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Essay on How Big is Your Gun

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The Second Amendment to the United States Constitution, in 1791, stated “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.” The controversy soon started on who, what, and how the founding fathers bestowed these rights. Who should be allowed to carry arms? What type of arms should be allowed to bear? How can the people obtain these arms? All of these questions have been debated, discussed, and argued by both sides of the controversy.
Who should be allowed to keep and bear arms? Federal law states that one must be eighteen years old or older to purchase a rifle or shotgun, and twenty-one years old or older to purchase a handgun. The pro-gun …show more content…

Federal law also states that anyone who has a court order of restraint for harassing, stalking, or threatening an intimate partner or their child or has been convicted of domestic violence must not possess a gun. Gun control activist state that waiting until after a crime has been committed is too late, and laws should be made to confiscate weapons upon report of an incident or threat, not waiting until after judgment has been made. The opposing side argues that a person is innocent until proven guilty and should keep their weapons until proven guilty. The most public of the controversies over who should be allowed gun ownership is the issue of mentally ill persons. The law prohibits gun ownership for persons who have been legally found to be mentally defective or persons committed to any mental institution. Supporters of tougher gun control regulation push for a broader definition of mental illness, citing the recent Tuscon, Arizona shooting as an example of a mentally ill person who should not be permitted to own a gun. Federal regulations on gun ownership are clear, but both sides will continue to push their arguments on who they believe should be able to own guns.
There is controversy over what types of guns should be possessed, how many guns a person should be able to own, and whether the ammunition should be under stricter regulations. There are four

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