Written for a National Rifle Association contest my senior year of high school. It didn't win anything. It's very one-sided, of course, as it doesn't mention how the Second Amendment was never interpreted to mean free-for-all gun ownership until the mid-1970s and fails to explain why the United States is the only developed nation on Earth where mass shootings are a regular occurrence. I'm embarrassed to have ever had anything to do with the NRA, which has a staggering amount of blood on its hands.
The Second Amendment to the Constitution: Why it is Important to Our Nation
By C. Randall Nicholson
September 1783 saw the end of an eight-year struggle for the freedom of what would become one of the most prosperous nations in the world. After unspeakable sacrifices of both lives and luxuries, former British colonists had earned the right to form their own country and govern it themselves. It became known as the United States of America, and to ensure that its citizens retained their new freedoms, its Constitution was quickly given ten Amendments known as the Bill of Rights, which lists freedoms that the government cannot infringe upon. The right to bear arms is only the second of these, attesting to its grave importance - which remains today, in the midst of the controversy as it is attacked by legislation intended to subvert its purpose.
The actual wording of this Amendment is, "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." It should be clear that this right, like every other listed in the Bill of Rights, was intended for all citizens in good standing, regardless of its context. Some have argued that the phrase "well-regulated militia" refers to the Army, but such a claim is absurd. The United States was formed by the same men who had just spent eight years being the "militia", before which they had been ordinary civilians. Founding Father George Mason said, "I ask sir, who is the militia? It is the whole people, except for a few public officials." (Elliot) The adjective used, "well-regulated", was intended in reference to the citizens being trained and familiarized with their weapons, not controlled by the government. ("GunCite") The British Army did not have the colonists’ best interests at heart and in fact had become the enemy by enforcing infringements of their rights. Without a right to bear arms already established, the "militia" of law-abiding citizens would have been ill-equipped to defend themselves against these abuses. As preventing future such abuses was a main goal of the Constitution, its framers knew that the inclusion of this right was vital.
Taxation without representation and forced quartering of troops are gun control’s best-case scenario. Adolf Hitler said, "The most foolish mistake we could possibly make would be to allow the subject races to possess arms. History shows that all conquerors who have allowed the subject races to carry arms have prepared their own downfall by so doing. Indeed, I would go so far as to say that the supply of arms to the underdogs is a sine qua non for the overthrow of any sovereignty." (Trevor-Roper 425-426) Some complain that using this or any Hitler quote is deceitful, because not every ideology embraced by genocidal dictators is inherently bad (Hitler also strongly opposed smoking, for example). He was, however, incredibly skillful at gaining absolute power and exterminating the "subject races", so his advice on that subject ought to be seriously considered by those seeking to prevent its recurrence. Banning of firearms was established shortly preceding genocides not only in Nazi Germany, but also the Soviet Union, Turkey, China, Guatemala, Uganda, and Cambodia. (Harvey) People sometimes wonder why genocide victims rarely seem to take much action to defend themselves. Clearly, if a victim was a law-abiding citizen of any of these countries, he would have nothing to defend himself or his family with.
One may certainly hope that such atrocities would never happen in the twenty-first century in the United States of America, regardless of whether the citizens can bear arms. Certainly it has not happened to the United Kingdom and Australia - yet - but both countries have had their own problems to deal with in the wake of firearm bans. Twenty-six percent of British citizens and thirty percent of Australians have experienced violent crime firsthand, topping the statistics of the world's nations, as opposed to the United States which has not made the top ten. Rates of burglary and automobile theft are also higher. (Dougherty) So, while the British and Australian governments are relatively free and democratic and probably won't need to be overthrown anytime soon, their respective countries are still plagued by common criminals - much more common, in fact, once the fear of their victims' being able to defend themselves is eliminated.
The criminals themselves already feel no obligation to the law, hence their being criminals, and therefore have no problem with possessing guns themselves. It proves what was written by Cesare Beccaria and quoted by Founding Father Thomas Jefferson: "Laws that forbid the carrying of arms... disarm only those who are neither inclined nor determined to commit crimes... Such laws make things worse for the assaulted and better for the assailants; they serve rather to encourage than to prevent homicides, for an unarmed man may be attacked with greater confidence than an armed man." (Becarria) In the United States, neither federal, nor state, nor local government has succeeded in keeping alcohol or tobacco products away from minors. There is no reason to suppose they could meet with greater success in keeping guns away from those who are determined to have them.
The Founding Fathers of the United States of America clearly knew what they were doing when the Second Amendment was placed in the United States Constitution. History as well as current events have proven them wise for insisting on its inclusion, and today's politicians would be wise to see that it remains not only included but unimpeded by regulations that destroy the spirit of the law. This Amendment is vital for all law-abiding citizens of the United States to remain as secure as possible from government tyranny and the day-to-day crimes that will plague society forever. When the Amendment is safe, the people are safe. Few laws could be as important as that.
The actual wording of this Amendment is, "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." It should be clear that this right, like every other listed in the Bill of Rights, was intended for all citizens in good standing, regardless of its context. Some have argued that the phrase "well-regulated militia" refers to the Army, but such a claim is absurd. The United States was formed by the same men who had just spent eight years being the "militia", before which they had been ordinary civilians. Founding Father George Mason said, "I ask sir, who is the militia? It is the whole people, except for a few public officials." (Elliot) The adjective used, "well-regulated", was intended in reference to the citizens being trained and familiarized with their weapons, not controlled by the government. ("GunCite") The British Army did not have the colonists’ best interests at heart and in fact had become the enemy by enforcing infringements of their rights. Without a right to bear arms already established, the "militia" of law-abiding citizens would have been ill-equipped to defend themselves against these abuses. As preventing future such abuses was a main goal of the Constitution, its framers knew that the inclusion of this right was vital.
Taxation without representation and forced quartering of troops are gun control’s best-case scenario. Adolf Hitler said, "The most foolish mistake we could possibly make would be to allow the subject races to possess arms. History shows that all conquerors who have allowed the subject races to carry arms have prepared their own downfall by so doing. Indeed, I would go so far as to say that the supply of arms to the underdogs is a sine qua non for the overthrow of any sovereignty." (Trevor-Roper 425-426) Some complain that using this or any Hitler quote is deceitful, because not every ideology embraced by genocidal dictators is inherently bad (Hitler also strongly opposed smoking, for example). He was, however, incredibly skillful at gaining absolute power and exterminating the "subject races", so his advice on that subject ought to be seriously considered by those seeking to prevent its recurrence. Banning of firearms was established shortly preceding genocides not only in Nazi Germany, but also the Soviet Union, Turkey, China, Guatemala, Uganda, and Cambodia. (Harvey) People sometimes wonder why genocide victims rarely seem to take much action to defend themselves. Clearly, if a victim was a law-abiding citizen of any of these countries, he would have nothing to defend himself or his family with.
One may certainly hope that such atrocities would never happen in the twenty-first century in the United States of America, regardless of whether the citizens can bear arms. Certainly it has not happened to the United Kingdom and Australia - yet - but both countries have had their own problems to deal with in the wake of firearm bans. Twenty-six percent of British citizens and thirty percent of Australians have experienced violent crime firsthand, topping the statistics of the world's nations, as opposed to the United States which has not made the top ten. Rates of burglary and automobile theft are also higher. (Dougherty) So, while the British and Australian governments are relatively free and democratic and probably won't need to be overthrown anytime soon, their respective countries are still plagued by common criminals - much more common, in fact, once the fear of their victims' being able to defend themselves is eliminated.
The criminals themselves already feel no obligation to the law, hence their being criminals, and therefore have no problem with possessing guns themselves. It proves what was written by Cesare Beccaria and quoted by Founding Father Thomas Jefferson: "Laws that forbid the carrying of arms... disarm only those who are neither inclined nor determined to commit crimes... Such laws make things worse for the assaulted and better for the assailants; they serve rather to encourage than to prevent homicides, for an unarmed man may be attacked with greater confidence than an armed man." (Becarria) In the United States, neither federal, nor state, nor local government has succeeded in keeping alcohol or tobacco products away from minors. There is no reason to suppose they could meet with greater success in keeping guns away from those who are determined to have them.
The Founding Fathers of the United States of America clearly knew what they were doing when the Second Amendment was placed in the United States Constitution. History as well as current events have proven them wise for insisting on its inclusion, and today's politicians would be wise to see that it remains not only included but unimpeded by regulations that destroy the spirit of the law. This Amendment is vital for all law-abiding citizens of the United States to remain as secure as possible from government tyranny and the day-to-day crimes that will plague society forever. When the Amendment is safe, the people are safe. Few laws could be as important as that.
Citations
Elliot, Jonathan. "Virginia Ratifying Convention: June 16, 1788." Constitution Society. Constitution Society, n.d. Web. 12 Nov 2010. <http://www.constitution.org/rc/rat_va_13.htm>.
Dougherty, Jon. "Britain, Australia top U.S. in violent crime." WorldNetDaily (2001): n. pag. Web. 11 Nov 2010. <http://www.wnd.com/?pageId=8340>.
Trevor-Roper, H.R. Hitler's Table Talks 1941-1944. London, UK: Widenfield and Nicolson, 1953. 425-426. Print.
Harvey, Paul. "Gun Control." gun. Greg Weinfurtner, 01/09/2008 . Web. 11 Nov 2010. <http://oak.cats.ohiou.edu/~weinfurt/gun.html>.
Beccaria, Cesare. "Cesare Beccaria On Crimes and Punishments (1764)." crimetheory.com. Bruce Hoffman, 01/23/2002. Web. 12 Nov 2010. <http://www.crimetheory.com/Archive/Beccaria/index.html>.
"The Meaning of the Words in the Second Amendment." GunCite. GunCite, 05/06/2007. Web. 13 Nov 2010. <http://www.guncite.com/gc2ndmea.html>.
Read more of my essays here.
Dougherty, Jon. "Britain, Australia top U.S. in violent crime." WorldNetDaily (2001): n. pag. Web. 11 Nov 2010. <http://www.wnd.com/?pageId=8340>.
Trevor-Roper, H.R. Hitler's Table Talks 1941-1944. London, UK: Widenfield and Nicolson, 1953. 425-426. Print.
Harvey, Paul. "Gun Control." gun. Greg Weinfurtner, 01/09/2008 . Web. 11 Nov 2010. <http://oak.cats.ohiou.edu/~weinfurt/gun.html>.
Beccaria, Cesare. "Cesare Beccaria On Crimes and Punishments (1764)." crimetheory.com. Bruce Hoffman, 01/23/2002. Web. 12 Nov 2010. <http://www.crimetheory.com/Archive/Beccaria/index.html>.
"The Meaning of the Words in the Second Amendment." GunCite. GunCite, 05/06/2007. Web. 13 Nov 2010. <http://www.guncite.com/gc2ndmea.html>.
Read more of my essays here.
