of a movie theater in Aurora, Colorado. The tragedy happened during a midnight screening of the film The Dark Knight Rises which killed twelve people and injuring seventy others. In response, this alarmed our government to rethink about the current gun control law in America. In A Well Regulated Militia by Saul Cornell, the author informed to his audience the different views of gun ownership in early America, which part was the most important part of the debate, how did slavery affect the debate over militias in the South, the Continental army officer’s views, and the arguments be...
Guns are not the trouble, people are. The United States is #1 in world gun ownership, and yet is only 28th in the world in gun murders per 100,000 people. The number of unintentional fatalities due to firearms declined by 58 percent between 1991 and 2011 Based on these facts, one can see the guns not the causes of gun violence. moreover, civilians who get permits take gun safety courses and have criminal background...
Imagine enjoying a movie at Cinema 10, eating a meal at Taco Bell, or even sitting in a history class at Carman-Ainsworth High School while people all around you are carrying loaded guns! Although this may seem unbelievable, it is possible because the second amendment of the United States Constitution gives citizens the right to possess and carry guns. It is understandable that Americans would want to possess guns such as shotguns and rifles for the popular sport of hunting. However, it is ridiculous that our government would allow people to carry handguns. Handgun possession should be strictly limited, because they are made solely to kill people, they have increased the murder rate in the U.S., and they have even allowed children to easily kill other children.
The Second Amendment and the right to personal gun use and ownership, is under attack in The United States today. Apparently the Second Amendment wasn’t clear enough when it 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" and politicians are calling for this amendment to be altered or even removed. Firearms have always been a big part of the American culture, and the ability to own a gun is detrimental to not only protecting one’s life and property, but also to keep the government in line. Author William Burroughs said, “After a shooting spree, they always want to take the guns away from the people who didn 't do it. I sure as hell wouldn
In 2010, 860 people were murdered by firearms in New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut. Gun violence is a violence committed with the use of a firearm. Criminal gun violence includes; murder, assault with a deadly weapon, suicide, or attempted suicide. Main reasons why people buy guns are because of self defense, hunting, target shooting, and just for fun. In the New York Metropolitan area mainly people want guns for self defense. Due to strict laws, the New York Metropolitan Area has some of the lowest gun violence in the entire United States of America.
The United States Constitution is regarded as the supreme law of the land. When it was drafted over two centuries ago, the goal of the founding fathers was to provide for the general welfare and common defense of all citizens, establish a more perfect Union and insure domestic tranquility for the United States of America. Unfortunately, this tranquility has been disturbed by unnecessary tragedies at the hand of armed individuals. Tragedies like the Sandy Hook shooting and the Columbine massacre, where armed individuals took the life of innocent civilians mercilessly, have shaken our communities and forced us to take a different approach when it comes to gun safety. Gun control has been the topic of many heated debated in recent years. We have, as a nation, become so accustomed to firearms in our everyday lives whether for protection, hunting, or self-defense, that we have forgotten that firearms are dangerous and deadly weapons. The second amendment of the Constitution grants all individuals the right to bear arm; however, this amendment continues to be used and abused by individuals who chose to interpret it differently than it was originally intended. It is our duty, as citizens of this great nation, to open our eyes wide and realize that this problem is not going to fix itself. Although the right for all individual to bear arm is granted and secure in our Constitution, it is imperative for the safety our population to regulate all gun purchases and tighten by the requirements necessary to purchase a firearm in order to prevent further tragedies from occurring.
“The most foolish mistake we could possibly make would be to allow the subjected people to
Sullum, Jacob. "Banning Assault Weapons Will Not Reduce Gun Violence." Opposing Viewpoints: Gun Control. Ed. Tamara L. Roleff. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 1997. Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center. Gale. Pierce College. 4 Jun. 2010.
America is the most well-armed nation in the world, with American citizens owning about 270 million of the world’s 875 million firearms (Marshall). Indeed, this is more than a quarter of the world’s registered firearms. The reason why Americans own so many guns is because of the Second Amendment, which 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.” (Rauch) This amendment guarantees U.S. citizens the right to have firearms. Since this amendment is relatively vague, it is up for interpretation, and is often used by gun advocates to argue for lenient gun laws.
America is changing, the country that once was based on religious ideas is slowly becoming history, to the point that we can lose all traces of the America that was founded in 1776. As the days continue there is a continuous battle over the public possessing guns. A large portion believes and supports laws preventing civilians from owning military style rifles. With the growing support, these supports are trying to get guns all together out of the hands of people. With the recent mass shootings, Sandy Hook, Aurora, Colorado, and Virginia Tech, causing big support of these laws, many people fear that losing guns to the government will allow for criminals to do anything they want because civilians wont have a way to protect themselves. If guns are removed, the crime will increase, and there is more potential for foreign attacks to be held on U.S. soil.
The U.S. Congress is still debating the effectiveness of federal regulation of guns and ammunition. All sorts of federal laws have been made since 1934 to promote the regulation of firearms. Many people have different views on the topic of gun control. I, for one, am pro “gun-rights” and believe that there are many disadvantages to the controlling of guns.
A family is sitting together on the couch watching their favorite TV show. Suddenly, the father turns to the news channel. A shooting at a local bank has killed fifteen people so far. Many are still being held hostage. Gun control should be more regulated because people abuse the privilege, everyone would be safer, and violence would decrease.
"We certainly need an assault weapons ban, but we need more than that. There are some 260 people every day who are injured or killed by gun violence, so it 's very important that we ban assault weapons, for starters, but there are other steps that need to be taken quickly. Local communities need to be able to regulate guns, as needed, to deal with their violence. So, we need to keep guns out of the hands of criminals. We need background checks, so that the mentally ill are not possessing and using guns. And we need to end the gun show loopholes, as well, because there 's far too much violence from guns, which is not needed,” stated Jill Stein (Should More Gun Control Laws Be Enacted?). Gun Control are laws that are used to control how guns
Guns have been the weapon of choice for some of the most brutal massacres on America soil. Since early history guns have been used mainly for militia and defense purposes. But, the development of new gun technology has made firearms more accessible and deadly. Although the second amendment gives the right to bear arms, guns should be controlled and monitored by the government because guns have contributed to a lot of killings in America and will increase crime rates.