Essay/Term paper: The second amendment

Essay, term paper, research paper:  American History

The Second Amendment


Few issues incite americans more than the issue of rising crime and
violence. This problem can easily be linked to the availability of guns."The
debate over whether guns are a hallowed tradition and a right guaranteed by the
Second Ammendment of the U.S.constitution or whether they are a fearful danger
contributing to crime and violence." ("gun control") Due to the outbreak of
violence in our society, some people feel that repealing the Second Ammendment
would solve the problem. These people feel that repealing the Second Ammendment
would solve the problem. These people feel that there are two reasons for the
repeal; One is the rising of violence among teenagers, the second reason is
their interpertation of the Second Ammendment which could be considered a strict
one. The side opposing these views use arguments like how it would be
immpossible to repeal the Second Ammendment, and a long western civilizations
history with a right to bear arms. Finally one can see the conflict of views
dealing with the Second Ammenment, but one would also see that repealing the
ammendment wouldn't solve the problem facing our society. The contriversy of
this issue that has the potential to pulverise this country is why it is such a
good topic to discuss, people should be better informed and make a decision
based on fact and not fiction.  Many advocates of the
limitations of guns can quote numerous examples of increasing violence and
homicide crimes. But the area which hits the closest to home is the issue of
violence among the teenagers of our society. The years have changed on how
students deal with their problems "Twenty-five or thirty years ago, when teenage
boys got into a fight... it usually meant a fist fight. In more and more
neighborhoods... it now means a shoot out" ("Gun Control"320). Violence like
that is a major problem on our streets and even in our schools. Almost
everywhere now "youngsters are packing weapons, Some are involved in drugs or
gangs; others carry them for self-defense... One study says at least one in
every three male juveniles is armed"(Muller 2). Now more than ever before an
"increasing number of children under the age of 18 arrested each year for murder
has jumped 55% in the past decade,... Juvenile arrests for aggravated assault
are rising dramatically" (Henkoff 2). The results of this rising trend in
violence has led to the release of a "center for disease center reports that
since 1988, American teenage boys have been more likely to die from gunshot
wounds than from... All other natural diseases" ("Gun Control" 83). This trend
can be the result of "the widespread of availability of firearms [which] makes
it far too easy for kids to kill... Guns figure in more than 15% of adolescent
homicides... "There are more than 200 million privately owned guns in America"
(Henkoff 7). With the violence of American youngsters rising at a stagering rate,
we obviosly cannot sit and do nothing. Something must be done and gun
limitations through the repeal of the Second Ammendment is a good weopon in this
war.  The second reason
why a repeal of the Second Ammendment could be a good choice in limiting guns is
the original purpose of that ammendment. The ammendment "grew out of the deep-
seated fear of a "National" or "standing army, [originally they also] limited
the National Army to 840 men" (Burger 4). This idea led to the true reason for
the ammendment "the need for a state militia was the "right" guarenteed [in the
ammendment] In short, it was declared "neccesary" in order to have a state
military force to protect the security of the state" (Burger 6). The ammendment
issued the right of militia's and for hunters which in that day depended on
their guns for food. Now "Americans have a right to defend their homes, we need
not change that, nor does anyone question that the Constitution protects the
right of hunters to hunt game. "Hunting is a sport for recreation but "machine
guns are not recreational... and surely are in need of regulations as are motor
vehicles" (Burger 7) Now Americans don't fear fear a national army as they once
did anyway. The "huge national defense establishment has taken over the role of
the military of 200 years ago" Burger 4) and everybody seems to have delt with
it. Therefore the security of a free dtate is protected by the national
establishment, this eliminates the need for military type weopons for a so
called defense. Those opposing the limitation of gun rights can easily
quote numerous examples why not to repeal the Second Ammendment. The NRA for
example uses the slipery slope until every weapon is accounted for even though
this is true "one of the major arguements against the theory that gun control
would save lives is that...firearm controls could have no,[real] effect on
homicide rates because it is human nature, homicide would continue" (Henkoff 18).
murders would pick up the next best weapon. This explisifies that it would be
impossible for a repeal to be succesful. Also knowing that "an estimated
100,000,000 guns now owned exceeds the annual incident count of 1,000,000 by a
factor of 100, this means that existing stock of weapons could supply criminals
for the next century even if used just once" (Wright,Ross, and Dailey 320). Now
will a repeal limit this? Furthermore even if you got rid of all existing guns
"it is after all, not much more dificult to manufacture servicable firearms in
ones home than to brew up a batch of homeade gin" (Wright,Ross, and Dailey 321).
This ability to manufacture underground weapons was seen before during the
Soviet Unions war with Afghanistan. The "Afghanistan tribesmen used wood and
metal working equipment much like the equipment you can order in a sears
magazine, produced hand crafted rifles that fire the Russian AK-47 assault rifle
cartridge" (Wright,Ross, and Dailey 421). Can we expect less from Americans?
Finally the overwhelming reason that the Second Ammendment shouldn't be
repealed is the long western civilazations history dealing with the right to
keep and bear arms. Ideologist supporting the right to bear arms can be traced
as far as "The Greek philosopher Aristole who thought the bearing of arms was
neccesary to true citizenship and participation in a political system" ("Gun
Control"120). Throughout the ages this theme was supported by keestores of our
civilization like Prince Machiavelli, the Italian political philosopher,
advocated and armed populations of citizens soldiers to keep head strong rulers
in line. Then in English society the right to bear arms was insured, " when
William and Mary were invited to occupy the throne of England in 1687, they were
presented with an English bill of right. This bill included a specific right for
Englishmen to have Arms for defense" ("Gun Control"8), in fact if this right was
not exersized during the Revolutionary War with England our constitution would
never have been written. In conclusion " 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." (Amendment 2 of The United States
Constitution). These are sacred words.  It is obvious
that crime is a major problem in Today's Society. Many steps have been taken as
voters demand that the government do something about the rising crime and
violence in America, but is repealing the Second Ammendment the Answer? No it is
not. We must think of the result of such a repeal, many people would not stand
for it they would take arms to defend the very right being taken away. If the
right to keep and bear arms had not been exercised when George Washington led
the U.S. to victory over England, our Constitution would not exist, that is why
the Second Ammendment is such a sacred one, it is the basis for which the ideas
of this country stand upon. Would people really sit idle as the Government takes
action to more obser to Tyranny? In addition to the Second Ammendment most
people are unaware that the 14th or Civil Rights Ammendment also guarantees the
right of freedmen to bear arms. Do advocates against the Second Ammendment
suggest that we repeal this ammendment too? Many Americans would not go for that.
Furthermore it is obvious that it would be impossible to repeal the Second
Ammendment there are otherways to deal with rising crime and violence. Obviously
military type weapons should not be available to the public, they are designed
with one thing in mind, to kill people. There should also be limits on semi-
automatic handguns because they are not even suitable for sport and it only
takes one shot to warn off someone attaking you not 14 as many weapons can hold.
Even though steps must be taken to curb gun violence people must get more
involved with the system to insure that limits do not go too far. It is after
all the people who control politics, not politicians.
In conclusion the Constitution holds the basic rights for which we
exercise each day. Our basic rights are guarenteed by the Constitution, and if
they abolish the Second Ammendment we would not enjoy the result, no crime but
at the cost of a police state. This is not America.