...Should all gun owners suffer because of violent gun crimes? Should our rights to bear arms be violated in attempts to prevent these crimes? The Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution’s Bill of Rights and its many interpretations lead only to more questions and controversy. Now the Secure Ammunition and Firearms Enforcement Act (SAFE Act) law has been instated. While the SAFE Act was brought about to prevent horrific crimes like the recent Sandy Hook tragedy, even the legislators “called action on the measure premature.” The law was rushed into place and does not apply to the issues at hand. Guns can be very dangerous; however, it is the people committing these heinous gun crimes that present the problems. Society members should not, as a whole, have to deal with repercussions from a few peoples crimes. Local gun shop owner Dick Decosse sums it up when he says, “Basically, the bad guys get what they want, and the rest of us are paying the price.” While I am personally uncomfortable with guns and do not allow them in my home, I recognize and understand everyone else’s right to make their own choices. The people who commit these reprehensible crimes are not going to be stopped by the new law, especially with the lack of understanding of what exactly the law means. People do not seem to understand the implications of the law or how it might affect them. Questions are being referred to the State Police and even they are saying that “they don’t have any details on the law.” If...
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...Gun Rights Jordyn Rynbrandt 3rd Hour Not everyone is going to agree on gun rights. People either agree that it’s the guns fault others die when shot, or disagree, and say it’s the person's fault. These days we like to blame the guns not the psychotic people doing the crime. Makes sense though right? Why not let Obama take away the second amendment and ruin our freedoms? It just makes sense. Many people are on board so why not just join them? If someone breaks into your house and tries to hurt you and your family and you shoot them in self defense, it’s the guns fault he now has a bullet wound. Will the man get in trouble for shooting someone in self defense? Most likely, but why? I thought it was the guns fault… 1. Trying to Make it Illegal....
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...argument in opposing gun laws. This reference serves as a tool to look up the actual laws and restrictions that California residents must follow. The pamphlet contains a general summary of California laws that govern common possession and use of firearms by persons other than law enforcement officers, firearms dealers, or members of the armed forces. It is not designed to provide individual guidance for specific situations, nor does it attempt to summarize federal law. A special interest in the actual definitions of “assault weapons”, “sawed off shotguns”, and “firearms”, is taken in consideration because it specifies the schematic descriptions of these illegal firearms. The information in the pamphlet will be used as a reference for what is considered the strictest restrictions on firearms that exist out of all the United States. Kopel, David. (1998). Second Amendment in the Nineteenth Century. Retrieved October 27, 2009 from http://www.davekopel.com/2A/LawRev/19thcentury.htm This article dissects the Second Amendment of the United States of America and explains the true intent of the James Madison and his reasoning to include it into the Bill of Rights. The article explains the actual text: “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.” And analyzes the vocabulary Madison chose to compose the Second Amendment in relation to modern day issues on gun control. The writer...
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...Should gun rights be limited? This is a broad question. I will focus closely to what was written in the attached article “Gun rights and corresponding responsibilities” from the Chicago Tribune by Christine Johanson Ross, of Buffalo Grove. The author breaks right into a non sequitur fallacy, as she is assuming that her thought on gun safety is “commonsense”. She uses many other examples throughout history to prove her point. She uses the similarity of restricted first amendment rights to justify why it is ok to impose additional laws for gun owners. The author states that “20,000 American children and teens die from gun violence yearly”. The author does not state where she got her information from. The non-profit organization, Children’s Defense Fund (CDF) started in 1979, uses information from multiple government agencies. The U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention in 2008 and 2009, reported a total of 5,740 children and teens aged 0-19, that were killed by guns. The CDF information is verified by the CDC. Center for Disease and Control (CDC), reports annually on the number of deaths in the United States. The numbers below only include deaths caused by firearms. The CDC breaks its statistics down into smaller categories. This particular report is broken down by age and also by type of gun violence. Their numbers include a larger group than the author included, which were children and teens only. By my definition, children and teens would be aged 0-19. ...
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...The Truth about Guns and Rights Christine Tarver COM220 February 17, 2013 Lori Pash Amendments amend provisions to the Constitution. The Second Amendment’s provisions are in regard to a militia with the right to bear arms. The word militia is not specifically defined in the Constitution or within the Second Amendment. With no specific definition, this brings about many debates of whose rights these documents protect. The word militia in these terms can be defined as a “general” militia, made up of all able bodied men. This was a check on governmental entities and the belief that people could be protected by individual rights. In 2008, for the first time in American history the Supreme Court defined the right to bear arms. This took place in District of Columbia v. Heller. The Supreme Court stated the Second Amendment guarantees an individual right to possess firearms independent of service in a state militia and to use firearms for traditionally lawful purposes, including self-defense within the home. Gun control laws in America are responsible for the possibility of who can or cannot purchase and possess guns; laws also give valid reasons to gun ownership. The right to bear arms has limitations and debates. The second amendment does not protect people against any and every weapon readily available. In fact there are obstacles one must cross before they legally have full ownership of a gun. The rules, regulations, and laws according to this process vary greatly from state...
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...Pro-gun rights advocates can take a sigh of relief now that Republican leadership is back in the driver’s seat, as last year’s elections put the Senate and House of Representatives in the prime position of dictating legislation while making Barack Obama’s life a living hell. With the 2016 presidential nomination just around the corner, I'm sure candidates like Donald Trump and Ben Carson are making liberal-gun control fanatics a little restless. With the latest polls showing a likely Republican Party victory to the White House next November, conservatives are optimistic as America prepares to close chapter on the Obama era. On the other hand, the Democratic Party is sulking after 2014’s mid-term elections as the lost control of the Senate,...
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...Christian McBride August 23, 2014 EN1420 Guns don’t kill people. It has always been the responsibility of the people to protect themselves, never the responsibility of the government to protect us. It is however the Government’s responsibility to protect the rights of the people, including the right for the people to protect themselves; the Amendment. Gun control is not effective; as it has never been shown in a national study to reduce the number of gun related crimes. If the people do not protect themselves, there is no protection. It has been proven in many other countries in all of which these destinations have very minimal gun laws and restrictions. These countries include Norway, Finland, France and Germany and in all of these countries there is a remarkably lower murder rate, way below the rate of the United States. One of the most widely known colleges in the world, Harvard University conducted a study, with the result of the study being “gun control is proven to be counterproductive”. In the United States, gun control has been a long argued battle of the people’s right to bear arms vs. the law controlling guns. The US Constitution’s Second Amendment reads: “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.” Who is to say that any belong to the “well-regulated Militia” is the general public a Militia. The truth is most Americans do not trust the government, or more...
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...Anti-Gun Control Gun control is a huge restriction we face as Americans. As time progresses, gun laws get have been getting more strict and serious, thus making it harder for non felons to obtain a permit to carry. Even the Second Amendment gives us as Americans the right to bear arms. Gun control in Indiana is more strict than a lot of other states. In Indiana, in order to carry a hand gun, you must have a concealed carry permit produced by the state of Indiana. In order to obtain the permit you must be at least eight-teen years old and fill out an application, and be fingerprinted. In other states such as Virginia you can simply carry a handgun as long as you are eight-teen and don’t have a felony. You can still get a gun permit in Virginia but until you get one you must open carry the gun, without hiding it. Even though when you turn eighteen you can obtain a gun permit, as eighteen you can’t buy a handgun. However at that age, you can go to a gun store and by any rifle. I think these laws are a little mixed up. I think that if im old enough to carry a hand gun, I should be able to buy one. Guns are not killing people, what kills people is when guns get in the wrong hands. This is the result of our strict gun laws. However other actions could be taken to allow safe people to obtain guns and felons to not. Such actions are being used today including the concealed carry permit process, because it requires a background check. I think the process should be a little more simple...
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...Responsible Gun Owners are losing their Rights Ryan T. Kennedy COM/172 November 20, 2013 Oleah Morris Responsible Gun Owners are losing their Rights The gun violence of today in many opinions, is worse than what it was in the “Wild West.” A major contributor, is the actions and crimes of criminals with illegally obtained firearms. Crimes committed with illegally obtained firearms such as robberies, gang shootings, and even murder. The firearm subject has been at the top of several political debates in recent times. This is mostly because of several school tragedies involving innocent children, which have taken place over the last two and a half decades. Some individuals believe that more crime will be prevented, if more law-abiding citizens were armed. Others believe that stronger gun laws are needed. The thesis is, Americans are losing their Second Amendment rights because of criminals with illegally obtained firearms. Has the nation forgotten about the United States Constitution and the Bill of Rights, or does this country only care about the first and fifth amendments? The general census is anti-gun activists and the U.S. Government need to put the blame where it belongs, and stop punishing law-abiding citizens. The History of Firearms and the Crimes Committed Many believe it was Leonardo DiVinci who invented the firearm. The fact is, “the first firearm in the world was invented in 13th century China when the man made portable fire lance (a bamboo or metal tube that...
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...Texas firearms laws pretty much mirror those if the Federal laws. Long barrel rifles and shotguns can be legally purchased by a person 18 years of age or older. They must not be charged with or convicted of a crime punishable by more than one year in prison. They also must be of sound mind. You must be 21 years of age to purchase a handgun in the state of Texas. It also carries the same restrictions as purchase of a long rifle. To carry a handgun in Texas outside of your home, car, or watercraft you must have a Concealed Handgun License (CHL) issued by the state of Texas or one of the states that Texas has reciprocation with. Reciprocation means that Texas allows a person licensed in their state to carry a concealed weapon in Texas and Texans with a CHL issued in Texas can carry their weapon in that state. Texas is also a state that has the Castle Doctrine. The latest version of this law was passed by on March 27, 2007 by Governor Rick Perry. This law states that “Residents lawfully occupying a dwelling may use deadly force against a person who unlawfully, and with force, enters or attempts to enter the dwelling, or who unlawfully and with force removes or attempts to remove someone from that dwelling, or who commits or attempts to commit a qualifying felony such as aggravated kidnapping, murder, sexual assault, aggravated sexual assault, robbery, or aggravated robbery (TPC 9.32(b)).” Texas also is a “Stand Your Ground” state. This means you do not have to attempt...
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... Shootings such as these have made people question whether guns should be allowed on campus or not. “What the press called the “Virginia Tech Massacre” changed the narrative of, and participants in, the national guns-on-campus debate.” (Birnbaum) There are two sides to this never ending battle; the pro-gun people and the anti-gun people. These two sides portray as being the opposite of each other, with many protestors on each side. Allowing students and teachers with conceal and carry guns on campus would benefit the school and help eliminate mass shootings. Having patrons with a conceal and carry permit with guns on campus would reduce the mass scale of shootings. If there for example, 100 people on campus that have a gun at one time, the ability to act quickly will prevent active shooters from being able to target a multitude of victims. These patrons would be able to...
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...Gun legalization benefits and disadvantages in the USA Introduction The question on whether violence and crime could be tackled effectively and consequently minimized by ultimately legalizing guns in the United States has remained a hard nut to crack over the past decade. On the other hand, ardent debate has been going on getting the guns off the streets. There are valid points on both sides of the issue where legalizing of guns will have benefits as well as disadvantages to the American society. In states where legalization of guns has been effected, citizens have realized numerous benefits. However, the legalization of guns has not been without disadvantages because when the guns find their way into the hands of gangs and children owing to the availability, high rates of crime and deaths are witnessed. Therefore, gun legalization in United States is an issue which has come to the forefront and should be accorded all attention bearing in mind the benefits as well as the disadvantages (Blek 121). Cook, Molliconi and Cole (60) state that guns are weapons that can be used to mitigate crime or violence but can be used to perpetuate violence and crime. It is true that guns do not do the real shooting: people do the shooting. It is the person who possesses the gun and the intent to do harm that we should be worried about. The pride of a person with a gun can actually make him or her to impose his or her will upon other people. This aspect is what puts the legalization of guns...
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...The average police response time to an emergency call in Detroit, Michigan, is 58 minutes. Guns are inanimate objects, and it takes a human to pull the trigger, The gun is not bad the human is bad. People should conceal carry guns because the second amendment of the United States constitution, also people cannot always rely on the police to save them right away, and responsible adults who carry guns most of the time are law abiding citizens. First of all, the second amendment of the United States constitution guarantees the right to bear arms. The second amendment says “A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of the free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed. The constitution is the base of America. It is what this country is ran off. We all follow the rules of the constitution everyday freedom of speech, the right to bear arms, and protection from unreasonable searches and seizures.” The United States 9th circuit court of appeals ruled in peruta vs San Diego by a two to one vote on June 16, 2015, that the second amendment requires states to permit some form of concealed carry for self-defense outside the home. The constitution says people can have guns to protect themselves, which is the whole reason they were created....
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...Gun Control in America When I was in the military I had the opportunity to travel to many different countries in the world where gun control was either limited or fully enforced. In countries like Great Britain, which has strict gun control, the country has a very high miscellaneous crime rate due to even the law enforcement not carrying side arms (Kelley, 2012). Then countries like Switzerland where their gun laws are minimal, and their crimes are very low and they have access to guns (LaFollette, 2000). These countries with guns may have gun violence, but countries without guns tend to have more heinous crimes using other things as weapons (LaFollette, 2000). I have been around this world and I feel as Americans we don’t need gun control. Even though some Americans believe guns kill people and should be banned, I am completely against gun control, because it violates our Second Amendment Right, and guns also protect us and our families from intruders and individuals trying to commit a crime. Americans in today’s society want gun control to prevent foolish people and ones not all there in the head from owning guns. LaFollette (2000), thought that even though guns don’t kill people, people kill people so we should have gun control to stop these individuals from getting firearms. Such lunatics that have shot up schools like Columbine, Sandy Hook, and most recent the kid that shot up that church Charleston, SC. LaFollette (2000), said,” Availability of guns is also positively...
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...C.J. Woods English 102 Prof. Lasely February 24, 2015 Gun violence in America is a relevant topic in today’s society because it affects a multitude of people. Truth being told, we need guns to fight and be successful in wars. But, we shouldn’t be using these guns against people in our own country. Most of the gun violence in America comes from police violence, gang violence, or guns just in the wrong people’s hand. This shouldn’t be tolerable or acceptable. To start off we need to fix or improve ways of gun ownership. Data from firearm manufacturers, there are roughly 300 million firearms owned by civilians in the United States as of 2010. Of these, about 100 million are handguns. Breaking the data down even more it shows that white male republicans own more guns than any other demographic. But as I dove deeper into the stats I saw the reasons people said they own guns. The reasons they gave for owning guns were protection against crime, target shooting, and hunting. So the thing that was most encouraging about the data is that majority of the people who own guns, have them for a reason. But there was 8% who said that they own a gun just to have one. That last reason is a reason which got me thinking, why have a gun when you have no legitimate reason or purpose to have a gun? Those people could be some of the people who are not using their guns in an acceptable way. Most people would point to the Second Amendment. The Second Amendment states “A well-regulated Militia...
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