Should the second amendment be abolished?
Though it may not seem like it at first glance, all of the firearms pictured above are essentially the same. Each of these guns are semi-automatic, they can hold a similar amount of rounds in their respective magazines, they basically fire the same .22-.223 (in.) caliber round, etc. The only main differences between all of these weapons is their outward appearances and what they are made out of.
The 2nd Amendment is very straightforward, “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.”
The Founding Fathers were very intricate in their wording of the Constitution. It is remarkable that the United States Constitution is still going strong after nearly 230 years- one of the longest tenures of any government in history.
A mistaken belief held by sceptics is that when the Founding Fathers were writing the 2nd Amendment they were referring to muskets only. However, the Founding Fathers knew about the repeating weapons at the time, and saw them as a possible military asset.
Many point to the first part of the 2nd Amendment and come to the conclusion that the Founding Fathers were only referencing the then-prevalent state militias (equivalent to the National Guard today). Sceptics claim that this is a reason why the 2nd Amendment is outdated. When looking at the testimony of the Founding Fathers, it is clear that they knew exactly what they were trying to say and that it would always hold true. When these statesmen said militia, they were referring to the whole populace of the United States.
The Founding Fathers also felt that the populace must have firearms so that they can overthrow a possible tyrannical government. This was an idea created by philosopher John Locke whose ideas of human “natural rights” of life, liberty, and property, were essential to the founding of the United States. Locke felt that if a government infringed on your natural rights, the people had the right to overthrow that tyrannical government. In the modern age, this would only be conceivable with firearms.
“Assault rifles,” “assault weapons,” or “machine guns” are some common misnomers when referring to the weapons that criminals use. The rifles used by criminals are nothing more than semi-automatic (mostly) sporting rifles designed for recreational use.
Semi-automatic means that when the trigger is pulled, one bullet is fired. The rate of fire for a semi-automatic weapon is solely dependent on how fast the operator pulls the trigger. The phrase “military style” is another term commonly used by anti-gun activists. Civilians are not able to purchase current military arms, which would include automatic weapons. (In reality, automatic weapons are not illegal in the U.S. but are extremely hard to obtain. A wall of multiple fees, applications, background checks, and other burdens must be cleared first, and civilians are only able to lay their hands on automatic weapons manufactured before 1986). This holds true for military vehicles as well, that’s why Hummers roam the streets rather than armored Humvees. (Again, military vehicles, even tanks, are not illegal, but are quite difficult to acquire).
“Assault weapon” is a vague term largely spoken by gun control advocates. Assault rifle on the other hand is a real military term, but should be left out of the gun control debate because crime enacted by individuals with automatic weapons is nonexistent.
We can thank none other than Adolf Hitler for (allegedly) coining the phrase “assault rifle.” The German Sturmgewehr, or “storm rifle”/”assault rifle,” was arguably the first assault rifle. Some common characteristics of an assault rifle are that they are magazine-fed and select-fire, which means that they have the capability to fire in semi-automatic or automatic settings.
Machine gun is another term incorrectly used synonymously with semi-automatic firearms. A machine gun is very distinct from even military assault rifles. Machine guns are not select-fire and can only fire in the fully-automatic configuration, completely taking them out of the conversation in the first place, and are also belt-fed rather than magazine-fed.
The ArmaLite Rifle (not “assault rifle”) Mark/Model 15 or AR-15 might be the most famous and infamous firearm in the United States. No civilian weapon in the U.S. has ever sold better. Highly customizable, versatile, and reliable, this weapon holds a special place in the hearts of many Americans.
The weapon is highly criticized by anti-gun activists for being a weapon designed to kill people, this could be due to the AR-15’s structural similarities to an actual military rifle, the M16 or M4 Carbine. (The M4 is a shortened version of the M16, and has essentially replaced the M16 as the current standard-issue rifle of the U.S. military).
Even though the M16 and M4 are based on the design of the ArmaLite Rifle, the M16 and M4 are designed for military use and are select-fire, compared to the AR-15 which is not designed for military use and can only fire in the semi-automatic setting. In sum, the AR-15 is nothing more than the civilian version of a military rifle, just like how the Hummer is the civilian version of the Humvee.
Still, multiple misconceptions arise from the customizability of the AR-15. Gun control advocates point to accessories like adjustable stocks, pistol grips, forend handles, high-capacity magazines, scopes/sights, barrel shrouds, flash suppressors, sound suppressors, etc., and claim that these modest attachments make a firearm deadlier.
No matter how many accessories you put on a gun, it will never change its firing mechanism. Even scopes do little to enhance the “ability” of a weapon. No matter what sight you use, it is more likely to fail if it is not sighted in correctly, and it is very difficult to correctly sight in a firearm.
Contrary to popular belief, the AR-15, or even rifles for that matter, are not the “choice weapon” of criminals and mass-shooters. Pistols actually far outnumber rifles in homicides and mass shootings.
Guns are a wonderful blessing; they protect us in so many different ways. Some people just shoot guns because it’s fun to do.
Guns are most certainly not evil and it’s a shame that more people don’t appreciate how great they really are.
