After independence from England, thirteen states came into being from the thirteen colonies. The states devised a way they could be able to work as one. In this system, the state government had more power and the national government was weak compared to when the King was running it during the colonial period. This system made the nation weak and they opted to form a system of government. They wrote a document called the constitution to replace the Articles of consideration. The bill of rights protected the individuals against oppression by the government.
Gun crimes have been on the rise in the America and from the statistics, many people lose their lives every second by bullets from their assailants. The second Amendment allows the U.S. citizens the right to bear firearms. The law ratification was in December 1791 .This gave more power to state militias. The ratification of the constitution was a compromise between federalists that supported the constitution and the anti-federalists that did not support the constitution.
Since the ratification of the constitution, the people of America have been over the meaning of the amendment and its interpretation. One side says it provides for the collective rights while the other opposing side says it provides for the individual rights. This interpretation from the two groups has been ongoing. The collective side says that the amendment gives each state a right to train and maintain its militia to provide protection against the federal oppressive government. The militias consist of civilians but acted as soldiers occasionally. They say that the clause “well-regulated militia” means that only militia should have the right to handle arms. The purpose of the clause is to protect the states to maintain organized and formal militia units. It is a bar to federal action not the state or private. The on the opposition argue and believe that the amendment gives every citizen a right to bear firearms that they can use to protect themselves when they are in danger. These opposite views on gun control have been shaping the country`s debate on the issue.
This debate has been ongoing in the public but it is the Supreme Court’s opinion that matters the most. The Supreme Court has handled cases in the past for example Presser vs. Illinois. It said that the second Amendment restricted the federal government from banning guns and not the states. The Supreme Court has said little on the issue of gun control. During the 113th congress, a renewed interest emerged that sought gun control legislation. President Obama on January 2013 announced his support on ban of certain weapons and other ammunition devices. The gun control Act of 1968 established classes of individuals not allowed shipping, transporting, possessing and receiving a firearm (Spitzer, 2009). The individuals included fugitives from justice, unlawful users of drugs, persons convicted of crime, persons determined to be mentally defective, individuals discharged from the armed forces and aliens illegally in the U.S. the background checks are important to ensure that no person gets the gun and they are aliens.
The founding fathers of America knew that it would be ineffective to control other issues from the central government. When an individual state makes the ban on assault weapons, it will do so after considering their needs for doing so. The second Amendment allows individuals to have firearms for self-defense purpose at home. The crimes with firearms according to the FBI crime report indicate that the number of deaths has increased and a survey conducted in January 2013 shows that 55 percent of people support the ban on the assault firearms.
The young adults killed every now and then can stop by ensuring that every state has laws governing the issue of Assault weapons. This can happen if the leaders and every citizen become conscious of security matters. The citizens should not own the assault weapons. The assault weapons are not safe in the hands of the citizen because of the damage they cause when used (Carter, 2006). The military can use the assault weapons to prevent the nation against external aggression. Every citizen has a role to play when it comes to security of the country. Security begins with the individual and progresses at the national level. Through the implementation of the assault firearm ban the safety and security of the citizens can improve. The safety of the citizens ensures that day-to-day activities will move on well and the economy of the country will run well.
References
Carter, G. L. (2006). Gun Control in the United States: A Reference Handbook. Santa Barbara: ABC-CLIO.
Spitzer, R. J. (2009). Gun control: A documentary and reference guide. Westport, Conn: Greenwood Press.
