Amendment II
Text of the Amendment: 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.
Plain English: All people of the United States have the right to bear arms regardless of whether or not they served in a militia.
Story of its passage and ratification: The second amendment was part of the first 10 amendments in the Bill of Rights added on December 15, 1791, which was based off the English Bill of Rights established in 1689 by Sir William Blackstone. It incorporates the basic rights that all people should have which are the natural rights of self defense, resistance to oppression, and having the civic duty to protect their state.
Effect of the Amendment on us: Today the first part of the amendment has no effect on us. There is no organized militia in our states or a regulated citizen’s militia in each state and citizens can’t own firearms strong enough to go against the police or army. However, the second part of this amendment affects us greatly today because it has caused many debates and conflicts. Giving every single citizen the right to bear arms has made our country one of the top in gun crimes. These problems and conflicts has resulted in mainly 2 opposing sides, people against owning guns and the others who want to preserve gun rights for recreational or self defense purposes. Opposition is strong because of recent tragic events where many people died due to guns being in the wrong hands mainly because gun laws were not strict enough. In Pennsylvania we can purchase a handgun or long gun at the age of 18. 
The Second Amendment certainly gives me the right to bear arms. It also is beneficial to me since I can use it as self-defense to protect myself from possible intruders or burglaries. However, would more gun rights really offer more protection? I think it creates more problems in our society rather than solve them since it can encourage gun violence and criminal activity. This is why we mourn not only the victims in the Newtown and Navy Yard shootings, but ourselves for giving the shooters the guns to commit them. In addition, some criminals can take advantage of gun loopholes and laws to defend themselves. If we the public, are going to bear arms to protect ourselves, we should enact some background checks, common sense gun laws, and possible legislations to limit our gun rights. Supreme court cases are also a possible solution to implicitly interpret the Second Amendment: District of Columbia v. Heller (2008), the first case to do so in seventy years, said that individuals only have the right to use guns in self-defense. Thus, I fear that our Second Amendment could give us too much power over to us unless we do something about it.
ReplyDeleteI believe that it is paramount that we amend the Second Amendment of the United States Constitution. Guns are toys with no other purpose than to kill and injure. They do more harm than good. I understand that, in passing legislation that reduces citizens capabilities of owning firearms, there will be other citizens who then obtain their firearms illegally - without government regulation; however, I believe that if we do pass legislation restricting certain firearms, the amount of gun violence in the United States of America will incontrovertibly and substantially decrease. The principle behind restricting guns is the most important thing to address - not the hinderance of "the American right." I am willing to give up my right to own firearms if it can possibly save an innocent person from losing his or her life.
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DeleteChicago has some of the strictest gun laws in the country, but still boasted the highest murder rate in the country last year... What we have here my friends is a false dilemma: stricter gun laws or laxer gun laws. Instead of entertaining this petty gun debate, lets direct our attention to the almighty spawner of crime and gun violence (excluding notable mass shootings) in the U.S.: poverty. Decrease poverty, decrease crime, decrease gun violence. A great simplification for a complex issue, I know. But we must devise alternative plans to combat gun violence, contrary to the ineffective gun laws in place today.
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