We Must Have the Right to Keep and Bear Arms Essay -- argumentative, pe

Within the United States Constitution, amendments one through ten referred to as the â€Å"Bill of Rights† contains amendment two which reads 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† (States, 1789). Despite this amendment, gun control still remains one of the most highly-debated issues in the United States. While the Constitution clearly states our right â€Å"to keep and bear Arms†, the gun control lobbyists continue to challenge this right by using the media to convey misleading stories on how guns by themselves are the problem. By contrast, the real issues are not the guns but the people who use them. Therefore guns should not be used as a political patsy to avoid dealing directly with the real issues that prompt gun-related violence. After the incidents at Columbine and Virginia Tech., a typical emotional reaction would be to blindly demand a b an on all firearms or wish they never existed in the first place. Some may feel motivated to push for legislation that makes us feel like we are "doing something," but this may not accomplish anything, or worse, it could do more harm (Schools and Gun Violence, 2008). Therefore the problems with American society are not related to the possession of firearms, but rather an unraveling of ethics and morals. To preserve our civil liberty such as the right to keep and bear arms, our current laws must be enforced consistently. Adding additional restrictions on our civil liberties will only ensure that one day our rights will slowly erode away, until gone completely. Just as any restriction put on the right to petition the government for a redress of grievances can be viewed as a violation... ...amounts to nothing less than tyranny: an insult to the intelligence of the people. Gun control underestimates the ability of citizens to educate themselves in proper weapons storage and usage. Gun control places too much power in the hands of the government, which can so easily turn on the people. The American Constitution should rarely be tampered with; its Bill of Rights was written with wisdom and foresight. The right to keep and bear arms is immutable. Works Cited Association, N. R. (2010). Issues. Retrieved June 11, 2011, from NRA: http://home.nra.org/#/ila Schools and Gun Violence. (2008, June 29). Retrieved June 11, 2011, from GunSite: http://guncite.com/gun_control_gcgvscho.html States, C. o. (1789, March 4). Bill of rights. Retrieved June 11, 2011, from http://www.archives.gov: http://archives.gov/exhibits/charters/bill_of_rights_transcript.html