Second Amendment to the United States Constitution

¶ … Second Amendment to the United States 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." Advocates of civil rights and civil liberties constantly demand unhindered freedom of press, of speech, and religious freedom. But when the issue of the Second Amendment arises, many shy away or shun the concept of the personal right to bear arms. Suddenly political correctness supersedes personal freedom and constitutional ascendancy. This is not to say that the Constitution cannot be adapted to suit the needs of a changing society; on the contrary, the whole concept of amendments is based on the flexibility and adaptability of the United States of America and its Bill of Rights. But no matter how often the courts or the lobbyists rally in favor of or against "the right of the people to keep and bear arms," the result seems to remain in support of the preservation of the original Second Amendment. The right to bear arms remains a salient issue today, as pertinent as it was the two hundred-plus years ago when the Bill of Rights was penned. Even in light of the violence in American inner cities and in the wake of disasters like Columbine, the Second Amendment must be preserved. Advocates of gun control, while well meaning, base their arguments on faulty assumptions and equally faulty logic.

Firearms are already regulated, as they should be. As preference is given to the states in their decision to enact firearm laws, there are almost fifty different interpretations of the Second Amendment. Gun control advocates propose that the sale, manufacture, and ownership of firearms be restricted even further. Licensing is not enough: we must limit the number of licenses given. But who decides what the quotas should be? Brief and reliable background checks aren't good enough either, for it takes a good thirty days to research a customer's past. When we purchase a car, a vehicle potential of death and destruction, no background check is necessary. Credit or cash, the car is sold. That policy should apply equally to the sale of firearms. Gun control advocates also demand childproof guns. Instead of burdening the weapons industry with unnecessary and expensive gadgets that don't work jacks up prices and makes them inaccessible to the economically deprived. Instead, greater education is the key.

Just as sex education is sorely lacking in public schools, so is weapons education. Children are as mystified by guns as they are by their own bodies; we easily criticize the prudence of the religious right over outcries against safe sex campaigns. Yet we scoff, or worse, we decry, the introduction of gun smarts. Furthermore, we are ignoring deeper issues when we blame the weapons. "Guns don't kill people; people kill people" is a phrase we should all elevate above the cliche. Children open fire in schools not because there happened to be a gun lying around the house but because their anger seethed so strongly as to require pathological expression. Parents who educate their children on the dangers of firearms are contributing more to a safe society than parents who whine about childproof guns. Anyway, there is no such thing as a "safe" or "childproof" weapon. A program combining education with respect for the basic tenets of the Second Amendment is necessary to curb the upsurge in crime. After the events of September 11, it should be obvious that American citizens need to rethink their relationship with their government, their constitution, and ponder their individual rights.

Gun-related crime is not the domain of the gun manufacturer. Most homicides committed with a firearm are not accidental; they are intentional. If domestic crime reduction is the aim of the gun control lobbyists, then those lobbyists are aiming at the wrong tree. The proliferation of firearms is a fact and there is no reasonably way to recall weapons already sold. That being the case, future restrictions on gun sales would do nothing to curb homicides. Black markets thrive and create more crime than liberal, open markets do. Instead of limiting sales and purchases of guns, legislatures need to spend more time and money on the proper enforcement of existing laws. Treating gun control as top priority drains money from a needy police force. Crime control must take precedence over gun control.

All firearms owners should possess a fundamental understanding of the nature of their weapon(s). Individual guns have unique characteristics; owners should study their weapons as they would their breed of dog. Guns should be treated with respect as if they are loaded at all times. They should be pointed in a safe direction when handled casually, fingers away from the trigger. Mechanical safeties fail, so owners shouldn't rely on them. Guns kept in storage should never be loaded, and if children are present, great care should be taken to prevent misuse. Protective gear and correct ammunition, along with common-sense knowledge about shooting can help prevent accidents. And of course, the use of alcohol or drugs around firearms must not be permitted any more than driving while drunk. If safety measures like these are taken to ensure safe gun possession, cumbersome, unfair, and unjust laws will not be required to reduce accidents.

The basis of the Second Amendment of the constitution is founded in the need to organize militias. While many things have changed since the 18th century, people are still people; politics still politics. Two hundred-odd years is a speck of time. We live under the illusion that somehow we have evolved permanently and that the government of the United States is incapable of infractions against which we must fight. Especially in the wake of September 11, citizens need to bear personal arms not only for self-defence, but also in defence of the rights and principles upon which our country was founded.