The Second Amendment of the United States Constitution and Gun Control

At the point when a nation with under five percent of the total populace has nearly half of the world’s exclusive weapons and makes up almost 33% of the world’s mass shootings, the time has come to quit saying firearms make us more secure (DaShanne Stokes). The Second Amendment of the United States Constitution states that citizens have the right to own guns. Americans purchase weapons for numerous reasons, for instance, to secure themselves, to chase creatures, or just to fulfill their craving of owning a firearm. Yet as of late, the matter of individuals conveying firearms is turning into an issue. As such, the modification of the Second Amendment will impact the American society because only law enforcement officers will have the authority to own guns, there will be a reduction in violent crimes, and a de-escalation of the homicidal rate.

First, the modification of the Second Amendment will impact the American society because only law enforcement officers will have the authority to own guns. The United States of America has one of the largest number of privately-owned guns, and therefore it has one of the highest crime rates. According to the Violence Policy Center, in 2014 there were 224 justifiable manslaughters involving a private resident utilizing a gun. That same year, for each legitimate murder in the United States involving a weapon, firearms were used in 34 criminal manslaughters. Furthermore, for the five-year time frame 2010 through 2014, there were just 1,125 reasonable manslaughters involving a firearm. The Violence Policy Center likewise discovered that in 2010 there were only 230 justifiable homicides involving a private citizen using a firearm (qtd. in Lapidos, 2013). However, during that same year the number of criminal firearm murders amounted to 8,275. Additionally, information from the National Crime Victimization Survey recommends that a weapon is utilized in self-preservation around 60,000 to 120,000 times every year (Stray, 2013). This implies that weapons are more likely to be used for a crime than for self-defense. If guns get into the wrong hands it will cause more harm than good. Guns are the most lethal form of a weapon as such, many persons use them for the wrong reasons. Law enforcement officers will promote more responsible gun behavior than private citizens. Therefore, law enforcement officers should be the only persons with the consent to operate firearms.

Additionally, the modification of the Second Amendment will impact the American society because there will be a reduction in violent crimes. In the United States of America, many individuals succumb to their deaths due to violent crimes caused by firearms. Among these individuals are mostly women and children. As reported by Everytown Research, around three million American kids observe weapon savagery consistently. Guns are the second major reason for death of American youngsters and teenagers, and the main reason for death of Black kids and adolescents. In addition, about 1,600 kids and teenagers die due to weapon manslaughter. For kids younger than age 13, these firearm manslaughters take place mostly in the home, and are frequently associated with local or family brutality. Typically, 47 kids and adolescents are shot in homicides, ambushes, suicides, accidental shootings, and police intercession. Eight youngsters and adolescents die from firearm violence: 4 are killed, 3 lose their lives due to suicide, and 1 is killed unintentionally. Additionally, every day 39 kids and teenagers are shot and survive: 31 are harmed in an attack, 1 endures a suicide attempt, and 7 are accidentally shot (The Brady Campaign). That is to say, children are at high risk of violent crimes caused by firearms. Children are more likely to die if there is a firearm present. As such, there needs to be some sort of firearm regulation so that these children can be protected.

Women are also at a high risk of experiencing violent crimes in the home. Access to a firearm in an abusive behavior at home makes it multiple times almost certain that a lady will be killed. Almost one million ladies alive today have been shot or shot at, by a closely acquainted partner. Additionally, approximately 4.5 million American ladies alive today have been compromised with a weapon by a close partner (Everytown Research). In other words, if firearms are present in the home the likelihood of a woman dying is extremely high. Thus, the Second Amendment needs to be modified since a majority of Americans do not promote responsible gun behavior.

The number of guns being used in violent crimes has been increasing rapidly over the past years. The quantity of gun manslaughters expanded from 400,000 to 600,000 during 2011. Furthermore, in 2011, an aggregate of 478,400 deadly and nonfatal brutal violations were executed with a gun (Planty and Truman, 2013). As indicated by the National Crime Victimization Survey, 467,321 people were casualties of a wrongdoing carried out with a gun in 2011. Around the same time, information gathered by the FBI demonstrates that guns were utilized in 68 percent of killings, 41 percent of burglary offenses, and 21 percent of ambushes across the nation (National Institute of Justice). Thus, the study proves that places with more weapons have more violent crimes occurring. Guns are easily obtained in today’s world and this puts everyone at risk. As a result, gun control laws need to be passed to ensure everyone’s safety.

Finally, the modification of the Second Amendment will impact the American society because there will be a de-escalation of the homicidal rate. Firearm viciousness shapes the lives of a large number of Americans who witness it, know somebody who has been shot, or live in terror of a next shooting. According to Everytown Research, 96 Americans are murdered with weapons and hundreds more are shot and harmed. The study also shows that the U.S. weapon murder rate is multiple times that of other high-pay nations. As such, 33% of firearm passings are homicides. Most murders in the United States are executed with guns, particularly handguns. In 2015, guns killed more than 36,000 Americans and injured nearly 85,000 leaving an untold number of lives traumatized and communities shattered (Violence Policy Center). America has a manslaughter rate of 4.7 killings per 100,000 individuals, which is one of the most astounding of every created nation (Stray, 2013). Be that as it may, the colossal number of weapons available for use is one of the reasons that makes America has one of the highest number of homicide rates. If access to guns are not reduced the homicide rate will continue to increase.

The access to guns has also led to church shootings. At the First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs, Texas, somewhere around 26 individuals were killed, and 20 harmed when Devin Patrick Kelley opened fire at the church. The shooter was outfitted with a Ruger military-style rifle, and within minutes, a large number of those inside the church were either dead or injured. The casualties that took place have led to it becoming the most exceedingly terrible mass shooting in the state’s history (Ponniah and Walker, 2017). The commonness of firearms can make persons do unthinkable evil to others. Having unlimited access to firearms will eventually lead to people getting into conflicts and killing each other.

There are many school shooting which are claiming the lives of multiple individuals in America’s society. On February 14, 2018 Nicholas Cruz opened fire on the Stoneman Douglas High school in Florida. The shooter executed 12 individuals inside the school and three outside, including somebody standing on a road corner. Also, two more exploited people succumbed to their wounds in neighborhood healing centers. The result at the school was a spooky place of worship, with seats overturned, a PC screen broke with projectile openings, and floors recolored with blood. In the end, the suspect left 17 persons dead (Burch and Mazzei, 2018). These school shootings are causing many persons, especially children to lose their lives. As such, we need to protect the younger generation, as they are the future. To do this we need to reduce access to guns, which will in turn reduce America’s homicide rate.

There are opponents that will draw a reference to the constitutional rights- Right to Bear Arms. The right to keep and bear arms is a controversial topic and in this day and age is quite arguable. These opponents might say the right to bear arms assures Americans that they will be able to protect themselves, should the need arise. They might also say the Second Amendment gives them the right to own guns therefore, this right cannot be taken away. However, why would you want a gun if you are only using it to hurt people? Having the right to bear arms increases our irresponsible gun behavior. Guns can get into the wrong hands like a curious child who wants to explore. As such, accidents can and do happen where the child can get injured or even dies. For a teenager, guns can be dangerous as we are living in an era where if teens have an altercation with each other, instead of talking it over, they pick up a gun and open fire on their schoolmates and in some cases themselves. Aside from that, a gun can be an extremely unsafe tool to all the persons who have it in their possession when they are under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

In conclusion, the alteration of the Second Amendment will affect the American culture in light of the fact that just law enforcement officers will have the ability to own weapons, there will be a decrease in the number of vicious offenses, and homicides. In this day and age individuals use guns as if they are toys. Owning a gun or guns is not wrong, but the perception of guns back in the days and now are totally different. If guns become less available to citizens the number of violent crimes and the homicide rate in our country will decrease. Children and women will also be much safer in their own homes, and they will not have to live in fear of being killed. The number of school shootings taking pace has also been growing rapidly. If access to guns are reduced the possibility of a school shooting taking place will be very low. This shows that if guns are used in a good way it can save lives, but if it is used in a bad way it can destroy lives. While there is a need for protection, there needs to be some modification to the gun laws. With all the crime and violence that society is being faced with, there is a high demand to ensure that guns do not end up in the wrong hands.

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