Introduction
The Constitution of the United States has gone through several amendments over the years. It has been reviewed to make the document relevant and fair in the current times. The first amendment of the constitutions contains several rights for individuals and institutions. Individuals have the right to exercise their religion and speech. When it comes to religion, there is a separation between the State and Religion to avoid either of the parties interfering in the other parties’ decisions and activities. The people have the right to assemble and do their activities. There is the freedom of the press in the first amendment (Anastaplio, 1995 p.135).
The press are able to report news of any nature and protect the sources of their information. They do not want any individual or organization that gave them information victimized. In the second amendment, the people have the right to keep and bear arms. The guns may be unrelated to the individual’s service in the military. An individual is allowed to bear arms for traditional purposes and his own protection or self-defence in the home.
Gun Control Debates
On matters of gun control, there have been high incidences of homicide in the United States. It has therefore been argued that it is related to the fact that the country has the highest number of guns in the world. It is therefore reasonable to argue that more guns mean more deaths while fewer guns mean fewer deaths. This argument has been criticized however because there are countries such as Germany where guns are allowed which have lower rates of homicide that a country such as Luxemburg which has high homicide rates yet handguns are banned with restricted ownership of guns (Mauser & Kates, 2003).
The other criticism is that being a criminal is brought about by a combination of social factors. Ordinary citizens do not kill. They use the guns for the intended purpose. They do not misuse them. It is individuals who usually have a history of criminal activity of rape, robbery and violence.
Freedom of Press Debates
The press through the First Amendment have the right to protect the source of their information. However in the recent years, there have been debates on this right when it comes to criminal cases. There are times the federal government takes the journalist to court to reveal the identity of the source as the information can help in the investigations. It is therefore argued that the administration of justice is more important than the freedom of the press.
The State and Religion
There have been arguments in the area of religion. There are the Separationists who believe that the government should not involve itself in religion at all. It should not promote or favour religious activities in school even if there is no specific inclination towards a certain religion. They do not want people exposed to religious activities in the course of their work or school life. Neither do they want the government using tax money to promote any religious activities.
This view led to the banning of prayer in schools which led to a lot of heated debates. On the other hand there are the accomodationists who believe that the majority religion should be allowed to organise school prayer. It is also not wrong for the government to fund religious activities. They argue that the first amendment only bans the establishment of a State Church.
References
Anastaplio, G. (1995). Amendments to the Constitution: A Commentary. United States: John
Hopkins University Press.
Mauser, G. & Kates, D. (2003).Would Banning Firearms Reduce Murder and Suicide? A
Review Of International and Some Domestic Evidence. Harvard Journal of Law and Public Policy, 30, 649-694
