Gun Laws Essay

The Second Amendment in the United States Constitution gives people the right to keep and bear arms. The Second Amendment has been interpreted in many ways, and its limitations and what it controls have been questioned. The question that arises over and over again is that will stricter gun laws make the United States safer or more perilous. The answer is clear. With lack of gun control and that black market guns are at almost every street corner whether you think it or not. Guns are a very dangerous weapons, and the United States has to create stricter laws in order to operate and obtain them in order to protect the public. Stricter gun laws would improve the criminal justice system. For example, a national registry which contained finger printing and gun information would allow for the bullets at a crime scene to be traced back to the owner. The only way to get guns off the streets is for Government to take action and for laws to be put down. The goal for stricter gun laws is simple. It is to make it harder for dangerous people to get their hands on guns, improving the safety of guns, and regulating the sales of guns at gun shows and on the streets. The debate over gun control has continued for many years. In 1939 there was an important case, United States vs. Miller, which dealt with the Second Amendment. In this case the supreme court was asked to decide whether or not the Second Amendment protected Miller’s right to not register a sawed off shotgun. A sawed off shotgun is a shotgun with a shorter barrel therefore it shoots out less accurately but more spread out with the same power as a regular shotgun. They are very dangerous especially in smaller places. During that time the Supreme Court believed that the Second Amendment protected those who had weapons for military use only. As a result the Supreme Court ruled that the Second Amendment did not protect Miller’s right to own a sawed off shotgun because he did not have it for military purposes. Gun control opponents deny that federal policies keep firearms out of the hands of high-risk persons; rather, they argue, controls often create burdens for law- abiding citizens and infringe upon constitutional rights provided by the Second Amendment. Some argue further that widespread gun ownership is one of the best deterrents to crime as well as to potential tyranny, whether by gangs or by government. They may also criticize the notion of enhancing federal, as opposed to state, police powers. So what these gun lovers want to do is defend their homes from those they feel threaten them and use guns for protection. The NRA also says over and over again that it will cost tax payers millions if the number of gun sales drop. Is there really a price for saving lives?