Essay On The Second Amendment

The Second Amendment The Bill of Rights contains the first ten amendments we reserve as citizens of the United States. Within the Bill of Rights there are things such as freedom of speech, press, religion, and protection from excessive bail. The second amendment gives us the right to own and carry guns, it states, “…the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.” Our Founding Fathers made sure that our individual freedoms were secure, and our country was to always be democratic in the decisions made. United States citizens reserve the right to bear arms because it was made an amendment by the original government. Although as of late there has been serious issues with violence due to a firearm, it is our reserved freedom

Fresh off of their separation from Great Britain, the Founding Fathers realized they could be creating the same beast Britain had become. It was important to them that citizens should be in control of their liberties, avoiding any type of tyranny on the governments behalf. The main issue we are dealing with here is; is it safe for guns to be obtainable by seemingly any adult? The two main purposes for a firearm at the beginning of our country’s existence were protection, and hunting. The early Americans had to use their weapons against wild animal attacks, and to put food on the table for their family. At this point in our evolution as a country, guns are not as necessary as they once were. We no longer need to go hunting to put food on the table, but the right to bear arms includes protecting myself and my family. Thomas Jefferson was an advocate for the second amendment, in a letter to James Madison in 1783 he wrote, "What country can preserve its liberties if their rulers are not warned from time to time that their people preserve the spirit of resistance. Let them take

In 1968 Congress passed the Gun Control Act. This act regulates interstate commerce in firearms, making it so that you must be a licensed manufacturer, dealer, or importer. The Gun Control Act was the first attempt at restricting easy access to a firearm. In 1976 the District of Columbia City Council prohibited it’s residents from owning a handgun. Dick Anthony Heller sued the district in 2007 for denying him the right to keep his handgun in his home on Capitol Hill. In June 2008, the Supreme Court ruled the District of Columbia’s handgun ban was unconstitutional. The people of this country believe in their reserved rights, Mr. Heller’s fought for his second amendment right and won, showing the spirit of democracy. Since the Columbine High School shootings in 1999, 27 separate mass shootings have left five or more people dead each time. These randoms acts of violence have taken place in schools (Sandy Hook, Virginia Tech), the workplace (Fort Hood), movie theaters(Aurora, CO) , and even in the church (Charleston, S.C.). Everyday seems to bring new tragedy involving guns, but is it the gun that is killing people or the operator? As with anything, there are pro and cons to the right of own a firearm. With a firearm in your possession, you can protect yourself and your family from just about any threat. Having a gun gives you power over your own life, but this power also extends over someone else life