Second Amendment Under Fire

By now, we have all formed an opinion regarding the intention of our founding fathers regarding the second Amendment.  For those who wish to review:

The Second Amendment (Amendment II) to the United States Constitution is the part of the United States Bill of Rights that protects the right of the people to keep and bear arms.  It was adopted on December 15, 1791, along with the rest of the Bill of Rights.

The intent of these amendments was to protect individuals from government powers.  They were meant as a guarantee to the individual state governments as well as the American citizens that the Federal government would not try to take away the freedoms which many of them had so recently fought for.  Senator William Grayson wrote to Patrick Henry; "Last Monday, a string of amendments were presented to the lower House; these altogether respected personal liberty…"

The Second Amendment 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.

We will hear in the days to come about the harm guns can do.  Make no mistake, guns are lethal weapons.  Guns can and do kill and maim unimaginable numbers every year.  However, if legal gun ownership becomes a thing of the past, the only gun owners will be criminals who will obtain weapons regardless of rules and regulations.  The Federal Government should be limited in its effort to infringe on our natural rights.  We have the right to arm and protect ourselves and our families.  In 2001, a federal appeals court panel ruled that the Second Amendment "protects the right of individuals, including those not then actually a member of any militia or engaged in active military service or training, to privately possess and bear their own firearms...." 

If we allow our leaders to politicize this tragedy to further their own agendas, what will be the next line in the sand we allow them to cross?

Politicians will be able to say:  “Now that the Second Amendment is gone, I think we should do away with the search and seizure part of the Constitution.  The Fourth Amendment stands in our way and makes it harder for the government, police, FBI, and CIA to do their jobs properly.”

We have to stand as a nation against Federal Regulation where none is needed nor ever intended.

Statistics are valuable tools, since they are able to summarize an argument in a few numbers, and are able to present a good picture of the problem when used honestly.  There is statistical evidence that legal gun ownership has a positive impact on society as a whole.

A 1997 U.S. Justice Department survey of 14,285 state prison inmates found that among those inmates who carried a firearm during the offense for which they were sent to jail, 0.7% obtained the firearm at a gun show, 1% at a flea market, 3.8% from a pawn shop, 8.3% from a retail store, 39.2% through an illegal/street source, and 39.6% through family or friends.

• There are 129 million privately owned firearms in the United States according to the September, 1997 FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin.
• There are an estimated 65 million handguns in private circulation in the United States.  (FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin, 9/1997)
• The fastest growing group of gun owners is women, according to Gary Kleck in Targeting Guns.
• Firearms are used defensively roughly 2.5 million times per year, more than four times as many as criminal uses.  This amounts to 2,575 lives protected for every life lost to a gun (Targeting Guns).
• The accidental firearm death rate is at its lowest point since records were started nearly 100 years ago according to Injury Facts 2000 from the national Safety Council.
• Motor-vehicle accidents, drowning, suffocation, and fires each kill more children under the age of fifteen than do firearms.
• Less than one handgun in 6,500 is ever used in a homicide.

There are many cases where gun restrictions have hindered law-abiding citizens from protecting themselves.  There are also statistics outlining that legal gun ownership correlates to lower crime rates in urban areas.

• During the years in which the D.C. handgun ban and trigger lock law was in effect, the Washington, D.C. murder rate averaged 73% higher than it was at the outset of the law, while the U.S. murder rate averaged 11% lower
• Since the outset of the Chicago handgun ban, the percentage of Chicago murders committed with handguns has averaged about 40% higher than it was before the law took effect
• Since the outset of the Florida right-to-carry law, the Florida murder rate has averaged 36% lower than it was before the law took effect, while the U.S. murder rate has averaged 15% lower
• Since the outset of the Texas right-to-carry law, the Texas murder rate has averaged 30% lower than it was before the law took effect, while the U.S. murder rate has averaged 28% lower
• Since the outset of the Michigan right-to-carry law, the Michigan murder rate has averaged 4% lower than it was before the law took effect, while the U.S. murder rate has averaged 2% lower

"If we the people allow our constitution to be altered by those that are trying so hard to destroy it, our land will no longer be free, our freedoms an illusion, and dictatorship will rule.  Our Children and grandchildren will learn how our country used to be free in history books only.  That is if the government allows it (then goes Freedom of Speech)."