The Second Amendment Of The United States - 1472 Words

Gun Control The Second Amendment of the constitution of the United States was adopted on December 15, 1791. â€Å"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† (Gun Control Laws). There is controversy on the exact meaning of the Second Amendment. There is also a lot of controversy surrounding guns and gun laws, and what could be done to prevent gun violence and mass shootings in our country. There has to be a way to prevent gun violence, while still upholding the Second Amendment and protecting the rights of law abiding citizens who have the right to own and carry guns legally. So what was originally meant by the right to bear arms? The Second†¦show more content†¦Samuel Adams once said â€Å"The militia is composed of free citizens†. Other supporters contend that the term militia was â€Å"interchangeable with the terms ‘citizenry’ or ‘people’ at the time the Second Amendment was written†¦ it stands to reason that militia referred broadly to all men of voting age† (The Strange Syntax of the Second Amendment). In the 2008 case of District of Columbia vs. Heller, the right to bear arms was upheld by Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia. Scalia ruled stating â€Å"although the term implies the carrying of a weapon in order to attack or defend oneself from an attack, it in no way connotes participation in a structured military organization† (Syntax). Supporters of gun control want more laws put in place to control buying and selling of firearms. They don’t believe having responsible, law-abiding citizens with guns makes anyone more safe. It is our constitutional right as Americans to bear arms. I agree with the opponents of gun control in that they believe â€Å"gun violence is the fault of the perpetrators of violent deeds, not the guns themselves† (Gun Control Laws). The saying has been repeated millions of times: Guns don’t kill people, people kill people. Society benefits from firearms in the hands of the right people, the responsible citizens who obtain their weapons legally. One alternative to gun control is law enforcement trying to get unregistered weapons off the street,