... the founding fathers were organizing the framework of the United States Constitution in the late eighteenth century, the amount of power the national government would possess was an issue that came with much debate. The two parties of the day were the Federalists, who advocated a strong national government with an intricate system of checks and balances, and the Anti-Federalists, who promoted strong state and local governments that included small republics to keep the ... is not a convicted felon, domestic violence offender, mentally unstable, or another type of prohibited purchaser. By...

• Word Count: 1122
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... if guns were sold under stricter screening processes, they'd ultimately cause less damage. Therefore, I side with the Democratic Party's reasoning. The phrase, "the right to keep and bear arms ", as written in the Second Amendment to the United States Constitution, has fueled America's pine for defensive weaponry since the late 1700's. Guns are a vital part of American culture; they allow a collective peace of mind for ... the general public in that anyone is free to protect themselves should a threatening situation arise. Recently, however, guns have been ... and reinstated with strict...

• Word Count: 1290
• Approx Pages: 5
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... to the individual. The motivation supporting the Second Amendment's interpretation, which gives the right to the individual, comes from the assumption that an armed citizenry would, in addition to creating a safer community, be equipped to defend their state. So with the United States" Constitution and the large majority of Americans opposing change, what options are available? The United States" present stance on gun control positions itself in the middle of the spectrum, where the country accepts the ownership ... of firearms, but puts many restrictions on them. On one side, the Unite...

• Word Count: 2243
• Approx Pages: 9
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... part of the freeman of the United States when they wished. James Madison eventually wrote the ten amendments that are know known as the Bill of Rights. Madison and his colleagues wanted to capture the essence of the rights demanded by Americans and the rights included in many state constitutions. The committee, by rewording, consolidating, and eliminating portions of the states bills of rights and suggestions from State conventions that ratified the Constitution, incorporated ... four basic beliefs into the ... ...

• Word Count: 2786
• Approx Pages: 11
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... is no doubt that the intent was to preserve the rights of individual citizens to keep their own firearms. The Second Amendment reads, " 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." The key word in the amendment is "people", throughout the United States Constitution the word people continually refers to individuals, not states. The militia, in colonial times ... , was considered to be a very able-bodied person who could bear arms. It would be logical to infer that the authors are saying tha...

• Word Count: 1898
• Approx Pages: 8
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... law and government and the rights of every American citizen to enjoy life and pursue happiness. The pro-gun lobbyists and the National Rifle Association (NRA) since its conception in 1871 have sought to manipulate and twist Article II of the Bill of Rights found within the United States Constitution, thereby recreating the idea of manifest destiny and bringing the current topic of the "right to bear ... arms" to Washington. What the NRA, pro-gun lobbyists and many citizens fail to realize, is that unless we impose stricter gun ... laws, mandatory registrations and thorough background ch...

• Word Count: 1284
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

The second amendment of the Constitution of the United States is in trouble. Although it is often cited as an obvious answer to the constitutional-protection question, it is often referred to simply as the "right to bear arms." However, the full text reads, "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;" therefore, the general populace must ... types of violent crime, suicide, and accidental death. Specifically, the study pointedly states there are "few suggestions of perceptible effects of the...

• Word Count: 883
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... this military task was rooted in their deep distrust of the standing federal army (Summers 265). Considering that the United States is now the most powerful nation in the world, the notion that its federal army needs civilian reinforcement is most definitely exaggerated. Yet another historical flaw lies in the definition of the word "arms." In 1787, when the American Constitution was signed, this term referred to bayonets, muskets and spears ... of murders and accidental deaths involving guns in the United States. The Second Amendment is outdated and should be revised to suit today's mo...

• Word Count: 1347
• Approx Pages: 5
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... The United States Bill of Rights is a very important document that outlines our individual rights as American citizens. In the Bill of Rights, American citizens are granted the right to bear arms. However, the Bill of Rights was written nearly 300 years ago, these amendments have been debated and interpreted in numerous ways because of the time that has passed since being written. When the Constitution ... was written, we had just gotten out of the Revolutionary War and the United States was a very weak and unorganized government. Essentially, the United States was a target and susceptib...

• Word Count: 1858
• Approx Pages: 7
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... per one hundred thousand people (Lampo 1). Firearm death rates have been climbing since the 1920's. In the United States on average, there are 733 shootings each day. In 1998, one of every five adolescent deaths was gun related. During the 1990's, gunshots killed almost three times as many people as did acquired immunodeficiency syndrome ... more than others. A consistent policy that draws public opposition is the general prohibition of guns. The Second Amendment to the Constitution of the United States lies at the very heart of the gun control controversy. Gun control opponents say tha...

• Word Count: 2228
• Approx Pages: 9
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... rights in the 2nd amendment of the constitution, also prevents law abiding citizens from protecting others or themselves when they"re harmed by criminals of malcontent. However, the effect that gun violence had upon our nation has a negative one, the shootings and violence that start as early as elementary school has smudged an ugly streak on the gun history in the United States. The main argument ... presented and represented by both the ... University of Utah administration and Associated Students of University of Utah(ASUU) is, private owned concealed weapons have no place on public...

• Word Count: 576
• Approx Pages: 2
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... crime, with young people frequently involved as victims and perpetrators and often armed with guns. Between July 1992, and June 30, 1999, there were 358 school-associated violent deaths in the United States, including 255 deaths of school- aged children, or about 51 such violent deaths each year. (Schmitt rot, 2003) Time after time, public opinion polls have shown that crime ... safer, more civilized society. Others who support private ownership of guns insist that the right to bear arms is guaranteed by longstanding custom and by the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution and that no ...

• Word Count: 2264
• Approx Pages: 9
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... many gun laws like Massachusetts, which had 3.4 gun-related deaths per 100,000 people, and New Jersey, which had 4.9 gun-deaths per 100,000 people. Conversely, he focused on states with fewer laws like Louisiana, which had 18 deaths per 100,000 individuals and Alaska, which had 17.5 deaths per 100,000 individuals. Hence there is clear evidence that laws ... Great Britain have realized a success in reducing gun violence by implementing stricter gun laws. For instance, the rate of private gun ownership in the United Kingdom is 6.72 firearms per 100 people. In 2009, only 18 people were mu...

• Word Count: 2864
• Approx Pages: 11
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... and Firearms (ATF) Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms: A Historical Overview The United States Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) is a branch of the U.S. Department of the Treasury that collects taxes on alcohol and tobacco and enforces and regulates all laws made by Congress governing the production and distribution of such substances. The ATF as it is known today was formed in 1972, separating from ... prohibition. During this time, organized crime was born out of the need to have a unified chain of alcohol manufacturers and smugglers. Prohibition lasted thirteen years until its ...

• Word Count: 1258
• Approx Pages: 5
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Undergraduate