The constitution was initially established September 17, 1787 at the constitutional convention. The constitution was created to establish a government where citizens had some type of control or power. Although the constitution has many duties, the true purpose of the constitution was to provide a silhouette of rights and laws of Americans. The United States constitution is made up of 27 amendments, to which I mostly agree with. Some of these amendments include, freedom of speech, the right to vote regardless of your race or gender, and the abolishment of slavery. Despite the constitution having some worthy amendments that shows the United States’ commitment to protecting and ensuring the overall health of its constituents, I do qualify with the second amendment, the right to bear arms. While I do agree it should definitely be a right to be able to carry your own firearm and protect yourself, I believe that there should be some type of restrictions. While some believe that the ability to carry your own weapon is a way to make one feel more protected and safe when conducting their everyday lives, there are others who disagree with that. Those who disagree with that would say that those carrying a gun are putting the safety of others at risk by carrying one. They continue to support their argument by saying that it may get into the wrong hands of someone whose intentions are not as pure as those trying to protect themselves and their loved ones. I believe that there is nothing wrong with carrying a weapon, I do believe that there should be screening done, and that not everyone deserves the privilege of carrying their own firearm. A gun is a serious piece of equipment and it should not be allowed to be in the hands to just anybody who wants one. I believe that there should be a required amount of hours one has to complete in a class about gun safety, and there should be a test at the end to determine eligibility.
The second amendment was initially created in December of 1791, and it states that '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.' According to an article by Pro Cons, Should Gun Control be More Enacted, the author lists a couple of pros and cons of gun control. A couple of those pros are that would be the statistics, there were “572,537 total gun deaths between 1999 and 2016”. Creating laws that would restrict the use and possible the users of those who were able to use guns would decrease the number of casualties and fatalities at the hand of an irresponsible user. This article also mentions John R. Lott, Jr., PhD, author of More Guns, Less Crime: Understanding Crime and Gun Control Laws, where he states that the states who have an increase in “gun ownership also have the largest drop in violent crimes [where two or more people were killed] has been dramatic.” Which makes me think if carrying the gun isn’t the problem itself what is the problem? Carrying a gun is definitely beneficial and has many benefactors but we can’t ignore the huge detriment it proposes. This is why I believe that carrying a gun is a very good way to protect you from a possibility of danger when you leave your house, or even in the premises of your own home. I just believe that there should be a little more education and steps taken to ensure that protection is the main reason behind carrying a weapon and not the intention to hurt any one person or masses of people.
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Many believe that since the amendment has been around for centuries that there is no reason to change it today. Today we live in a world of so many innovations and that we have noticeably progressed since 1791, that it would truly be ignorant of the United States to continue with a mindset like that. If you aren’t open to changes, we as a country will never grow, or progress. According to an article by The Nation, It’s Time to Repeal- and- Replace the Second Amendment, by Elie Mystal, carrying a firearm went from having a sense of protection to being used as a weapon to suppress and inflict fear into other citizens. Mystal states that owning a gun is “a cultural issue” and states that the second amendment “is why we can’t go to school, or work, or a house of worship or a nightclub, or a movie theater, or a music festival, or pretty much any public gathering without fear of getting shot to death.” Although I do agree with her, leaving my house today poses an entirely different risk on my life as I may not make it back due to the negligence and misuse of power from my fellow peers, I still do believe that it is a given right to carry. The second amendment wasn’t created with the intention of citizens killing other citizens it was established with the intention of citizens protecting themselves from unknown evils. The purpose of the constitution was to represent all of its citizens, taking away the second amendment is not going to do that. With careful compromise, the second amendment can be altered to both fit the needs of those who are against the second amendment and those who are for it.
I propose a class, similar to drivers ed, where gun users are taught the safeties of using a gun. I think there should be a minimum of 40 hours dedicated to this class, and that at the end of the class an exam should be taken to ensure that the weapon is going to be used for good reasons only. I do not intend for there to be a 100% turnaround from this class, but I do believe there will be a major decrease in improper use of this heavy equipment. The second amendment is a great amendment that portrays the government the United States’ has, democracy. In order for America to reach its full potential, they have to be open to reconsidering some of its founding laws as a way to ultimately seek greatness.
Bibliography
- “Amendments 1-27.” Quia, www.quia.com/jg/3029650list.html.
- Mystal, Elie. “It's Time to Repeal-and Replace-the Second Amendment.” The Nation, 7 Aug. 2019, www.thenation.com/article/archive/repeal-second-amendment-gun-control/.
- “National Constitution Center.” National Constitution Center – Constitutioncenter.org, constitutioncenter.org/learn/educational-resources/constitution-faqs.
- “Pros & Cons - ProCon.org.” Gun Control, gun-control.procon.org/.
- “The Second Amendment & the Right to Bear Arms.” LiveScience, Purch, www.livescience.com/26485-second-amendment.html.
- Lott, John R. More Guns, Less Crime Understanding Crime and Gun Control Laws. University of Chicago Press, 2013.
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