What are Advantages and Disadvantages of the Second Amendment in the USA Constitution?

The constitutional right of American people to freely keep and bear arms is an issue which frequently generate a great deal of heated debate, with supporters maintaining that it is vital to keep USA citizens’ lives safe, whilst opponents claim that it is unjustifiable fact of permissiveness that is unnecessary in modern society.

Firstly, it is said that some kind of a weapon is indispensable in case of out of sudden sexual or bodily attack or pickpocketing A right to defend oneself is an essential part of a democracy which is so appreciated in the USA and its abolition will give rise to riots, demonstrations and promote inner instability. This fact is important to remember especially if we look at the statistic: it says that since the beginning of the century the approval of this right has risen from 29 % to 51% among American citizens. On the other hand, amendment that includes this right was passed in the 18th century when soldiers tended to invade houses of civilians creating difficulties for a peaceful existence. That time it was out of sheer necessity to invent some way to defense oneself. But present-day arm’s availability from time to time results in aggressive and blood-thirsty mass shootings at public places committed by mental-disabled people who, in spite of their disease, are free to buy a weapon, unfortunately. Even teenagers are able to get it. As it is stated in the article by Jamiles Lartney “This year has been by far the worst on record for gun violence in schools, the advocacy group Sandy Hook Promise said, citing research by the US Naval Postgraduate School (NPS). They counted 94 school shooting incidents in 2018, a near 60% increase on the previous high, 59, an unwanted record set in 2006” (1).

Secondly, it is believed that permitted arm’s bearing helps to decline a crime rate as portentous felons are afraid of being suffered themselves. According to different statistics, above 60 % of ones who possess a weapon have bought it for the sake of their own protection. There is even a proverb appeared recently: “The best protection from a bad man with gun is a good man with gun”. Besides, ones who stand for this idea respond to opponents who criticize them for promoting gun abuse with the reasonable words if a delinquent is a decisive one, he will definitely find a way to commit a crime whether using a cold steel or acting with his own hands. So, abolition will not help to improve sad statistics about the number of crimes. However, gun abuse cannot be ignored as it has reached extremes that can no longer be tolerated.  In fact, figures are appalling: 100 Americans are killed and 200 injured by firearms each day. What is more, it is impossible to monitor if a person has bought an arm for his defense or for a public massacre as there are 300 million of guns in legal possession of American people, among them are teenagers and unrecognized lunatics.

All thing considered, it may be concluded that gun control is one of the main USA problems these days which requires a resolution. While, free arm keeping and bearing are still permitted at the State level, the citizens who have suffered from its negative consequences are calling for its immediate abolition. To my mind, gun ban is vitally necessary for American society because it is hard to read without tears these words of one mother whose son has been assassinated: “I want those bastards in Congress … They need to pass gun control so no one else has a child that doesn’t come home,” (2).

(1) Lartey, Jamiles. “2018 Is Worst Year on Record for Gun Violence in Schools, Data Shows.” The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 9 Dec. 2018, www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/dec/09/sandy-hook-promise-gun-violence-school-shooting-report-2018.

(2) Davis, Charles. “'Those Bastards Need to Pass Gun Control': Families of California Shooting Victims Speak Out.” The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 9 Nov. 2018, www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/nov/09/california-thousand-oaks-shooting-victims-las-vegas.