The right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed. -Excerpt from the Second Amendment of the United States Constitution Ever since the founding of our country and the war fought to gain our independence, the founding fathers knew that without our weapons we would be vulnerable; vulnerable to both the government and to domestic threats. It was the will of our forefathers for Americans to have the right to bear arms, and it is also my will to see a country full of responsible people who are exercising their rights.
History has shown that when the government comes after a person’s weapons, things get ugly. For instance, just before the first battle of the American Revolution at Lexington, the British Government sent soldiers to take the townspeople’s weapons, which spurred the colonist into action, therefore starting the American Revolution. In a report written by Stephen P. Halbrook for The Washington Post, he states that, “Just after the Redcoats’ attempt to seize the arms of the rebel militia at Lexington and Concord in 1775, Gen. Thomas Gage ordered all the inhabitants of Boston to turn in their arms at Faneuil Hall for temporary safekeeping. When the people complied, troops seized the firearms, never to return them. The arms seizures were a major cause of the Revolution.”
Pro-gun control activists may say that events pertaining to the American Revolution have no effect on current issues in the 21st century, but to say that would be false. In recent years the number of knife killings in countries with gun control laws has risen exponentially, targets for these knife attacks have included schools and shopping centers. Last June, knife-wielding assailants killed nine policemen and 17 civilians at a police station in Lukqun Township in Xinjiang. And if that wasn’t enough in July of 2013, a mentally ill man stabbed four people, leaving a two-year-old boy dead, outside of a Carrefour shop in Beijing with a knife he purchased from the store.
The following month, another man stabbed several passengers on a bus in Henan province, killing three, including a 10-month old baby and a 10-year-old child. All of these attacks prove that Gun control laws only increase the number of homicides! So, what is the solution? The answer is background checks. Although they may be an invasion of privacy compromises must be made in order to keep our weapons, especially in a world full of violence.
Background checks will keep criminals from easily obtaining guns, and keep our country safe. With the added protection of having a responsible police force with well trained officers, our countries will be safe without having to give up our rights. So, don’t forget to send a letter to your favorite senator, and keep our rights our own.
References
- https://gun-control.procon.org/
- https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/opinions/1995/05/31/when-the-redcoats-confiscated-guns/e38d0810-af85-4949-8d93-3da746601e65/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.9a96026273d4
- https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/opinions/1995/05/31/when-the-redcoats-confiscated-guns/e38d0810-af85-4949-8d93-3da746601e65/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.9a96026273d4
- https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/outside-americas-knives-are-often-weapon-choice-homicides-180949953/
