Second+Amendment

Second Amendment
"A well [|regulated] Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be [|infringed]" is the second amendment in the Bill of Rights. This statement basically has two parts. The first is that each state has the right to make their own militia, a present day national guard. The second part is that people have the right own guns. In the past in England, all men had guns and in colonial times, many people did too. People felt like they needed protection from Native Americans and other countries that might attack. Along with this, some people felt that the government would become corrupt so they wanted protection from that too. Some people think that the right to bear arms means that each individual has a right to have guns and some others think that it's talking about the militias being able to have guns. In 2008 the supreme court decided that it was the [|individual] right of people to have guns. The second amendment is a very important one which has a lot of arguments surrounding it.



Arguments against the 2nd Amendment
The second amendment is a very [|disputable] amendment. There are many groups of people that strongly hate the 2nd Amendment. One example is [|The Second Amendment club of America.] An reason why the 2nd Amendment is bad is in 1993 only 33 people in Great Britain where killed by handguns, while in the USA 40,000 people where killed by handguns. Another idea people have against the 2nd amendment have is that the 2nd amendment does not say anything about individuals owning guns. Other arguments are the constitution does not say anything about the right to own guns. Also many people are [|outraged] by the 40,000 deaths and the 600,000 victims of gun related crimes in the USA. People think that laws could be passed to stop the flood of violence caused by guns. By 1999 around 16 American children where getting killed by guns and about 100 children a day where getting seriously injured. It is estimated that every 6 hours a teenager or preteen commits suicide with a gun. Overall if they outlawed guns it would save so many peoples life's.

Arguments in favor of the 2nd Amendment
The second amendment is the one of most controversial amendments with statistics like every six hours a teen or preteen commits suicide with a gun and guns kill about sixteen American children every day. Although guns are dangerous there are many groups that are in favor of second amendment, like the [|National Rifle Association]. For example if there were laws against guns there is nothing stopping criminals from obtaining guns illegally. Also if there is gun control that does not mean that there is criminal control. Additionally guns are essential for defense against future dictators and [|tyrannical] groups. Unarmed citizens could easily be defeated and enslaved by [|assailant]. Guns can symbolize freedom and democracy.

//District of Columbia v. Heller//
The case called //[|District of Columbia v. Heller]// was heard in March, 2008. There were two main questions in this case. The first question was whether the District of Columbia is forbidden by the second amendment to make handguns illegal but keep shotguns and rifles legal. The second question was whether the second amendment allows guns to be kept in homesby law [|abiding] citizens. The issue that the court decided to hear was, "Whether the [D.C. laws] violate the Second Amendment rights of individuals who are not affiliated with any state-regulated [|militia], but who wish to keep handguns and other firearms for private use in their homes?" The supreme court ruled on the case in June, 2008 and decided that the second amendment did in fact protect an individual right to keep guns.

Third Amendment
The third amendments had two parts. During times of war, the military may not house its troops in private residences except with legal procedure or the approval of the owners. In 1689, the English bill of rights didn't allow having an army in a time of peace, without the approval of parliament. Less than a century later Parliament passed the Quartering Acts of 1765 and 1774, which alloweed British troops to take shelter in colonial homes by military order. In 1776 the people who wrote the declaration of independence were irritated at the king of England for quartering "large bodies of troops among us" and keeping "standing armies without the consent of our legislature." The 3rd amendment was written James Madison in 1789 ======

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Sources "2nd Amendment." //Revolutionary War and beyond//. Revolutionary War and beyond, 2009. Web. 11 May 2010. .

Krull, Kathleen, and Anna DiVito. "The Second Amendment, or People, or Guns." //A Kids' Guide to America's Bill of Rights: Curfews, Censorship, and the 100-pound Giant//. New York: Avon, 1999. 83-93. Print.

Mount, Stephen J. "Constitutional Topic: The Second Amendment - The U.S. Constitution Online - USConstitution.net." //Index Page - The U.S.Constitution Online - USConstitution.net//. 1995. Web. 10 May 2010. .

"Third Amendment." //Law Library//. 2010. Web. 13 May 2010. .