The Second Amendment Essay Sample

The second Amendment has been corrupted over the years and instead of using this to protect yourself, it's more often used for violence! The second amendment can be misinterpreted and it often is. These misinterpretations can often lead to problems, which with this law it often leads to unnecessary violence and in worst cases death. I believe it's time for the second amendment to be reformed.

When the second amendment was created in 1791, the country was brand new and constantly at war, the second amendment was created to insure that you could always defend yourself but the law has grown in a way that the founding fathers didn't intend it too. And while yes, I agree that you should be able to protect yourself, that shouldn’t be the main argument for why we should keep the second amendment. One thing that pro second amendment groups tend to fight for is the right to open carry which was never a part of the second amendment; you were only able to have firearms at your house. The open carry law allows you to keep a firearm (small guns) on you at all times,this can often lead to problems due to irrationality, acting on anger or fear and pure hate. Statistics from BBC news shows that out of England, Wales, Australia, Canada, and America. America accounts for 73% of all gun related homicides. 

The reason our gun related crimes are so much higher than other countries is due to the fact that we have little restrictions when it comes to guns/firearms. In more than half of the US you do not require a permit or background check to purchase a gun.

Most states also don’t require a permit to open carry. This leads to many irresponsible or unstable individuals owning guns which they should not have access to.

Improper gun control leads to unnecessary violence (school shootings, hate crimes ect.) and suicides.

The numbers for suicides and school shootings have been going up over the years and easy access to guns does not help the problem. Suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in the US. According to the CDC Suicide rates increased 33% between 1999 and 2019 and more than 43.5% of suicides are commited with firearms, according to the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). Mental health is heavily tied in with school shootings which is also a rising problem in the US. American school shooting rates are between 11-75 per year according to a study done by NCES(National Center for Education Statistics)in 2000-2020. Even though the majority of school shootings are committed by students who cant legally own a gun, improper care of the firearm on the parent's behalf, such as leaving it just laying around and easy access for the child to get their hands on it, leads to these kinds of situations. Taking proper precautions when owning a gun is very important, that's why when you buy a gun you should have to take a gun safety course(proper care, how to use it correctly, etc.).

In conclusion the second amendment leads to more problems than it solves and it's time for reform. The second amendment was used differently when it was first created and primary use is for self defense but more often than not it's used for crimes and violence. One of the main reasons there is so much violence is because there are not enough restrictions on guns whether it's buying them or the right to open carry. Lastly, unhealthy relationships with guns(little restriction on adolescents using them, using them as a toy etc.) leads to lots of problems especially with minors. The overall problem with the second amendment is the fact that it causes way too much violence. I believe we can limit the violence to a minimum by requiring more permits and background checks when it comes to guns. Also, more gun safety classes and proper introduction to guns in school can help enormously with the increasing amount of gun violence.