At the time it was ratified in 1791, the Second Amendment was intended to have at least two security purposes other than a well regulated militia. The first purpose which was a position taken by Thomas Jefferson was the “a practical purpose”. The practical purpose was to protect people from thieves, bandits, Native Americans and slave uprisings. The second purpose was a position that was taken by Alexander Hamilton and James Madison which was known as the “political purpose”. The political purpose was…
“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” (source 4). The second amendment is most important because it allows the people to intervene if the government is performing tyranny. If we the people were deprived of this right that means that we would be giving up our freedom to fight against…
The second amendment is our personal right to own and bear arms. People want to get rid of the second amendment because they blame guns for the crime rate and the murders and etc. There is a debate about keeping it or getting rid of it.…
According to Steve Rusiecki (A local police officer in his area). In this process, Richard talks about the Second Amendment, which is 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 the reasons for the second amendment. The Founding Fathers included this in our Bill of Rights because they feared that the Federal Government might oppress the population if the people did not have the means to defend themselves as a nation and as individuals.…
“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.” (Beck 35). These words are second among the ten basic rights that are listed in the Bill of Rights, following only freedom of speech, religion, and expression. These twenty-seven words are arguably the most powerful, but also the most debated. Within the construction of the Second Amendment the “Militia” is specifically mentioned in the preamble. Many of those who advocate…
Those against gun control believe in these private protections. The Framers weren't able to predict everything the future would hold including the rapid growth in crime and violence. James Madison, who wrote the Constitution believed in the freedom and liberty of the individual, he discusses the advantages the private individual in America contained at the time with the right to bear arms compared to the many individuals of the nations in Europe. With the increase in violence and crime within the United States today the beliefs of James Madison and the framers become even stronger. In District of Columbia v. Heller (2008) the court recognizes that the government can regulate gun rights but that the Second Amendment does establish an individual right to bear arms. The Court said its decision should not be interpreted to question the right of government to: prohibit felons and the mentally ill from owning weapons, prohibit guns in schools or public buildings, ban certain categories of guns not commonly used for self-defense, and to establish certain other conditions on gun ownership. Thus, the Washington D.C. gun ban was overturned just as many other cities have done since then. If we eliminate this right to bear arms then we…
The Second Amendment has been one of the most controversial topics that America faces today. The Second Amendment of the United States Constitution 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" (LII). Under the constitution, you are able to own guns but there has been many restrictions and Acts that control your rights to a minimum. Gun rights reforms are how the Acts and certain limitations are made. These reforms are made to help lower the dangers of these weapons and allow for higher protection. The Second Amendment and Gun Rights should be adapted to today’s society along with certain past events to allow citizens to bear arms publicly. In multiple scenarios, these past event may have been avoided if gun control was open to more eligible citizens.…
To better understand why the language of the 2nd amendment was used in such a way at to regarding arming individuals and maintaining militias, it’s necessary to understand the history of the people who wrote it. A foundation of political thought during the Revolutionary period was the well justified concern about political corruption and governmental tyranny. The right to bear arms was a potential check against tyranny. According to Sandra Alters in her book Gun Control: Restricting Rights or Protecting People, “without guns in the hands of the early patriots, the fledgling republic might have quickly turned tyrannical, disarmed the people at…
The Second Amendment has brought up major arguments in American politics ever since 1876. Was it meant to insure that people in general have arms for personal safety, or was it to insure arms for the military service only? Gun control in America has its pros and cons, but the nation needs to decide which way the government goes on this topic because more school shootings will occur and terrorists can still get there hands on them.…
The Second Amendment 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." Proponents of more gun control interpret it as being meant for the militia and that the gun laws should be stricter for the average American citizen or ban guns altogether. However, opponents of more gun control believe that the amendment is protecting an individual’s rights right to own guns and protect themselves. However, gun control laws do not deter crime; gun ownership deters crime. Guns will still exist even if it’s not legal for civilians to own them because there is always a way for criminals to get a hold of them, it has been proven in history, and don’t prevent gun related deaths.…
On one hand, some people believe that the wording “the right of people to keep and bear arms” creates the constitutional right for individuals to possess firearms. On the other hand, some believe that the use of “a well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free state” only inhibits Congress from enacting legislation that limits a state’s right to self-defense. Clearly, the Second Amendment does grant citizens the right to bear arms, but many people have began to question this due to the increasing gun violence in the…
James Madison originally first proposed the Second Amendment on June 8, 1789 saying “The right of the people to keep and bear...arms shall not be infringed. A well regulated militia, composed of the body of the people, trained to arms, is the best and most natural defense of a free country...." (James Madison, I Annals of Congress).Then later on December 15, 1791 it would be adopted into the U.S. Constitution. There are actually two different version of the amendment, the only difference are the punctuation and capitalization. And, till this day the amendment has stuck by our constitution, and has become a very controversial topic lately. As many can see even today we still talk about the Second Amendment and what it really means or what is intended to mean. But, people don’t fully know each key phrase to the amendment itself, which actually are very in depth and have a lot of explanation behind the few words.…
Thousands even cling to the idea that guns provide safety, while citing the second amendment. But that safety they speak of does elude us as a society which guns are the threat to that safety. Also, I feel that the second amendment is also being taken out of context regarding the issue of gun control. The text of the 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” (U.S. Const. amend. II). Society must remember that this amendment was written over 200 years ago, when the United States was a brand-new country without a standing army to defend themselves. Today the United States does have a standing army, navy, air force, and police forces, so we as a country do not need a militia to defend. But even with this amendment gun controls still won’t take away the rights of people to buy a firearm, sell, and…
The second Amendment to the U.S. 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.” The Founding Fathers included this in our Bill of Rights because they feared the Federal Government might oppress the population if the people did not have the means to defend themselves as a nation and as individuals. (Halbrook 65-84)…
The second amendment states “A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right to the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed.” To an average person this means that anyone at anytime should be able to possess a gun without being questioned. However, if you interpret the amendment based on vocabulary I believe this means that a trained group of people who have the countries best interest at hand to protect are the one protected under the constitution. Today there is a lot of debate about control and whether or not people should be aloud to have guns.…