A firearm or a (Gun) is a weapon that is meant to immobilize or neutralize a target. A gun can protect as well as end someone’s life. When it is used in the appropriate manner such as saving the life of an innocent victim or putting an end to the life of a criminal, it is seen as a sign of bravery and justice but when it takes the lives of innocent people it is condemned. On June 8, 1789, Representative James Madison introduced nine amendments to the Constitution in the House of Representatives, on September 25, 1789. The First Congress of the United States proposed 12 amendments to the Constitution. On December 15, 1791, ten amendments to the U.S. Constitution eventually known as the Bill of Rights were ratified. The purpose of the Bill of Rights is to protect citizens from excess government power. The Second Amendment says “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 interpretation of the 2nd Amendment has been a controversial topic for some time, there have been many debates on the definition but up to this date it’s perceived as the right to own a firearm. While Guns played a major role in the history of the United States and all of its battles and wars the U.S won it is still seen as a country that is obsessed with guns and it owns more guns per capita than residents of any other country (Schaeffer,2018). Gun Violence in The United States is out of control, mass shooting are a common occurrence, and police gun violence is almost heard of every week. Many people keep losing their lives to Gun Violence. Many activist are demanding more Gun Control action to be taken in the United States. Gun Control is an issue that usually tends to divide people. Pro-Gun lobbyists argue that the guns are not the issue, “Guns Don’t Kill People. People kill people” and that these Gun Control laws would infringe their constitutional rights while Anti-Gun Advocates want to Ban the sale of firearms for tougher regulations to be put into place. Mass Shootings, school shootings, race, guns, media, religion all of these factors affect the public perception on Guns, and Gun Control. Gun Advocates point out high caliber guns such as the AR-15 and question why do citizens need such a firearm with that stopping force and large capacity magazine.
The AR-15 was used in mass shooting such as the Sandy Hook Elementary school shooting where 20 year old Adam Lanza fatally shot twenty children and several adult staffs, it was also used in the mass shooting of The First Baptist Church in Sutherland Spring Texas where Twenty-Six Year old Devin Patrick Kelley also entered with an AR-15 and fatally shot Twenty-Six people in the church and injured about Twenty other. This current year in Parkland Florida, Marjory Stone man Douglas High school Nineteen year old Nikolas Cruz entered and killed seventeen students and staff and injuring many more.
These mass shootings are the reason behind the cry for more gun control in the country. Throughout time there have been several laws and Supreme Court cases that have shaped the Second Amendment. Gun Control has seen many changes throughout time. One US state that tried to Challenge the 2nd Amendment was Georgia. In 1837,Georgia passes a law banning handguns, and the sale and carry of certain types of weapons and pistols. In the case Nunn V. Georgia, Hawkins H. Nunn was charged and convicted for carrying a pistol in violation of the law, Nunn appealed the ruling, claiming the state law was a violation of the Second Amendment to the United States Constitution. The law is ruled unconstitutional by the U.S. Supreme Court and is thrown out.
After the American Civil war in 1865 there was worry that African Americans slaves would get rebellious after many attempts of escape because of the Emancipation Proclamation. To reduce the influence of free blacks, laws were passed and included in Slave Codes with the intent and the effect of restricting African Americans freedom. This law is Black Codes which, among other things, heavily regulated the lives and activities of African Americans and forbid them from possessing firearms. In 1934 the NRA (National firearms act) was enacted regulating the manufacture, sale and possession of fully automatic firearms. The law also required the registration of all NFA firearms with the Secretary of the Treasury.
Firearms subject to the 1934 Act included rifles having barrels less than 18 inches in length, shotguns, machineguns, and firearm mufflers and silencers. Four years later in 1938 The Federal Firearms Act is passed imposing a federal license requirement on gun manufacturers, importers, and persons in the business of selling firearms. The law required licensees to maintain customer records, and it made illegal to sell firearms to certain classes of persons, such as convicted felons. Couple of murders that affected Gun Control in the 20th century were the assassination of The 35th President of The United States John F, Kennedy, Attorney General Robert Kennedy and Dr Martin Luther King Jr because of these assassinations the Gun control act of 1968 was passed which is a federal law that regulates the firearms industry and firearms owners.The whole controversy on Gun Control really took off after November 22, 1963 when evidence in the assassination of President John F. Kennedy increased public awareness to the relative lack of control over the sale and possession of firearms in America.
Many activist think that they could control the gun violence in America, just by taking away firearms away from the people and making new laws. This paper will look to review the issues concerning Gun Control in America, how it attributes to violence and the attitude of the public towards these changes and if they agree or disagree on it. The United States has the most mass shooting in the world (Fox,2018). Should stricter gun control laws be put into effect? Should the 2nd Amendment have limitations?
