Gun control Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Gun control - Research Paper Example Many also contend that the right to own handguns, specifically, has turned out to be a detriment to public safety which is opposed to the intentions of the Founding Fathers. According to The Second Amendment â€Å"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† (â€Å"The Constitution†, 2006). Those who are against limited forms of gun control refuse to consider the important word â€Å"militia† within this Amendment. â€Å"The Second Amendment was intended solely to guard against suppression of state militias by the central government and therefore restricted in scope by that intent; or does not guarantee a right that is absolute, but one that can be limited by reasonable requirements† (Krouse, 2011). Advocates of gun control, by and large, desire the weapon that harms the most people, handguns, to not be legal anymore but are agreeable with compromising on s hotguns and rifles. In this way, the constitutionally guaranteed right to keep and bear arms is protected but so are the many thousands of people that are killed by handguns each year. When reading the actual wording of the Second Amendment it is clear that armed militias alone have the right to bear arms. However, given the present passionate emotions tied to this topic and the allure of guns for citizens of the country, a compromise can be the only solution. Philosophies are formed by a people’s innermost values, refined by many years of thought and fashioned by life’s many experiences. Therefore a philosophical debate causes people to be more emotional than any other type. Political philosophies are tightly and vigorously held and in politically tumultuous times, such as today in a post 9-11 world, are especially apparent. The war in Afghanistan, gay marriage, the Occupy Movement, global warming, health care, abortion, health care, stem cell research, the loss of ci vil liberties and numerous other politically inspiring subjects have provoked emotional philosophical battles. The right to own firearms ranks highly among these political philosophies and any attempt to outlaw any type of gun always make this point of view even stronger. To make the argument for upholding the largely voiced ‘right’ to keep and bear arms by permitting shotguns and rifles of a particular length while prohibiting assault rifles and handguns seems the rational answer and a battle that may possibly be won. This approach has proven effectual in other countries such as Japan and many European countries. Those nations that have ban handguns experience a much lower murder rate than America. The idea that ready access to handguns has a major impact on the murder rates in the U.S. is supported by overwhelming evidence. Approximately two thirds of all murders that occur in the U.S. involve a handgun. Yet, restricting handgun use by legal methods has proven to have little impact on homicide rates. This is not a surprising revelation given that most criminals do not get their guns from licensed sources (Cramer/Kopel, 2011). Each year, at least 3000 American children are killed by the use of handguns. America’s children are much more likely to die via handgun use than the children of all other developed countries combined. Compare the number of American children killed with England where fewer than two dozen minors are killed by handguns in a given year. In Japan, the number is