“The very language of the second amendment refutes any argument that as intended to guarantee every citizen an unfettered right to any kind of weapon” –Warren E. Burger (Former Chief Justice)



What does the Second Amendment mean to you? The debate for gun control developed in the second half of the 20th century and is one of the biggest controversial topic debated in the United States. Although, everyone has his or her own opinions about gun control, the second amendment should not be violated. It is one of the “unalienable” rights we fought for during the Revolutionary War. By restricting an individual’s right to gun ownership, we are turning our backs to one of the key factor our country was built on. The only people who follow the law are law-abiding citizens; criminals won’t stop to think if what they’re doing is right or wrong. Guns can be used to help people defend themselves; weaker individuals are able to use guns to help themselves when they’re in trouble. The police aren’t always around to save us, people who own guns can help out a victim when they are in need of help, and also guns can be used to reduce crime.


In 1994, congress had passed a law “banning” assault weapons; they created a national system of background checks for both gun owners and gun buyers. Each individual state has its own laws concerning gun ownership. Washington D.C and Chicago have the strictest gun control laws. Washington D.C bans any firearm out in public, and to be kept at home under a lock and Chicago requires each individual to re-register his or her own gun once every two years. In the United States, there are about 280 million firearms in the hands of all citizens. Out of 1,000 people, 888 people own a gun. Approximately 30% of American households report that they have a gun in possession, hidden somewhere in the house. According to the AAP (American Academy of Pediatrics) there are about 1.7 million children that live in homes with a loaded, and unlocked gun.


A common reason people are against gun control laws is that guns are often used for self-defense. Each year, guns are used approximately 2.5 million times in self-defense; in other words, 6,850 times a day. Firearms are used 80 more times to attempt to save someone’s life compared to taking it. Weaker individuals such as women, children and senior citizens aren’t strong enough to protect themselves against criminals. About 200,000 women use guns annually to defend themselves against sexual abuse. When the police aren’t around, citizens with guns can help protect others. Studies shows that armed citizens injure and kill about 1,527 criminals while police officers kill about 606.
Most criminals avoid armed citizens and in some cases guns reduce crimes. States that passed concealed carry laws had their murder rate reduced by 8.5%, sexual assaults by 5% and robbery by 3%. In Vermont, people are allowed to carry a concealed firearm without permission, and for about 10 years, Vermont has been listed in the top 5 safest states. In 1982, Kennesaw, GA passed a law requiring all households to have at least one firearm somewhere in the house, the burglary rate in the suburb dropped about 89% while the burglary rate in Georgia dropped about 10%. In 1979, the Carter Justice Department found that in 32,000 attempted rape, 32% were successful, however when a woman had a weapon, only 3% of these the attempted rape was successful.
In addition, banning guns will take away a piece of our liberty, which is one more step to socialism and totalitarianism. For example in 1929, the Soviet Union established gun control. From 1929 to 1953, about 20 million protesters who were unable to defend themselves, were rounded up and killed. If we allow the government to violate a vital part of our history and the foundation our country was found on, what else would we let them get away with, with the excuse of “regulating” and “controlling” comes “banning” and stripping away of our identity as US citizens? The Bill of Rights was written for a reason and that is to protect the rights of the citizens.
Many would argue that the most violent crimes are committed with firearms so by restricting gun ownership it will likely reduce the number of such crimes. However, we forget that criminals break laws and would not hesitate to get a gun by illegal means such as the black market or by using another person’s guns. The Sandy Hook shooter, Adam Lanza obtained his firearms from his mother. By establishing gun control laws, we are hurting law abiding citizens rather than the criminals.
In addition, people who are pro- gun control also argue that legalized gun ownership means that guns have a greater chance of falling into the hands of kids and potentially resulting in deadly accidents. Nonetheless, with proper education of the danger of guns, accidents can be readily avoided. It is the parent’s or an adult’s responsibility to ensure that children do not have easy access to a firearm, not the government’s. Also, one might argue that knives can be just as deadly as a gun which is why we keep those out of a kid’s reach. If a child can understand that knives are off limits, they can understand that guns are too.
In conclusion, we should not have laws controlling and restricting a citizen’s right to bear firearms. It would clearly violate the Second Amendment if that right was infringed upon. Gun control laws would only hurt the good, law abiding individuals and not the criminals. By ignoring a key component of the Bill of Rights, we are also ignoring our past and the foundation this country was built on.