Preview

Pros And Cons Of The Second Amendment

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
445 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Pros And Cons Of The Second Amendment
The second amendment states that all citizens have the right to bear arms, the first draft of this amendment, from James Madison, Federalist Papers No. 46. James Madison states that; “ A regular army, fully equal to the resources of the country, be formed; and let it be entirely at the devotion of the federal government; still it would not be going too far to say, that the State governments, with the people on their side, would be able to repel the danger.” .He also states , “Besides the advantage of being armed, which the Americans possess over the people of almost every other nation, the existence of subordinate governments, to which the people are attached, and by which the militia officers are appointed, forms a barrier against the enterprises of ambition, more insurmountable than any which a simple government of any form can admit of.” What James Madison is basically saying is that citizens should have the right …show more content…
City of Chicago, (2010), Chicago resident Otis McDonald, a 76 year old retired maintenance engineer, had lived in the Morgan Park neighborhood since buying a house there in 1971. McDonald decried the decline of his neighborhood, describing it as being taken over by gangs and drug dealers. His lawn was regularly littered with refuse and his home and garage had been broken into a combined five times, with the most recent robbery committed by a man McDonald recognized from his own neighborhood. An experienced hunter, McDonald legally owned shotguns, but believed them too unwieldy in the event of a robbery, and wanted to purchase a handgun for personal home defense. Due to Chicago's requirement that all firearms in the city be registered, yet refusing all handgun registrations after 1982 when a citywide handgun ban was passed, he was unable to legally own a handgun. As a result, in 2008, he joined three other Chicago residents in filing a lawsuit which became McDonald v.

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Throughout the historical aspects of the government of United States, there has been one addition to the political aspect that is considered as one of the most controversial and debated; the Second Amendment. The Second Amendment was established on December 15, 1791 with nine other to the United States’ Constitution. It was proposed by James Madison soon after the Constitution was ratified in sought of more power to the state militias. (Brooks). This Amendment also served an important factor between the Federalists and the Anti-Federalists. It was a form of compromise between the two groups as to who should have more power. The Amendment states, “ A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people…

    • 796 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    It is obvious that the U.S. has become more civilized since the 18TH century. However,…

    • 1428 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Second Amendment to the Constitution(Second Amendment) of the United States of America(USA) is one of the most controversial. The Second Amendment specifically grants that, "the right of the people to keep and bear Arms shall not be infringed"…

    • 975 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    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.…

    • 4325 Words
    • 18 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Similar to that of the Second Amendment, argument is between those who are pro-guns versus anti-gun. Pro-gunners are advocating for, not more lenient laws but simply, that the government attempts to better enforce the laws that are already in existence. Comparatively those who are questioning the validity of the Second Amendment are appealing to the government to place stricter restrictions on the ownership and distribution of guns. Those who are pro-gun are supported by the National Rifle Association (NRA) in the United States, whose arguments, based in the right to “freedom” as according to the Second Amendment, are directly hindering the progress of gun control. The NRA claims that “there are currently more than 20,000 firearms laws in the U.S., clearly more than enough to punish criminals who misuse firearms, but the laws have to be enforced” (Braga 2001, 545). However many of these 20000 laws are restricted by others, thus making them unenforceable and furthermore, many of these laws were created with the intention to be difficult to enforce (Braga 2001, 546). The NRA has undermined many of the laws in place by the “sponsoring of legislation that undermines the ability of the ATF agents to build cases against unregulated private sellers involved in firearms trafficking” (Braga, 2001, 546). Those involved in the making of laws towards…

    • 2491 Words
    • 10 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Second Amendment of the US Constitution states : "A well regulated militia being necessary…

    • 621 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    For years now our country has been in a heated debate on the second amendment. Some people feel that it is not safe to let citizens have and carry guns, while others agree it is their right as an american to own a gun. In America, there are approximately 270 million firearms possessed by civilians, and only 897,000 carried by police.Close to 33,000 Americans were victims of gun-related deaths in 2011 and an average of 268 citizens are shot every day. In the past decade our country has witnessed 142 mass school shootings and, in 2010 alone 19,392 people committed suicide with a gun. These frightening statistic are what I believe cuz some people to be against the second amendment.…

    • 309 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    “The Second Amendment is unnecessary and should be repealed” a fair statement and one that I strongly agree with. The second amendment states that all man has the right to bear arms or own a gun. In July 4,1776 North America got its independence from the British Empire. Next our founding fathers came together and created the Bill of Rights. During the eighteenth century America was a young and newly independent country. In the 1770s they needed to demonstrate their strength as a country. Also, Americans were driven to protect their lands from countries that have a stronger government and army. But in this century,America is a stronger country with a very strong army and government. Considering that American now has a strong military with…

    • 311 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Better Essays

    The second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution 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 Founding Fathers included this in our Bill of Rights because they feared the Federal Government might oppress the population if the people did not have the means to defend themselves as a nation and as individuals. (Halbrook 65-84)…

    • 1166 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    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.” This amendment is one of the best rules that our forefathers gave us when they wrote the constitution. It allows the people to have some sort of defense if the government decides to rise against it’s own people. However the weapons that middle class people can own are nothing but amazing. The second amendment is good; however, it needs some restrictions on what ordinary people can buy and use in their homes.…

    • 702 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Right To Bear Arms

    • 456 Words
    • 2 Pages

    The viewpoint of universal human right to bear arms indicates that this right is more of a natural right to the human race rather than a right given to you by your country. This interpretation of the amendment seems to leave out the first statement of the amendment, “A well-regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state”. The statement indicates that a militia is, indeed, necessary to maintain our freedom. It is important to remember that the Second Amendment was adopted in 1791 when the country did not have a well-trained government military and relied heavily on these civilian militias to ward off invasions by the British and the French.…

    • 456 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    On one hand, some people believe that the wording “the right of people to keep and bear arms” creates the constitutional right for individuals to possess firearms. On the other hand, some believe that the use of “a well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free state” only inhibits Congress from enacting legislation that limits a state’s right to self-defense. Clearly, the Second Amendment does grant citizens the right to bear arms, but many people have began to question this due to the increasing gun violence in the…

    • 616 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    “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 Second Amendment to the United States Constitution has started many debates over the years. The right to bear arms is an issue that many are passionate about because of the impact it may have on public safety. College campuses across America have been debating the issue of allowing concealed weapons on campus for decades.…

    • 855 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Gun Control Debate

    • 2680 Words
    • 8 Pages

    The Second Amendment text 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 (Jefferson)” The argument over the second amendment is basic and complex at the same time. Most of the controversy is over the vagueness of the terms…

    • 2680 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Pro Gun Control

    • 1223 Words
    • 5 Pages

    The Second Amendment of the US Constitution reads, "A well regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free state, the right…

    • 1223 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays