When our fore fathers first came onto t Essay

When our fore fathers first came onto this land, they were oppressed by their rulers. These wise men decided to stage a revolt against their government and start up a new government, with a set of rules, laws and rights. They did not stage this massive revolt by negotiation, or arbitration but with blood shed on both sides. When the revolt was over, the fore fathers had risen to victory through the use of warfare and guns. They then decided to make a bill stating the basic rights that every man in the country could have. There were ten of these basic rights, among them were the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, the right of free speech, and most importantly, the right too keep and bear arms in order to protect their families, gather food, and preserve their rights, from all threats. However, in these times of increased violence with guns and wild over population, is keeping guns available too dangerous to be continued? If so, how can we justify taking away one of the most basic and sacred rights that has been held throughout the ages? If we do this, are we any better than our previous rulers who used control as an excuse for oppression? The opposition of gun rights say that the amendment states that The Second Amendment was never intended as a gun license for the entire American populace. As originally drafted—and as consistently interpreted by the courts for more than a century—the Amendment does not grant any blanket right to own a gun nor does it stand in the way of rational, effective gun control. They also say that the idea of gun ownership as an American Birthright is just a myth. However, this is not true. The amendment states that the right to bear arms shall not be infringed. Clearly stated, this says that the right of people to have and use guns shall not be taken away. The modern day anti-gun advocate cries out that if guns were outlawed, then the violent crime rate would drop dramatically. Were this true, I would agree with them, however, this is the true myth in the situation. Were guns still outlawed, the criminal with a desire to attain a gun would still be able to get them. In the first place, most violent criminals do not buy guns legally in the first place, they usually buy them from black market dealers. Second, the crime rate does not come from the availability of firearms but from the lack respect in today's society for other people's lives and property. Were guns make illegal, the same affect as de-legalizing narcotics and, in the 20's, alcohol had, absolutely nothing. Those individuals that wanted to get these things, would still get them without any trouble at all. In the March 1994 issue of the Atlantic Monthly, writer Daniel Polsby wrote this: During the 1960s and 1970s the robbery rate in the United States increased sixfold, and the murder rate doubled; the rate of handgun ownership nearly doubled in that period as well. Handguns and criminal violence grew together apace, and national opinion leaders did not fail to remark on that coincidence. It has now become the battle cry of the anti-gun lobbyist that increased gun ownership goes hand in hand with increased violence. This is however not true. Again, over population, disrespect, and greed are the main contributors to increased violence in today's society. Everyone knows that possessing a handgun makes it easier to intimidate, wound, or kill someone. But the implication of this point for social policy has not been so well understood. It is easy to count the bodies of those who have been killed or wounded with guns, but not easy to count the people who have avoided harm because they had access to weapons. Think about uniformed police officers, who carry handguns in plain view not in order to kill people but simply to daunt potential attackers. And it works. Criminals generally do not single out police

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