Gun Control

On December 15, 1791, the first ten amendments were ratified to form the Bill of Rights in order to secure the freedom and security of the American people. The second amendment states: 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 intent of this amendment is commonly mistaken however. Many people in favor of gun control believe that this amendment was passed in order to secure an American's right to bear arms, and thus it would be possible to modify it as other amendments have been. However, that is not the case with this extremely well formulated amendment. The second amendment states that an American Citizen's right to bear arms shall not be infringed. This means that not only does this amendment secure an American's right to bear arms, but it also, in itself, keeps this amendment from being regulated or modified. This was not a mistake. The founding fathers knew the consequences that would arise if the United States government were to strip its citizens of their weapons. George Mason, co-author of the second amendment, said in a speech, "To disarm the people is the best and most effectual way to enslave them."(Bailey). Many people in favor of gun control reason that stricter gun control will decrease crime rates and save the lives of many people. However, enforcing stricter gun control will have the complete opposite effect, causing law abiding citizens to be defenseless and therefore encouraging crime by making it much safer for the criminals. In fact, in the United States, "guns actually save more lives than they take" (GOA). Firearms account for only 30,000 deaths by either suicides, homicides, or accidents each year. On the contrary, guns are used 2.5 million times for self defense. Guns are also used over 200,000 times a year by women in order to defend themselves from rape. Also, in a poll, "3/5 felons say that a criminal is not going to mess with an armed victim" (Gun Facts). If these innocent American citizens are stripped of their constitutional right to bear arms, they will be defenseless when confronted by a criminal, and thus, criminal activity would be encouraged. Another fatal flaw in our government's plan to keep criminals unarmed is the black market. For example, even though marijuana is illegal in many states, people still find ways to obtain it through the black market. According to ATF (bureau of alcohol, tobacco, and firearms) agent Jay Wachtel "Stolen guns account for only about 10% to 15% of guns used in crimes" (Noyes). This means that outlawing the buying and selling of guns will only create a short hurdle between criminals and their weapons, but in turn will leave all law abiding citizens defenseless. Bailey, Bill. "The Founding Fathers on the Second Amendment." The Federalist Papers. The Federalist Papers Project, 5 Sept. 2011. Web. 15 Jan. 2016. GOA. "Just For Skeptics." Fact Sheet: Guns Save Lives. GOA, 16 Oct. 2008. Web. 27 Jan. 2016. "Guns in America | Facts and Statistics about Firearms in the USA." Guns in America | Facts and Statistics about Firearms in the USA. Vici Media. Web. 20 Jan. 2016. Noyes, Dan. "How Criminals Get Guns." PBS. PBS, 2014. Web. 20 Jan. 2016.