Debate on Gun Control on Assault Weapons
A Killer Debate! : Gun Control on Assault Weapons
A Bushmaster AR-15 assault type weapon sent twenty children to their deaths in December of 2012 in Connecticut. An AR-15 assault rifle killed twelve innocent civilians at a movie theater in Colorado. An Intratec TEC-DC 9, Hi-Point 995 Carbin, and Savage 67H pump-action shotgun massacred eleven high school students and one high school teacher at Columbine High School in Colorado. Many Americans shake their heads as they ask themselves, “Why are such powerful weapons in the hands of civilians?” The Second Amendment in the Bill of Rights, established in 1791, gives citizens the right to bear and keep arms. Our founding fathers took a lot of the information and stipulations in the English Bill of Rights to use in the American Bill of Rights. In the English Bill of Rights, Protestants were allowed to bear arms to protect themselves from Catholics. In the American Bill of Rights, Americans have the right to bear arms for protection from a tyrannical government, which was a concern during that time period that does not uphold presently. However, throughout history, the United States government makes changes to the constitution as the country itself changes and becomes innovated. For example, the 1965 voting act, which outlawed discriminatory voting, was a necessary act implemented to uphold the ideal of equality among all American citizens. As history progresses, circumstances change. As circumstances change, so must the rules and stipulations that govern them. The society that America has cultivated up to this point in 2013 would thoroughly disgust that in 1791. Since the hatred, violence, division, and threat in America have most definitely presented new circumstances in the country, should there be new rules and stipulations? Most Americans need clarification on the definition of these assault firearms. “Assault weapon” is most commonly defined as a semiautomatic firearm, generally a rifle but can be a pistol,
A Bushmaster AR-15 assault type weapon sent twenty children to their deaths in December of 2012 in Connecticut. An AR-15 assault rifle killed twelve innocent civilians at a movie theater in Colorado. An Intratec TEC-DC 9, Hi-Point 995 Carbin, and Savage 67H pump-action shotgun massacred eleven high school students and one high school teacher at Columbine High School in Colorado. Many Americans shake their heads as they ask themselves, “Why are such powerful weapons in the hands of civilians?” The Second Amendment in the Bill of Rights, established in 1791, gives citizens the right to bear and keep arms. Our founding fathers took a lot of the information and stipulations in the English Bill of Rights to use in the American Bill of Rights. In the English Bill of Rights, Protestants were allowed to bear arms to protect themselves from Catholics. In the American Bill of Rights, Americans have the right to bear arms for protection from a tyrannical government, which was a concern during that time period that does not uphold presently. However, throughout history, the United States government makes changes to the constitution as the country itself changes and becomes innovated. For example, the 1965 voting act, which outlawed discriminatory voting, was a necessary act implemented to uphold the ideal of equality among all American citizens. As history progresses, circumstances change. As circumstances change, so must the rules and stipulations that govern them. The society that America has cultivated up to this point in 2013 would thoroughly disgust that in 1791. Since the hatred, violence, division, and threat in America have most definitely presented new circumstances in the country, should there be new rules and stipulations? Most Americans need clarification on the definition of these assault firearms. “Assault weapon” is most commonly defined as a semiautomatic firearm, generally a rifle but can be a pistol,
Cited: Abdullah, Halimah, Jessica Yellin, and Tom Cohen. "Obama Remains Committed to Assault Weapons Ban, White House Says." CNN. Cable News Network, 19 Dec. 2012. Web. 13 Jan. 2013. "Federal Assault Weapons Ban." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 13 Jan. 2013. Web. 13 Jan. 2013. Waldman, Paul. "Ten Arguments Gun Advocates Make, and Why They 're Wrong." The American Prospect. N.p., 15 Dec. 2012. Web. 13 Jan. 2013.