“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” (O 'Connor & Sabato, 2008). That is the second amendment found in our U.S Constitution. According to the second ammendment the people have the right to keep and bear arms. Is this a right that everyone is given, and if so can this right be taken away? The question of gun control is one that has been highly debated since the founding of this country. Each year brings along new lawsuits challenging the validity of laws that restrict the rights of individuals to own guns. Each year also brings along another tragedy that involves the use of guns. Thoughts of the shootings at Columbine High School and at Virginia Tech come to mind very quickly when the discussion of guns and gun control is started. There are two passionate sides to this argument. The extreme side for gun control will have you believe that guns are evil, and that the second ammendment is outdated and does not apply to individual gun ownership. The extreme side of pro guns will have you believe that it is every persons right, guranteed by the second ammendment, to own a gun. In this paper we will discuss the extreme sides, but we will really take a more in depth look at the groups in the middle. These groups are just as passionate yet a lot more reasonable. It is important that we look at all sides of this argument reasonably and logically. If we are able to do so we will see that we do need stronger gun control in our country. The gun control system we have in our country is inadequeate and not strong enough for the number of people and the number of guns in the country. By stronger I mean we need to enforce the laws already in place, and punish violent criminals more severly then we do so now. A complete revamping of gun control in America is not required, just better execution of the laws already in place, and stricter punishment
References: Anonymous. (2010, Aug 18). Rules vary wildly between D.C., West . Washington Post . Anonymous. (2001, Jan/Feb). The Brady Law Reviewed. Society , p. 4. Barnes, R. (2008, June 27). Washintonpost.com. Retrieved Dec 05, 2008, from Justices Reject D.C Ban on Handgun Ownership: www.washintonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/06/26/ar2008062600615.html Downey, M. (2008, June 15). OUR OPINION: Every three hours, more tragedy: Report shows guns, kids an increasingly lethal mix. The Atlanta Journal - Constitution , p. B6. ELIGON, J. (2009, Aug 20). Burress Will Receive 2-Year Prison Sentence . New York Times . Jacobs, J. B. (1995, Fall). Keeping guns out of the "wrong" hands: The Brady law and the limits of regulation. Journal of Criminal Law & Criminology , p. 93. Nyack. (2008, Spring). Gun Violence: Why Are We Shocked? . Fellowship , pp. 38-39. O 'Connor, K., & Sabato, L. J. (2008). American Government: Continuity and change (alternate ed). New York: Pearson Longman. Press, T. A. (2005, March 25). Arm teachers, NRA official suggests. Retrieved August 21, 2010, from MSNBC.com: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/7297575/ Simmons, A. (2010, Aug 23). 'Straw ' gun buyers leave a bloody trail: Authorities are cracking down on those who buy guns for criminals who can 't. Experts say "gray market" supplies 90 percent of guns used in crimes. McClatchy - Tribune Business News .