David Woodrow
Mr.Peasley
American Government
November 10, 2011

Guns & Terrorism
To be a terrorist you need: guns. To get guns you need: the United States of America. In the U.S when you walk into a gun show, you can buy whatever gun you want. I recognize that a majority of gun dealers and gun owners carefully follow the law but there is always some sort of corruption also known as loopholes in our systems. I support the Second Amendment and the rights of citizens to own guns but I don’t support that terrorist and convicted criminals can acquire guns that can be used to commit crimes in or outside the United States. Terrorist and criminals are taking the Life of innocent people, which according to the Declaration of Independence Life is an unalienable right that everyone has. The Declaration of independence also includes Liberty as unalienable right which means everyone has the freedom to live their lives as independent persons and have the ability to make choices without restrictions from others. But how can you use these unalienable rights when there is terrorist and criminals taking these rights away with guns that shouldn’t be in their possession in the first place? I believe that weak gun laws aren't just a crime problem; they're a national security threat and that’s why all states should have a fixed gun checks for the common good of citizens in the United States (Madison).
Al Qaeda; a terrorist group that was led by Osama Bin Laden is the number one reason why I believe that fixed gun checks should be put in place in every state. For example the popular 50 caliber sniper rifle can penetrate the armor plating of armored vehicles, turn commercial jetliners into bombs on the ground, knock helicopters out of the air, and ignite railcars and stationary tank farms containing extremely hazardous, volatile, and explosive chemicals and Al Qaeda was one of the first to purchase this rifle as soon as it was placed in the civilian market in the 1980’s (Guns & terrorism). Not only were they able to buy one rifle they were able to buy 25. According to the Government Accountability Office, between February 3, 2004, and June 30, 2004, a total of 44 firearm-related background checks resulted in valid matches with terrorist watch list records (Guns & terrorism). Therefore, if the United States is concerned with its national security it needs to get fixed gun checks for all fifty states.
Roughly 2,000-5,200 gun shows take place in the United States each year (Gun control facts). Gun shows are another reason why all states should have fixed gun checks, they allow anyone to purchase a firearm because they are private sellers and federal law does not require these private sellers to conduct background checks on buyers or retain sales records (Close the Loophole). According to Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), 30% of illegally trafficked guns are connected to gun shows (Close the Loophole). In an undercover investigation of private sellers at gun shows found that 63% of private sellers broke the law by selling to people who they thought could not pass a background check (Close the Loophole). In order to put a stop to these unfair transactions at gun shows the loopholes need to be closed by creating a fixed gun checks in the United States.
In the court case McDonald v. Chicago, U.S. Supreme Court considered whether the 2nd Amendment right to carry firearms applies to states. In a five-four split decision, the McDonald Court held that an individual's right to keep and bear arms is incorporated and applicable to the states through the 14th Amendment’s Due Process Clause. The 14th amendment forbids states from denying any person "life, liberty or property, without due process of law" or to "deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws. The 2nd Amendment is not absolute and a wide range of gun control laws remain “presumptively lawful,” according to the Court. These