White 1

Miranda White

Prof. Pettay

ENG 112

28 March 2024

Right to Bear Arms

INTRODUCTION TO THE ISSUE: The world today is a dangerous place. People fear

airborne viruses that have the power to kill, catastrophic nuclear fallout, and the earth’s

atmosphere turning into a Dutch oven. When it comes to life and death situations, the first thing

people think about is protecting themselves and the ones they love; it is no different when it

comes to firearms. Those who value guns utilize the weapons in action of self-defense and

bravery, a commendable act among their peers. However, not everyone shares those ideals. Some

people think that violence stems from the overprotection of firearms. They believe that the best

way to defend themselves is to remove the possession of firearms to make the general public feel

safe once again. The right to bear arms is embedded in our constitution, but the implications of

what the founding fathers wrote are still being debated nationwide.

THEIR SIDE: People who advocate for gun owners’ rights bring up the issue of what

is written in the Constitution. Every American has the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of

happiness. Back when the founding fathers gathered to write the law of the land, they made sure

that future Americans had the right to protect themselves by choice of firearms. James Madison

wrote the Second Amendment to prevent what the British had done to colonial America in the

future. It is embedded in the framework of the United States that all constituents under the U.S.

flag are allowed to purchase and own guns in the name of self-defense. The Center for American

Progress, a non-partisan policy institute, defines self-defense as “to protect oneself from any
 White 2

perceived threat of harm.” Threats aren’t only aimed at oneself; they can include people of

importance in a person’s life, such as their family. The Supreme Court has seen cases in the past

wishing to challenge the extent of the Second Amendment. According to the NRA Institute for

Legislative Action, a gun rights advocacy organization, in the case of “District of Columbia v.

Heller (2008), the Supreme Court heard its first case specifically centered on whether the

“amendment protects an individual right [firearms].” The Supreme Court agreed with previous

rulings stating that “the amendment protects an individual's right to keep arms and to bear arms.”

American citizens have the right to protect themselves and their property in a justified situation,

even if that means the use of force. Statement of understanding: The Constitution is the heart of

all American legislation and citizen rights, so why should lawmakers alter the rules that have

been in place for 234 years? Even though people have tried to challenge the authority of the

constitution, it’s word still prevails. Defending oneself with the use of a firearm is justified when

it comes to protecting family.

THEIR SIDE: Another value held by gun advocates is that firearms are also necessary for

conservation and preservation. People aren’t just defending other humans with firearms; they

are also defending their property. Animals such as wild boars are invasive species that “cause

extensive damage to natural ecosystems, threaten endangered species, agricultural resources, and

private lands,” according to Justin Fischer, a wildlife biologist. Hunting isn’t only for sport; it is

also utilized as a form of conservation. When wild pigs are allowed to roam free on farm land,

they destroy all crops and vegetation in their path. The existence of these creatures is disrupting

the natural flow of production for agriculture, making it a top priority to get rid of them. The

hoofed animals reproduce quickly, which can overpopulate forests and cause damage to the

ecosystem they live in. Deer populations can be controlled “through a system of hunting
 White 3

regulations,” as stated by Tommy Brown, who is a professor at Cornell. Hunters are allowed to

hunt the species during designated seasons, which help to control the overpopulation and serve

as a form of recreational activity. Statement of understanding: Those who advocate for gun’s

rights don’t only utilize them for self defense. Some activists want to play a part in saving the

environment or enjoy the sport of hunting. Guns have more than one use, making ownership a

main priority for advocates.

MY SIDE: A portion of the reasoning for gun ownership is it’s a form of self defense,

but some believe that not owning a firearm is the best way to protect the important people

in one’s life. Firearms are at the top of the pyramid for causes of death in the United States.

Everytown, an advocate for gun safety, reports that “every day, more than 120 people in the

United States are killed with guns.” Gun violence is creating a sense of unease among the public.

Mass shootings are a state of reality, with a new incident happening every other week. Often

times, firearms end up getting placed in the wrong hands, which can result in someone getting

hurt. People are afraid to go into public spaces, like schools, fearing for their lives. When a

shooting occurs within a building of education, Ann Sheenan, who is the assistant dean for the

College of Nursing at Michigan State, states that a “sense of insecurity flows throughout the

entire community [when] violence is enacted upon innocent children.” The use of assault style

weapons is common when it comes to mass shootings due to the large capacity of the magazine.

There are more ways to protect others than through the use of semi-automatic weapons.

PROPOSAL: Though our society remains polarized, individuals can sympathize with

the concept of protecting others. Gun owners value their Second Amendment rights to self

defense using a firearm, while gun control advocates claim that not possessing guns is the

best representation of safety. The best solution to satisfy both sides of the aisle is one that
 White 4

maintains the rights of gun owners and gives peace of mind to those who want stronger

legislation against firearms. An example of a potential solution is stronger background checks on

those wishing to purchase a firearm. Instead of just checking the age of the customer, they would

run their ID through a national database, searching for any imperfections in their record. This

would help prevent unlawful purchases of firearms from ending up in the wrong hands. One

more possible solution would be banning gun modifications. As written by Gregg Carter, a

professor of sociology, an assault weapon was created for military use and originally designed as

a machine gun that was capable of firing in either semi-automatic or fully automatic modes.

Although most of these gun types are banned, there are still modifications that a person can

attach to a firearm to make it fully automatic. An example of a gun mod would be a glock

switch, also known as a button, which attaches to the rear of a pistol, allowing it to rapidly fire

ammunition.

Conclusion: Although guns are a heated topic in the United States, there is still common

ground between the two sides. Gun rights advocates hold the ideals of the Constitution close to

their hearts. They believe that the right to bear arms should never be infringed upon since it is

one of the core values our country was built upon. On the other hand, people who support gun

control think that there should be limits on the ownership of guns. Although the two disagree,

they can both come together and confirm that their top priority is protecting themselves and the

ones they love. Disagreement is a part of life, but when it comes to saving the important people

in life, there are no discrepancies.

 White 5

Work Cited

Bhatia, Rukmani. “Untangling the Gun Lobby's Web of Self-Defense and Human Rights.”

Center for American Progress, 12 August 2020,

https://www.americanprogress.org/article/untangling-gun-lobbys-web-self-defense-huma

n-rights/. Accessed 25 March 2024.

Brown, Tommy L, et al. “The Future of Hunting as a Mechanism to Control White-Tailed Deer

Populations.” Research Gate, Dec. 2000, dx.doi.org/10.2307/3783834.

Carter, Gregg L. Guns in American Society. ABC CLIO, 2002.

“Firearms are the leading cause of death for American children and teens.” Everytown Research

& Policy, 13 February 2023,

https://everytownresearch.org/graph/firearms-are-the-leading-cause-of-death-for-america

n-children-and-teens/. Accessed 26 March 2024.

Fischer, Justin W., et al. “Factors and Costs Associated with Removal of a Newly Established

Population of Invasive Wild Pigs in Northern U.S.” Scientific Reports, vol. 10, no. 1, July

2020, pp. 1–10. EBSCOhost, https://doi-org.eztcc.vccs.edu/10.1038/s41598-020-68264-z.

Hollas, Deanna. “Self Defense Is Killing Us.” Interpretation: A Journal of Bible & Theology,

vol. 76, no. 3, July 2022, pp. 215–23. EBSCOhost,

https://doi-org.eztcc.vccs.edu/10.1177/00209643221091110.

Sato, Yuko, and Jake Haselswerdt. “Protest and State Policy Agendas: Marches and Gun Policy

after Parkland.” Policy Studies Journal, vol. 50, no. 4, Nov. 2022, pp. 877–95.

EBSCOhost, https://doi-org.eztcc.vccs.edu/10.1111/psj.12463.

“Second Amendment & the Right to Keep and Bear Arms.” NRA-ILA,
 White 6

https://www.nraila.org/get-the-facts/second-amendment-right-to-keep-and-bear-arms/.

Accessed 25 March 2024.

Sheehan, Ann. “Gun Violence in the Schools: Defining the Problem.” Pediatric Nursing, vol. 49,

no. 6, Nov. 2023, pp. 306–09. EBSCOhost,

search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=173959550&site=ehost-live.

“Should More Gun Control Laws be Enacted?” Gun Control - Pros & Cons, 3 August 2023,

https://gun-control.procon.org/. Accessed 25 March 2024.

Zick, Timothy. “Framing the Second Amendment: Gun Rights, Civil Rights and Civil Liberties.”

Iowa Law Review, vol. 106, no. 1, Nov. 2020, pp. 229–97. EBSCOhost,

search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=147765139&site=ehost-live.