Gun Possession And The Right To Bear Arms

The topic of gun possession and the right to bear arms is hot topic amongst most Americans. It has been said that “guns don’t kill people, people kill people.” Some argue passionately in saying gun laws should be stricter, while others argue that they have civil rights that need to be protected. My view is somewhere in the middle. I believe there should more specific limits on gun possession, instead of a general law which excludes many Americans from their right to protect themselves. I believe the law that restricts all felons from the right to bear arms is too strict. There are more than sixteen different types of felonies. Arson, burglary, embezzlement, grand theft, illegal drug use/sales, racketeering, robbery, and tax evasion are some …show more content…
However, to say that the punishment for one bad choice in a persons’ life is that they no longer have the right to protect themselves, on top of taking away their right to vote is pretty harsh. I believe if a person goes ten years without an arrest on their record, their civil rights should be restored. If a criminal is still living a life a crime, over the course of ten years they would surely have another encounter with the police. Guns prevent an estimated 2.5 million crimes per year, often time without even firing them. To say someone no longer has the right to protect their family or themselves, to drive someone out of their home, or if someone attempts to take their personal belongings, because they made a mistake when they were younger is unjust. I’m not saying we should all have the right to go around shooting each other, but most people deserve the right to hold up a gun and say “No, I’m not going to let you do that to …show more content…
If someone has already been charged with a gun-related crime, I believe they should no longer have the right to carry one. They have effectively abused their right to bear arms, and in that case they should prohibited from possessing one. I believe if someone has documented gang affiliation they should no longer have the right to bear arms, regardless of whether or not they have been convicted of a felony. Over 90% of gang murders are committed with guns and gangs are responsible for between 50% and 90% of all violent crimes. It is going to be hard enough to guns out of the hands of gang members, since most gun as obtained illegally and often times have the serial number scratched off, the last right they need is the one that allows them to walk into a store and purchase one legally. I also believe the laws in place for automatic or assault style weapons must be much stricter than the laws in place for handguns and rifles. You are surely not going to be using a machine gun to hunt deer. The likelihood of needing an assault style weapon to protect yourself are so low, I would even argue that their sale should be limited law enforcement and military