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gun control and the second amendment research paper
2nd amendment and the debate surrounding gun control
gun control vs gun rights debate
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Mass-shootings — defined by the FBI as four or more murders occurring during the same calamity, with no distinctive time period between the homicides (Serial Murder) — have stricken across the United States at the rate of about one every two weeks since 2006 (Database of Mass Shootings, 2006-2013). This abysmal statistic has rightfully triggered much debate concerning gun restraints. The theory of gun control pertains towards any efforts intended to regulate, define, or limit the possession, production, sales, and use of guns. Since its conception, the Second Amendment — guaranteeing the “right to bear arms” — has been wildly controversial. Gun control advocates suggest that confining gun ownership would reduce the number of violent gun-related crimes, suicides, and deaths; rigorous background checks and mandatory waiting periods would help to deter criminals and possible tragedies; and that assault weapons and large-capacity ammunition magazines should be banned from public use, as police officers and military personnel are the only officials who actually need them. Adversaries argue that criminals will always find a way to get their guns, consequently leaving law-abiding citizens defenseless; crimes are often prevented by the prophylactic effect of the possibility of victim gun possession; and that the Second Amendment to the Constitution protects individuals’ right to gun ownership. Gun control is a considerable system that galvanizes Americans apropos several quandaries; therefore is it vital to be conscious of the pure facts associated with gun restriction, and even more crucial to comprehend the advantages and disadvantages.
The firearms concerning gun control policies are typically classified into three extensive categorie...
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... dependent upon the government for safety and fortification depicts a nightmare.
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“Firearm Justifiable Homicides and Non-Fatal Self-Defense Gun Use.” Washington, DC:
Violence Policy Center, Apr. 2013. PDF.
Hemenway, David. Private Guns, Public Health. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan, 2004.
Print.
“Inside Straw Purchasing: How Criminals Get Guns Illegally.” Mayors Against Illegal Guns,
2008. Print.
Leonard, Barry, ed. No Questions Asked: Background Checks, Gun Shows and Crime. N.p.:
DIANE, 2008. Print.
Webster, Daniel W., and Jon S. Vernick. Reducing Gun Violence in America:
Informing Policy with Evidence and Analysis. 1st ed. Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins Univ., 2013. Print.
In a tragic event such as a mass shooting, a large population of Americans are quick to draw the conclusion that the right to own a gun is harmful to society; however, the second amendment is what allows the American people to protect themselves from such shooting instances. The privilege to own a concealed firearm is beneficial to the American population when well-regulated for reasons such as self-defense and expressing freedoms which U.S citizens are privileged enough to receive through the second amendment; given they pass a background check. The second amendment is what makes the privilege to own a gun legal. This thesis paper will highlight the benefits of the right to own a gun under the second amendment,
Over the past five years Americans have seen many horrific tragedies related to gun violence. Each of these terrible events has been accompanied with scrutinizing media coverage, and subsequently, a push on government level for increased gun control. On the surface these movements to take away guns from Americans may seem justified because of these events. In reality the federal government is encroaching upon our Second Amendment, the right to bear arms.
There are gun control laws to try and reduce the number of violent shootings that occur. They are trying to put limits on weapons that Americans can own. The government is trying to take our guns away mainly because of people that are criminally insane. Most of the people who commit crimes don’t even have the weapons legally. If the government takes away the rights of people who are allowed to have firearms in their possession, it will most definitely cause an outrage. Most people believe that the people should be more capable of maintain proper use of the firearms instead of having them all taken away. Taking the firearms from Americans away would cause a lot more problems than there actually are. The people will be upset with the government taking firearms away because of the horrible people who harm innocent people using them. So they will do anything to their capabilities to keep them.
Taking into account of the recent shooting sprees, the gun control debate has started again. However, people have contemplated: “Why does America need gun laws” and “Why are so many states disagreeing about the restrictions that need to be put in place for civilians looking to purchase firearms.” The reasoning for such contemplation is that the fluxuating strictness of gun laws have led to several incidences within states that have strict gun laws due to the fact that the perpetrators of these incidences have purchased their firearms either from black markets, or states where the severity of gun control is at minimal levels.
An estimated 30,000 people are killed each year by guns in the United States alone according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (Gun Control, Funk & Wagnall’s). Though there have been some restrictions and laws placed, both the conservative and liberal sides are not pleased with either the lack of action or the fact that there has been too much action that has taken place. “About 38% of U.S. households and 26% of individuals owned at least one gun, with about half of the individuals having 4 or more guns, according to a 2004 survey by the Harvard School of Public Health (Gun Control, Funk & Wagnall’s).” Both sides turn to the one document centered on the argument for evidence to support their side: the Second Amendment.
Firearms are a huge part of the American culture; guns are used for various tasks. These firearms have recently assumed a bad name due to the lawbreakers that have been doing horrible actions with them. However, anything can acquire a bad review or reputation due to incorrect usage. A pencil can receive the label a weapon if set in the wrong hands and participates in a horrific act. A pencil can be a weapon that states wrongful information or hurtful facts that can destroy people. There have been tragedies, which have given guns a nasty reputation, but shouldn’t the person have the awful reputation, the gun did not choose to take this action. I do agree that there should be stricter rules, and some banning of certain models would be good but not every gun should have to recompense for these acts. Not all Americans should have to suffer because of criminal deeds; numerous American citizens by means of hunting, self-defense or safety, and sporting events use firearms responsibly.
The issue of gun control has always been a hot topic among the American public. Most everyone, if asked, will tell you that gun control is an issue needed to be dealt with because of the event that took place at Columbine High School back on April 20th, 1999. The American public has been wrestling with gun control long before then. If we take a look back at August 1st, 1966 at the University of Texas, a man armed with a hunting rifle committed one of the most violent mass murders in history. Gun control refers to the Government placing restrictions on the American public to buy, own and sell firearms. If we read the constitution, our second amendment right is the right to bear arms. This has been the ongoing controversy of this issue. We the people say our constitutional right to buy and own firearms is being seized from us. The government is using our society’s violent incidents as cover to place restrictions and bans on firearms. This essay’s purpose is to provide proof that buying and owning firearms is our legal constitutional right and that our government is trying to attack the wrong angle when trying to fight crime involving guns in the United States.
The right to bear arms has been an important conversation in America for decades. As of recent tragedies such as the Sandy Hook shooting and the Aurora Colorado Theater shooting, the debate is more heated than ever. From large-scale massacres to single fatality shootings, gun violence is unwarranted and heartbreaking. However, the Second Amendment protects individual citizens’ right to own firearms: “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,” it states (Bill of Rights). Although this part of the Bill of Rights has not been changed in United States’ history, some citizens argue that, because the Constitution is a working document, this should be adapted to fit current needs and protect communities. Citizens who wish tip the scale in favor of the community’s protection argue that guns are dangerous, easy to access, popular weapons that allow disgruntled or mentally unstable citizens to “inflict mass causalities” and were originally only intended for use in a militia (Joe Messerli). On the other hand, those who wish to benefit civilians argue that taking away guns restrains individual liberty and that gun control would prove futile because criminals would find ways such as the black market to obtain guns, weapons can serve as self-defense prevent crimes, and reasonable restrictions would be more effective than an outright ban (Joe Messerli). Both arguments have valid, well developed ideas, and both sides tend to be passionate in debate.
Moderate amount of gun regulation is necessary. Federal back ground checks go a long way in making it difficult for criminals, violent offenders, or mentally disabled individuals from obtaining guns. There are currently almost 310 million guns in possession of civilians in the United States (Krouse, William J. 2012. ‘How Many Guns Are in the United States?’). Restricting lawful gun ownership as a solution to reduce gun crime is highly counter-productive. Criminals will get a gun regardless of the law, and simply restricting g...
Strahinich, Helen. Think About Guns In America. United States of America: Walker Publishing Company, Inc., 1992
Living a life in America, we all get to have all the rights that included in the Constitution. One of those was the Second Amendment which is the rights to bear arm, the purpose was to protect ourselves from danger but nowadays a lot of people have take advantage of it and use it in the wrong way. I believe our government need to have a strict limit on guns possession.
In the United States today, gun control has become a very big issue in the lives of its citizens. People arguing with each other over whether it is our constitutional right to be able to obtain and bear any kind of arms that we choose or that it only belongs to the militia. Many arguments come up over whether or not just average people can show up at a gun show and sell a gun to any person without giving them a background check first. Not only do they want back ground checks they want restrictions, and bans. Should there be bans on certain kinds of weapons? If so what kind of weapons? Should any person be able to buy a gun anytime or any place? Are people getting the right picture on what guns do for the country or are they getting deprived of information? It was shown that, “Out of 300 evening news segments, anti-gun stories outnumbered pro-gun stories by 164 to 20” (Dickens 1). This is an outstanding number that shows that the media plays a huge role in what people think about the issue of gun control. If all they see is guns involved with murders, and not involved with self-defense; how much longer will we have our guns? All of these things are factoring in to the issue of gun control and how important it is to some people and hated by others. In this paper I will lay out different views, arguments, and issues that could affect gun collectors, hunters, and the every day citizen for years to come.
Recent mass shootings at San Bernardino and Sandy Hook Elementary have resurfaced the issue of gun control, with citizens appealing to the federal government to change laws concerning firearms. While there are organizations that are for tighter gun laws, groups like the National Rifle Association argue any laws restricting possession and use of firearms ignores the Second Amendment, and therefore reduces a law-abiding citizen’s constitutional right to own a firearm (Stingl, 2015). However, the United States still has a higher crime rate compared to other developed countries that have tighter gun laws, suggesting more restrictive laws could reduce gun violence (Grey House Publishing, 2011). With increasing gun violence and deaths, laws pertaining
Will gun control stop harm or protect citizens? Today, the opinions of Americans vary on whether guns harm or protect citizens. However, gun control is not a new controversial issue. In 1924, U.S. Senator, Robert La Follete, said, “Our choice is not merely to support or oppose gun control but to decide who can own which guns under what conditions.” This proves that gun control has been a concern to Americans since the mid- twentieth century, and possibly even earlier than that. Even with the U.S. laws limiting the access of guns, it has not stopped the misuse of guns. Thirteen school shootings have been recorded in the United States within the first six weeks of 2014. Gun control is an effort to stop crimes by limiting who can access guns. Guns are very powerful weapons that have a great impact on society. They can change a family’s life forever. The destruction they cause cannot be reversed or taken back, and one trigger could take a person’s life away. For these reasons, government interference is needed to restrict the harm guns can cause. The U.S. government should place more limitations on guns because of the carelessness and misuse of guns, which has led to an increasing number of crimes and violent actions against the innocent.
Gun Control has become a very important and controversial issue in america today. Many citizens of this great country are beginning to question if guns are as useful or if they’re just cold metal death makers. Gun Control: The Great Cop-out by Jared Michaud and Gun Control and the Constitution by David B. Rivkin Jr. and Andrew M. Grossman professionally carry across their anti-gun control ideals; whereas The Second Amendment is all for Gun Control by Adam Winkler and Making Gun Control Happen by Patrick Radden Keefe display the pro-gun control side. In my views, guns are a very necessary tool that if used correctly can be a valuable source of self defence and protection when help is too far away, or unwilling to come. Rather than put more restrictions on guns and gun owners, we should be able to freely protect ourselves and our fellow man.