However, since then the gun culture in Texas has changed especially in the last fifty years. Over the years Texans have seen a steady relaxing of gun laws that were already among our nation’s most lax; evolving the second amendment of the United States Constitution to be defined in the Texas Constitution, Article 1. Sec. 23 in this way, “RIGHT TO KEEP AND BEAR ARMS. Every citizen shall have the right to keep and bear arms in the lawful defense of himself or the State; but the Legislature shall have power, by law, to regulate the wearing of arms, with a view to prevent crime”. (Grange) Consequently, the beginning of legalizing handguns began some twenty years ago. This trend also seems to coincide with Texans’ feeling as if they needed to personally protect themselves and property; a feeling that personally runs through my family and that of Texas …show more content…
As a young Hispanic Texas woman, I personally do not like guns. They frighten me to an extent and things like the notion of open carry sounds awful. Although many of my friends and family have tried to convince me those guns keep us safe I am against the increasing support of our legislators to make laws that put more guns on our streets instead of removing them. My opinion is due to the facts of how brutal and violent we are as a nation to each other and it is because of this that I want no part of this new definition of my civil right to bear arms. According to researchers at the Pew Research Center, many minorities are in support of more relaxing gun control laws within the state. This groups state that, “Hispanic registered voters nationally say they prefer gun control over the rights of owners by a margin of 62%-to-36 %”. (Lopez, Krogstad, Patten, and Barrera) It has been proven that more urban Texans (Northern) are in support of less gun control as opposed to the rural (Southern) parts of Texas. However, I suppose other citizens do not feel that way and that is just fine. Citizens of the United States are entitled to their own opinions and I completely respect their thoughts because diverse opinions are what made our