"Guns Don't Kill People, People Do"
Uploaded by michaelhitchcock on Jan 12, 2008
“Guns Don’t Kill People, People Do”
American gun control has been a controversial issue for years. It is a growing problem having resulted in murders, gun fights and recent school shootings. A vast majority of citizens believe that if gun control was strictly enforced it would help reduce the threat of crime. However, many innocent people feel they have the right to own a gun for protection, or even for the pleasure of hunting.
This essay is going to analyse the quote, “Guns don’t kill people, people do”, which is the slogan of the National Rifle Association (NRA). It will provide factual information on the United States Constitution, the NRA and the Second Amendment. Furthermore, this essay will also discuss the pros and cons of being armed with a gun, the tragic effects gun crime had on Columbine High School and will conclude with my thoughts and opinions.
The entire United States is governed by a set of laws called the Constitution. This Constitution is a document written by “outcasts” of England. It sets forth the nation’s fundamental laws; it establishes the form of the national government and defines the rights of the American people. It also lists the aims of the government and the methods of achieving them.
Previously, the nation’s leaders had established a national government under the Articles of Confederation. But the articles granted independence to each state and unfortunately they lacked the authority to make the states work cohesively to solve national problems.
After the states won independence in the Revolutionary War (1775 – 1783), they faced the problems of peacetime government. Although the states were very different from each other, they knew that in order to grow and prosper, they needed one another. Delegates from each state met to produce a plan for unity, which was initially submitted to the Second Continental Congress on July 12, 1776.
The men had a big task ahead of them. “How is the legislature going to be structured?” Some wanted representation to be based on population (Virginia Plan). Others wanted equal representation (New Jersey Plan). Rodger Sherman proposed a legislature with two parts. States would have equal representation in the senate, although population of states would determine representation in the house.
After a lot of debate, this “Great Compromise” was agreed upon. On September 17, 1787, the constitution of the United States was finally accepted by the delegates.
The second amendment of the USA’s...