Should Guns be Banned in the US?
The United States Constitution gives us the right to bear arms, but after over 200 years since its ratification, has this Amendment become outdated?
Recently, in Newtown, Connecticut resident Adam Lanza opened fire in Sandy Hook Elementary School with an AR-15 semi-automatic assault rifle, resulting in the death of 20 children and six adults.
This event, and ones like it, have sparked a recent surge of popularity in the American debate over the right to bear arms. Many believe that guns are important for people to have, as they serve as a tool of protection and sometimes sport. However, many others believe that guns cause more harm than they do good, and should be either banned or heavily restricted.While the restriction of access to guns is very debatable, it is important to remember that, for whatever reasons there are to support anti – gun laws, the Constitution promises access to guns for American citizens. Specifically, this promise can be found in the second amendment of the bill of rights, which states “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.”
However, many argue that the second amendment is outdated. Jackson Koch, a senior at the iSchool explains this view by saying that the amendment was fitted for “back then we had muskets, … we didn’t have guns that could kill 30 people in 30 seconds.”
One of the main reasons anti gun advocates protest gun use is the believe that banning guns would reduce crimes drastically. However, based on the results of foreign countries which have banned guns, this is a misconception.
Aransa Garcia, a senior at the iSchool stated “Guns are only for those who use them at their jobs.” Law enforces are not always around to protect the citizens and other defenses like pepper spray can only do so much damage.
Both The United Kingdom and Australia have imposed gun bans, but instead of...