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The Right To Keep And Bear Arms

Essay, Research Paper


The Right To Keep And Bear Arms


Thursday, 19 August, 1996


“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” (Bill of


Rights, Article II).


This seemingly simple phrase is probably the source of more debate and argument


than any other single sentence in American history. The argument is not black or


white, pro or con. Rather, it encompasses many shades of gray. At the one end of


the spectrum you have the National Rifle Association (NRA) which currently views


any type of gun control as an infraction against the Second Amendment of the


Constitution (”What is the NRA” 1). At the other end of the spectrum you have


groups like the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence (CSGV) and Handgun Control, Inc.


seek to make most firearms accessible only to law enforcement and the military


(”CSGV” 1). In the middle there are organizations such as the American Firearms


Association, who seek compromise regarding our rights (Lissabet, “Return” 2).


Some organizations that one would expect to participate in this debate are


noticeably quiet. One such group is the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU).


In “The ACLU on Gun Control”, the national ACLU policy is neutrality (1).


All factions in this debate have some merit, some more than others. All use a


mixture of facts, figures, and emotions to express their views. I will be


presenting some of their history, their views, and how they make their cases.


The NRA is perhaps the most well known of the participants. They were formed


after the Civil War, in 1871, as an organization dedicated to the rifle


marksmanship of the state Militias. This was due to Union Army’s lack of


marksmanship. Following World War II, many returning veterans joined the ranks


of the NRA. They endured their share of military life and over time the NRA’s


mission was changed to that of a sportsman’s organization. This did not last


long.


Following the assassination of President Kennedy the Gun Control Act of 1968 was


passed. The act banned the mail-order sale of guns and ammunition. This act was


even supported by the NRA’s leaders. Within the NRA however, there was a growing


faction that opposed gun control in any form. This faction was set up as the


subordinate committee, Institute for Legislative Action (ILA). This faction


gained support and power and in 1977 gained control of the NRA. They have held


that power ever since.


Today’s NRA works to foster support for the shooting sports, to promote firearms


safety, responsibility, and freedom, and to protect Second Amendment rights from


infringement (”What is the NRA” 1). They take a very hard line in their


protection of Second Amendment rights. They believe that the right to keep and


bear arms is an individual right and work to oppose any legislation that will


infringe that right.


The AFA was founded in 1993. It seeks to protect the constitutional right to


bear arms while supporting fair and reasonable gun controls. They seek to


preserve the sportsman’s arms, rifles and shotguns, at the cost of the


recreational shooters arms, handguns (Lissabet, “Return” 3). This approach is


presented as a compromise to safeguard Second Amendment rights. They espouse to


support the Second Amendment, they also support the implementation of stricter


gu

n controls (Lissabet, “Anti-Federalism” 4). The AFA counts among its


membership many ex-NRA members. Some of these include the board members who were


forced out of the NRA in 1977.


The CSGV was founded in 1974. Its mission was to fight what they saw as a


growing problem of gun violence in the US. Their main goal is:


_the orderly elimination of the private sale of handguns and assault weapons in


the United States. CSGV seeks to ban handguns and assault weapons from


importation, manufacture, sale, or transfer by the general American public, with


reasonable exceptions made for police, military, security personnel, gun clubs


where guns are secured on club premises, gun dealers trading in antique and


collectable firearms kept and sold in inoperable condition. (”CSGV” 1). They


also seek to make the acquisition of the firearms that are still legal very


difficult. They seek to do this through limiting dealer licenses, restrictive


gun owner fees and regulations. Many other gun control measures are supported


and supported by the CSGV. They feel that the Second Amendment is a collective


right, to be held by the government and law enforcement agencies.


These three factions all manipulate the figures to show support for their views,


they use fear to gain the support of the people. In their own way they all


present valid arguments, yet none are completely right in their stand. The NRA


would be better served by supporting some measures of gun control such as the


national waiting period on the purchase of firearms. This measure will not


infringe on any ones right to keep and bear arms. By supporting this and other


reasonable measures, they will disarm the anti-gun lobby’s arguments against


firearms. The CSGV would get better results if they stopped attacking a citizens


rights and started working to combat the real problem, the criminal who uses


firearms. Despite all the numbers the CSGV uses to make the spectre of firearms


violence seem overwhelming, firearms in and of themselves are not dangerous, it


is the person who possesses the firearm that is dangerous (The Facts of Gun


Violence_ 1).


Gun controls do not control the criminal, they only keep the law abiding citizen


from protecting themselves. In a recent study, the Illinois Council Against


Handgun Violence reported that the states with restrictive gun laws have some


of the highest violent crime rates in the nation. Conversely, the states with


“right to carry” laws have a 21% lower violent crime rate (Cloud 1).


Works Cited


Cloud, David. “Anti-Gun Study Highlights Failure of Gun Control.” Fundamental


Baptist News Service 3 May 1996: 1


Lissabet, Ernest. “Anti-Federalism and the Second Amendment.” American Firearms


Association WWW Site: http://www.firearms.org/afa/federal.html.


Lissabet, Ernest. “The Return of the Old Guard.” American Firearms Association


WWW Site: http://www.firearms.org/afa/return.html.


“The ACLU on Gun Control.” ACLU WWW Site:


http://www.aclu.org/library/aaguns.html.


“The Facts of Gun Violence_” Coalition to Stop Gun Violence WWW Site:


http://www.gunfree.inter.net/csgv/basicnfo.html.


“What is the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence?” Coalition to Stop Gun Violence WWW


Site: http://www.gunfree.inter.net/csgv/csgvsumm.html.


“What is the NRA and how does it work?” National Rifle Association WWW Site:


http://www.nra.org/nra-precis.html.

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