The Bill of Rights and the 2nd Amendment essays

The Bill of Rights and the 2nd Amendment essays We as Americans have more rights and freedoms than any other nation in the world. Our founding fathers laid down a basis for all Americans to be able to live in a free society without the fear of government oppression. That basis is found in the United States Constitution and the Bill of Rights. The actual wording of the Constitution was written to allow for various interpretations, which has led to many arguments of its validity in an ever-changing society. The Bill of Rights gives a specific outline of what freedoms we have, but due to its vagueness, it has come under fire many times. The 2nd Amendment of the Bill of Rights gives us the right to bear arms to protect our freedom not only from other people and nations but from our own government as well.[Bearnards,1991] The 2nd Amendment: Is it a Guarantee? When the Bill of Rights was written in 1791 there was included in it the 2nd Amendment which 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" [law.cornell.edu]. At the time it was written the U.S. government could not afford to support an army to defend against foreign threats, thus calling upon the people to take up arms to defend our young nation. [O'Sullivan, 1989] The first part of the 2nd Amendment states that very clearly. The second part can be interpreted that we have the right to protect ourselves from our own government to ensure that all states remain free. The last part, which clearly states that it is a right, is under the most scrutiny. There are many lobbyist groups that present proposals to Congress each year to make amendments to the Bill of Rights that would suppress the 2nd Amendment. Among the groups opposing the 2nd Amendment are the Coalition against Gun Violence with an average membership of 75,000 and Handgun Control Inc. (HCI) with an average membership of about 300,000 [Roleff, 1997]...