dredwinggirl13
Member
Here is my essay that I used a lot of YOUR information to write. thanks so much for all of it, and if anyone has anything I could add, or something I should take out, or if I said something wrong or rediculous, let me know!
Picture this: It’s 1776, and you and your fellow country men have had it up to your foreheads with the way your country is being run. Your tyrannical king has imposed unfair taxes on you without representation in the government, forced you to house troops that are working against you, and has made it illegal to do anything about it. That’s just to name a few grievances of the colonial men. So what do you do? You declare a Revolutionary War, because when government is governing without the consent of the governed, the people should have every right, and even an obligation, to rebel, according to one of our founding fathers, John Locke. Flash forward to 1787, when the Constitution was ratified by all states, giving a basis for the structure of our government, and rights to the people, including the Second Amendment; the right to keep and bear arms. Since that time, there have been many laws and acts passed that seem to infringe that right, such as the National Firearms Act of 1939, the Gun Control Act of 1968, and the Assault Weapons Ban passed in late 1994. Our Second Amendment has many purposes, making it incredibly important to our nation, and it is not to be tampered with.
When our founding fathers wrote the Constitution and Bill of Rights, they had a particular purpose for the Second Amendment. The reason for their rebellion was their unfair treatment by their own government. King George III made it illegal for anyone to bear arms against parliament, or oppose the government in any fashion. Our founding fathers were not about to let our developing country become what they so desperately struggled--and almost failed-- to get away from. The Second Amendment allows the people to rise up against the government in times of tyranny, and puts the government at the will of the people, not vice versa. Thomas Jefferson wrote “It is [the peoples’] right and duty to be at all times armed.” Also, former Supreme Court Justice Joseph Story, appointed by James Madison, wrote, “The right of the citizens to keep and bear arms has justly been considered as the palladium of the liberties of a republic; since it offers a strong moral check against the usurpation and arbitrary power of rulers; and will generally, even if these are successful in the first instance, enable the people to resist and triumph over them.” The Second Amendment is crucial to our nation if we expect to keep and exercise all of our other inalienable rights.
Many people think that a break-in, robbery, or other violent crime will never happen to them. True, it may not, but what if did? How could you defend yourself against a criminal, most likely armed, especially if you are a smaller person, woman, or an elderly or disabled citizen? By exercising your Second Amendment right, you stand a much better chance against an assailant. Criminals prey on the weak. They would most likely never try to commit a crime against a person who they knew owned and carried a firearm. Statistics can even prove that. According to “Morgan Quitno Press: State and City Ranking Publications,” Vermont has been ranked within the top five from 1994 to 2003 for the state with the lowest crime rate. Maine also falls within this category, as well as Montana, Idaho, and Wyoming being in the top ten. These states are also “open carry” states, according to www.opencarry.org, meaning that residents may open carry with or without a license, depending on the state’s jurisdiction. Washington DC, where guns are pretty much banned altogether, has an overall crime rate of 1,371.2 per 100,000 inhabitants, while Vermont has an overall rate of 112 per 100,000 inhabitants, according to www.infoplease.com. Apparently, guns help bring down crime rates. They are major deterrents for criminals and attacks on innocent citizens. These are just some of the many statistics that help prove another reason why our Second Amendment is so important to the people in our nation.
I can tell you from personal experience that shooting firearms is a fun and enjoyable experience. I know several people who make firearm sports a major event in their family. It is a sport that many people engage in, and there is a plethora of activities that people use firearms for, including hunting, target shooting, and skeet shooting. According to www.amfire.com, updated in
2007, 30-35 million Americans own firearms, and there are 15,343,300 paid hunting license holders, bringing in a total revenue of $525,753,481 for conservation. According to www.nra.org, there are millions of paid members, covering a diverse range of people of all ages, sexes, races, and religions. Through the National Rifle Association, those same millions of people participate in a variety of shooting activities. Millions of people use firearms for recreation as well as serious competition. In America, the Second Amendment protects a way of life for many citizens.
Our founding fathers knew what they were doing they created the Bill of Rights to our Constitution. Whether or not they knew the other effects that would come along with the Second Amendment than originally intended doesn’t matter. What does matter is that we have the ability to exercise our rights, and it allows Americans to feel safe, not only from criminals, but our own government, and gives many of us a hobby, or even a career. The Second Amendment is necessary for the survival of our country as a democratic republic, the people in it, and certain ways of life, and must not be infringed.
Picture this: It’s 1776, and you and your fellow country men have had it up to your foreheads with the way your country is being run. Your tyrannical king has imposed unfair taxes on you without representation in the government, forced you to house troops that are working against you, and has made it illegal to do anything about it. That’s just to name a few grievances of the colonial men. So what do you do? You declare a Revolutionary War, because when government is governing without the consent of the governed, the people should have every right, and even an obligation, to rebel, according to one of our founding fathers, John Locke. Flash forward to 1787, when the Constitution was ratified by all states, giving a basis for the structure of our government, and rights to the people, including the Second Amendment; the right to keep and bear arms. Since that time, there have been many laws and acts passed that seem to infringe that right, such as the National Firearms Act of 1939, the Gun Control Act of 1968, and the Assault Weapons Ban passed in late 1994. Our Second Amendment has many purposes, making it incredibly important to our nation, and it is not to be tampered with.
When our founding fathers wrote the Constitution and Bill of Rights, they had a particular purpose for the Second Amendment. The reason for their rebellion was their unfair treatment by their own government. King George III made it illegal for anyone to bear arms against parliament, or oppose the government in any fashion. Our founding fathers were not about to let our developing country become what they so desperately struggled--and almost failed-- to get away from. The Second Amendment allows the people to rise up against the government in times of tyranny, and puts the government at the will of the people, not vice versa. Thomas Jefferson wrote “It is [the peoples’] right and duty to be at all times armed.” Also, former Supreme Court Justice Joseph Story, appointed by James Madison, wrote, “The right of the citizens to keep and bear arms has justly been considered as the palladium of the liberties of a republic; since it offers a strong moral check against the usurpation and arbitrary power of rulers; and will generally, even if these are successful in the first instance, enable the people to resist and triumph over them.” The Second Amendment is crucial to our nation if we expect to keep and exercise all of our other inalienable rights.
Many people think that a break-in, robbery, or other violent crime will never happen to them. True, it may not, but what if did? How could you defend yourself against a criminal, most likely armed, especially if you are a smaller person, woman, or an elderly or disabled citizen? By exercising your Second Amendment right, you stand a much better chance against an assailant. Criminals prey on the weak. They would most likely never try to commit a crime against a person who they knew owned and carried a firearm. Statistics can even prove that. According to “Morgan Quitno Press: State and City Ranking Publications,” Vermont has been ranked within the top five from 1994 to 2003 for the state with the lowest crime rate. Maine also falls within this category, as well as Montana, Idaho, and Wyoming being in the top ten. These states are also “open carry” states, according to www.opencarry.org, meaning that residents may open carry with or without a license, depending on the state’s jurisdiction. Washington DC, where guns are pretty much banned altogether, has an overall crime rate of 1,371.2 per 100,000 inhabitants, while Vermont has an overall rate of 112 per 100,000 inhabitants, according to www.infoplease.com. Apparently, guns help bring down crime rates. They are major deterrents for criminals and attacks on innocent citizens. These are just some of the many statistics that help prove another reason why our Second Amendment is so important to the people in our nation.
I can tell you from personal experience that shooting firearms is a fun and enjoyable experience. I know several people who make firearm sports a major event in their family. It is a sport that many people engage in, and there is a plethora of activities that people use firearms for, including hunting, target shooting, and skeet shooting. According to www.amfire.com, updated in
2007, 30-35 million Americans own firearms, and there are 15,343,300 paid hunting license holders, bringing in a total revenue of $525,753,481 for conservation. According to www.nra.org, there are millions of paid members, covering a diverse range of people of all ages, sexes, races, and religions. Through the National Rifle Association, those same millions of people participate in a variety of shooting activities. Millions of people use firearms for recreation as well as serious competition. In America, the Second Amendment protects a way of life for many citizens.
Our founding fathers knew what they were doing they created the Bill of Rights to our Constitution. Whether or not they knew the other effects that would come along with the Second Amendment than originally intended doesn’t matter. What does matter is that we have the ability to exercise our rights, and it allows Americans to feel safe, not only from criminals, but our own government, and gives many of us a hobby, or even a career. The Second Amendment is necessary for the survival of our country as a democratic republic, the people in it, and certain ways of life, and must not be infringed.
