Persuasive Essay On Gun Control

As the technology, build, and practicality of the hand gun changed over the past couple of hundred years, so has the increased want and demand. Of course, as more people started owning guns, the crime rate and deaths by gun shot up. Basically, it used to be every man for himself. As the government started worrying farther than just setting the rules but actually having people abide by the rules, laws and restrictions were set to try to regulate who owned guns and why they would use them. In 1934, Congress first started regulating the sale of automatic firearms. Not until four years later did the government think to make it federal law to require gun sellers to be licensed and to prohibit felons from purchasing them (Policy Issue p1). Even with rules that shops were supposed to follow, there are loopholes. The problem with some people in the U.S. is they will go buy guns because they have no criminal record, and then sell it to someone who is willing to pay them for the gun. Different laws over the years, still standing and also withdrawn, have spelled out different ideas of regulations, “The Gun Control Act of 1968 regulated imported guns, expanded gun-dealer licensing requirements, and expanded the list of persons not eligible to buy guns to include person convicted of any non-business related felony, minors, persons found to be mentally incompetent, and users of illegal drugs,” (Policy Issue p1). Gun

The 2nd amendment of the constitution maybe one of the most infamous and controversial modification of the charter. The 2nd amendment protects a citizen’s right to keep and bear arms the law states, “A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a Free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, and shall not be infringed.” (“Second amendment” n.d.). The American Bar Association (“Bill of Rights” 1791) has stated that “there is more disagreement and less understanding about this right than of any other current issue regarding the Constitution. It is a confusing right and can be inferred in many ways and is interpreted accordingly with each case. The definition of the right to keep and bear arms is one of the most argued amendments in the constitution because some state the right refers to militia and their right of bearing arms to uphold and protect the security of a free nation when needed. While others believe the amendment gives each and every individual the right to keep and bear arms. However one construes the amendment, it has been a great topic of concern, argument and debate, ever since it has been ratified.

The right to bear arms is a birth given right to all Americans by the Second Amendment to the United States Constitution. The Second Amendment has become controversial recently due to the technological advancement of firearms. Modern firearms are capable of both high rates of fire and greater capacities of ammunition, unlike the single shot muskets that were available at the time of the Second Amendment’s conception. American liberals view these improvements in firearms as dangerous and unnecessary. However, no matter how dangerous firearms may be, the Second Amendment is a necessity for one factor alone: protection from one’s own government and it must be upheld. The Second Amendment provides a physical tool for Americans to defend themselves against a tyrannical government, it allows Americans to form militias against a tyrannical government, and it allows Americans to maintain comparable firearms of the U.S. government in order to prevent the potential loss of American freedoms in the future.

The second Amendment to the United States Constitution protects the right of people to bear arms and was adopted in 1791. It guarantees all Americans "the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed." It is more described as supporting the natural rights of self-defense, resistance to oppression, and the civic duty to act in concert in defense of the state. Former Chief Justice of the United States, Warren E. Burger writes an essay regarding “The Right To Bear Arms,” that originally appeared in the Parade Magazine in the 1990’s that questions if “The Right To Bear Arms,” is an outdated idea. Burger argument is that the gun control would lower if handguns were lowered. He also talks about the”Militias,” which is an army that protects the security of the state. Our “State Militias,” in our time, serves as a huge national defense.

Over time, this has been interpreted as individuals have the right to own and use weapons for purposes that include self-defense, without interference from the government.

The Amendment opens with the sentence that mentions the need of ‘a well-regulated militia’, but then declares that the right protected by the amendment is to be free from ‘infringement’. The right is not just a right of a state or the country but is rather ‘the right of the people to keep and bear Arms’. (Alstyne, 1236)

The first major attempts in enacting new gun control laws came about in the late 1920’s. While there were a few earlier attempts in the 1800’s, they were not influential in the sense of affecting the entire nation. In 1927, the first piece of federal legislation resulted in a ban on mailing concealable firearms through the United States Postal Service. Stephen Halbrook’s 1989 article, “Guns and Prohibition, in Al Capone’s Day and Now,” which was published in the Wall Street Journal, discusses this very issue. A trend of discontent related to the era of Prohibition by some state

Almost as the rights to free speech, freedom of assembly, and freedom of religion outlined in the very First Amendment.(The Second Amendment 2) “There is no reason to think that the Second amendment is any different ,individual-right proponents argue.” “The text of the Second Amendment clearly protects the right of the ‘people’-not states, not militias but “people”- to “keep bear arms’”(The Second Amendment 5). We have this right incase if the government collapses and to protect ourselves from harm. It is the Second Amendment in the Constitution so that most likely means it was pretty important when it was formed. The Constitution is keeping our rights to bear arms; it is a way to protect an intruding government as well as an intruder in your

Gun rights are a hotly debated topic in the United States, especially in light of recent mass shootings that have occurred. Guns have caused a high number of casualties, eliciting a need to reassess gun laws. There is no one easy solution to the problem, especially due to the development of new firearms such as assault rifles, machine guns, and semi-automatic handguns. Before delving more into the subject matter at hand, let us explore more about the history of gun policies in the US.

Restrictions on gun control have always been a controversial topic in today’s society. Do crime rates really increase due to lack of restriction on gun control? This debate over gun control, hasn’t changed. In 1924, Robert La Follete, a Presidential Candidate said, “our choice is not to oppose gun control or not merely to support those who can own which guns under what conditions.” This debate is still going on today and is the only reason for the formation of gun control laws as a whole. “Guns were common in the American Colonies, first for hunting and general self-protection and later as weapons in the American Revolutionary War. [105] Several colonies ' gun laws required that heads of households (including women) own guns and that all able-bodied men enroll in the militia and carry personal firearms. [105]” (Hawthorn 1)

The United States is known as a country that has a variety of different gun laws within it. Many civilians have been able to easily gain access to guns throughout America. “The Federal government started its gun control policies in response to the waging wars of the gangs in 1934 with the National Firearms Act of 1934” (Tim). However, that act was only toward short-barrel firearms and machine guns. The inconsistent enforcement of gun laws has caused controversy about crime rates, an effect on economic variables, and has created a public safety issue.

A contributor to the rise of guns is the power it holds. Although, the gun has played a major part in our history, the larger result of the gun is a cycle: man lead to war- war lead to guns-guns led to crime- crime leads to fear- fear leads to more guns. “The right to own guns is set out in the American Constitution: ‘the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed,’” (Hawkes 10). The private ownership of guns is claimed by many to be a tradition. The must of having a gun was used by the settler for hunting and protection and went on later to play a major role in the winning of our nations independence (Dolan 13). This reflects the protective use of the gun, however, the growing violence in our nation has seemed to conflict with the right of citizens to protect themselves and their families. To say our nation has done nothing to control the violence and deaths by guns would be wrong. The nation has made many attempts for gun control, such as, State and Local Laws, which covers the aspects of issuance of gun permits and regulations (Dolan 20). Part of this includes a waiting period, which is not quite effective and not always mandatory. These laws, however, are not issued by all states, which still makes it very simple for a criminal or mentally disturbed person to purchase a gun. Only in the following states writes Dolan, are people required to have a permit or something equivalent to purchase a

The second amendment states “A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.” The Founding Fathers included this in the Bill of Rights because they feared the Federal Government might oppress the population if the people did not have the

The right to bear arms has been one of the biggest staples in American history however, everyone shouldn’t have the right to bear arms. The law on owning a weapon is not as strict as it should be. Innocent lives have been cut short due to the misuse of weapons. Weapons seem to be easier to access nowadays. Also, weapons have raised major concerns against authorities.

For generations and generations guns have been the icon of america. Guns can protect you from criminals and dangerous situations. They surround us everyday, whether it be law enforcement personnel, in movies, or advertisements. Guns can not only be used to protect the individual but also the population from a tyrannical government, which is exactly why the founding fathers were so intent on making guns the forefront of what america is all about. The down side to having guns so relevant in society is the fact that often it can fall into the wrong hands.