Protect Yourself, Protect Your Rights: Keep a Gun Close By

Adam

Com 101-201
Persuasive Essay
23 September 2014 Should Americans have the right to own a gun? The second amendment says so! One should be able to practice the second amendment, participate in gun recreation and most importantly protect oneself. America should be able to exercise their constitutional right to own a gun. Laws placing restrictions on firearm ownership and use do not necessarily stop the crime or protect individuals. Turn on the news right now. Americans are inundated with examples every day about innocent citizens that fall victim to a gunshot wound because they were unarmed and not able to defend themselves. Additionally, owning a gun gives Americans the choice to engage in recreational activities such as hunting, target shooting, or gun collecting. Is it fair that a father cannot provide a meal for his family or enjoy a hunting trip with his children? Gun ownership also gives Americans the ability to protect themselves and their precious loved ones from falling victims of heinous crimes. One possesses a gun for the purpose of self-defense. The right to bear arms is a crucial element of belonging to the United States of America. Putting more guns into the hands of law abiding Americans because the government gives citizens that right, prevents citizens from being victims and gives them the freedom to participate in gun recreational sports or activities of their choice.
The United States of America’s second amendment guaranteeing citizen’s rights to legally bear arms, must not be infringed. The second amendment is no different than any of the other protections listed in the bill of rights. Citizens should not need a government issued consent form rather, they should be able to carry a gun as a matter of right. As Thomas Jefferson wrote to his nephew Peter Carr in 1785, “A strong body makes the mind strong. As to the species of exercises, I advise the gun. While this gives a moderate exercise to the body, it gives boldness, enterprise, and independence to the mind….” (Ablow). Establishing freedoms was so important to the forefathers, that they were willing to fight and give their lives while preserving those
Kanoski 2 constitutional rights. According to Bruce Parker, “In an apparent violation of the second amendment a growing number of states are on track to end federal gun control once and for all” (Parker). Parker, a graduate of Louisiana State University, has specialized in business and state laws for fifteen years. The state of Kansas felt maintaining the second amendment right to bear arms was so important, that on April 16, 2013, Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback signed SB102 making Kansas the first state to outlaw federal gun control. The bill, titled “The Second Amendment Protection Act,” declared federal gun regulations “void and unenforceable in the state,” and it prohibited state and local officials from enforcing any law, order, or treaty of the United States with regard to guns and ammunition” (Parker). Subsequently, states across the country stood by Kanas by advancing their own versions of the Second Amendment Protection Act. According to StandWithKansas, a grassroots website that tracks the push by states to end federal gun control, approximately 30 states introduced versions of the Second Amendment Protection Act in 2013. The model bill listed on the site — which was formulated by the Tenth Amendment Center, a group of lawyers who advocate for protecting all constitutional rights, and subsequently endorsed by Gun Owners of America — prohibits state officials and agencies from enforcing federal gun control regulations (Parker). The 2014 legislative branches of Ohio, Virginia, and Missouri also filed Second Amendment Protection Acts that would ban state implementation of