Firing Back

Paper Summary:

This paper argues that the right to carry arms has been unconstitutionally limited through any number of gun control laws. It is the thesis of this paper that, rather than continue to go against the Constitution in this matter, the Constitution itself should be altered to clearly state that individual citizens do not have an inalienable right to keep and carry arms.

From the Paper:

"To understand the outdated nature of this clause, it is necessary to understand its original intent. Some pro-gun-law activists claim that this clause was not designed to allow unlimited access to military weapons for the average citizen, but rather that the militia referred to here was the colonial equivalent of the National Guard. This argument clearly shows a misunderstanding of the language of the time and its original implications. According to Richard Henry Lee, who was both the initiator of the Declaration of Independence and a member of the first Senate which passed the Bill of Rights, wrote regarding this clause: ?A militia when properly formed are in fact the people themselves...and include all men capable of bearing arms...To preserve liberty it is essential that the whole body of people always possess arms and be taught alike, especially when young, how to use them...? "

More papers on Firing Back:

• Term Paper # 129330 : "The Iroquois Theater Fire"
• Analytical Essay # 3935 : "James Baldwin's "The Fire Next Time."
• Book Review # 98238 : "Fires of Jubilee"

APA Citation:

MLA Citation: