The Second Amendment

Ahhh, the Second Amendment to our constitution.  Is it just a lobby for the unsecure to hold firearms in the protection of such a new and feeble nation or is it a means in which the government gave the people the right to be able to protect themselves, not only from other possible encroachments of other citizens, but of the government, and other governments alike?  I think the answer is yes.  Although there is no real correlation in the fact that gun ownership causes a country to be safer it does provide the individual with a sense of personal security.  Along the same lines we can see that the possession of firearms is not just related to security.  In a country still rich in the fruits of naturally occuring prey and "game" animals the ability to hunt those is considered to be a human right.  In countries where wildlife is absent the idea of possessing firearms is one of ill consideration.  I believe that the possession of arms, firearms, and other weapons is similar to that of any other property that individuals can have and maintain.

Article for consideration

FBI Report: Gun Ownership Is Up, Violent Crime Is Down

September 20, 2010 by Personal Liberty News Desk

Political debate over hot-button issues has escalated as the midterm elections draw near, and a candidate's position on gun control can go a long way in deciding his or her fate in November.
Opponents of gun control legislation have new fodder in their efforts to uphold the Second Amendment following the FBI's report that violent crime in the United States has declined for the third straight year. The bureau revealed that, despite rising trends in gun sales and more citizens carrying firearms for personal protection, crime rates are down across the board.
Incidents of murder dropped approximately 7 percent from 2008 to 2009, while robberies fell 8 percent and aggravated assault dropped by 4 percent.
"[The gun ban lobby's] predictions that America's streets would run red have been shown up as a fraudulent sales pitch for public disarmament," said Alan Gottlieb, chairman of the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms.
Proponents of the Second Amendment scored a major victory in June when the Supreme Court affirmed the fundamental right to bear arms, The Washington Post reported. The ruling, however, did not strike down any existing gun control laws or specify what kind of laws would violate the Constitution.

Reaction
This is a recent article obviously but one that has a lot of culmination in not only the news media over the course of several decades but also in politics as the deciding vote of the masses could hinge on issues such as gun control.  The article states that the FBI has acquired statistics that point to the fact that although gun sales are up and on the rise, crime is actually down in contrast.  One might think that the downturn of the economy and increase of gun sales would show an increase in crime, but it did not.  What is the cause here?  Is it the fact that criminals are now not the only ones who possess guns and are willing to use them?  The fact that several states and various other municipalities are passing laws allowing citizens to carry firearms legally might have something to do with it.  It could also be that although certain measures have been put into place to control the sale of firearms, these measures might have just put them into the right hands.  No longer can you buy ammo and a gun at the same time in a Wal-Mart, is this a cause??  In total I believe that this article shows that the fact that Americans have the right and ability to own guns does not preclude them to the need of massive regulation in fear of increased violent crimes.

Video Clip

Reaction

Although this is a simple parody done by the lovable Simpsons, the idea is sound, or at least that is what the anit-gun lobbyists would want you to think.  The idea of the background check is one rooted in preventing acts like this from happening.  The angry person, loading up on weapons and then going on a shooting spree against the opposition.  Agreed this is something that might happen, and all be it could happen in a world in which guns and their proclivity abound.  The point that I always would like to make on this is the fact that obviously someone either did not properly educate this person on the lethality and potential hazards of a gun, or they are of low moral character to think that shooting someone to solve a problem is okay.  So should we stop selling weapons all together because of a few, no, should we allow criminals to acquire guns, no, but should we make the acquiring of a firearm the same hindrance for everyone, of course, because this will weed out those potential people who should not own them.  Everyone should have the right to own a gun if they want, until the time when it is that they lose that right for something that they themselves did.

This is just a funny video from Terminator, I especially think it is hilarious that all of these weapons were available for sale during the 80's and that the shop keeper says that any one of these guns is "ideal" for home defense!!  Having an affinity for weapons as a child I wanted an Uzi and my parents took me to a local gun store when I lived in Las Vegas.  I asked to see one, was allowed to hold and "play" with it, but not allowed to purchase due to my age, about 6 or 7 at the time, hahahaha.  Anyways the shop keep of the store took the time to teach me how to hold the gun and point it in a safe direction while I played.  Responsibility of my parents and shop keeper, yes since it taught me I couldn't purchase the gun until I was 18, and taught me a little air of responsibility.  As I grew up I attended several "gun classes" such as the Missouri Conservation program for junior hunters, several Boy Scout classes, etc.  All of these advocate not only gun safety, but RESPONSIBILITY as well.  This is what we have to look at more so than banning guns all together, otherwise how is it we can protect ourselves against potential "domestic" enemies??