According to Jill Lepore, a Harvard professor of United States History, a 1991 poll in the US found that people were more likely to know of the Second Amendment: the “right to bear arms” than they were to know the First: the freedom of speech, religion, and assembly (Lepore). This startling fact clearly shows that US citizens prioritize guns very highly, perhaps over our own freedom. However, the interpretation of the Second Amendment as the right of citizens to carry any and all types of guns wherever they want, is misconceived. The actual Amendment states “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”. At the time the Amendment was written,
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There is evidence from the United States that strict laws prevent deaths. Multiple sources, including the book Guns and Violence, state that in the decade after both the Assault Weapons Ban and the Federal Brady Act were enacted there was a 28% decline in gun related deaths (Miller). This shows that gun laws can prevent deaths in the US and are effective. Other countries with stricter gun laws that the US can also provide a successful solution. The Council on Foreign Relations explained that, after a mass shooting, Australia tightened its gun control laws. Australia practically banned all automatic and semiautomatic assault rifles, took about a sixth of assault weapons out of citizen’s hands, and made it necessary for you to show a “genuine need” for a gun in order to obtain one (Council on Foreign Relations). Australia’s gun laws are certainly tighter than the US, and yet it provides a fine alternative to completely banning guns. When Australia experienced a major mass shooting, they made it harder for those shootings to happen in the future, quite unlike the US. The University of Sydney demonstrated that the UK is another example of a country with stricter gun laws than the US, which is the reason why the UK has less guns than the US. The United Kingdom rate of legal and illegal civilian firearm possession is 6.7 firearms per 100 people, which is much less than the US. Their annual rate of gun suicide is at .15 per 100,000 people, compared to the US’s 6.3 (Gunpolicy.org). This clearly shows that the UK and the US have very different views on gun control with very different consequences. Japan provides an example almost ludicrous to think about in the US. Max Fisher, a former editor and author at The Atlantic presents the shocking facts about Japan’s gun control and the effects. In 2008 Japan had all of 11 deaths from guns, while the US had over 12,000. In 2006,
There is evidence from the United States that strict laws prevent deaths. Multiple sources, including the book Guns and Violence, state that in the decade after both the Assault Weapons Ban and the Federal Brady Act were enacted there was a 28% decline in gun related deaths (Miller). This shows that gun laws can prevent deaths in the US and are effective. Other countries with stricter gun laws that the US can also provide a successful solution. The Council on Foreign Relations explained that, after a mass shooting, Australia tightened its gun control laws. Australia practically banned all automatic and semiautomatic assault rifles, took about a sixth of assault weapons out of citizen’s hands, and made it necessary for you to show a “genuine need” for a gun in order to obtain one (Council on Foreign Relations). Australia’s gun laws are certainly tighter than the US, and yet it provides a fine alternative to completely banning guns. When Australia experienced a major mass shooting, they made it harder for those shootings to happen in the future, quite unlike the US. The University of Sydney demonstrated that the UK is another example of a country with stricter gun laws than the US, which is the reason why the UK has less guns than the US. The United Kingdom rate of legal and illegal civilian firearm possession is 6.7 firearms per 100 people, which is much less than the US. Their annual rate of gun suicide is at .15 per 100,000 people, compared to the US’s 6.3 (Gunpolicy.org). This clearly shows that the UK and the US have very different views on gun control with very different consequences. Japan provides an example almost ludicrous to think about in the US. Max Fisher, a former editor and author at The Atlantic presents the shocking facts about Japan’s gun control and the effects. In 2008 Japan had all of 11 deaths from guns, while the US had over 12,000. In 2006,