Wise High School Student Defends the Second Amendment

[Winchester 73]

This young lady has more commonsense than most of the Members Of Congress.

http://mywebtimes.com/archives/ottaw....php?id=354264


Second Amendment? It's worth defending by Kristen Glade

It can't be denied guns are dangerous. But, when handled properly, guns provide the security we're entitled to as citizens. According to "The Second Amendment Primer" by Les Adams, the Second Amendment to the Constitution reads, "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."
Imagine if the government or military had the power to take guns away from U.S. citizens. This kind of intrusion could easily turn our government to tyranny overnight and leave citizens vulnerable without a way to defend themselves. Worse yet, if another country attacked the United States, what could the unarmed citizen do? The Second Amendment prevents citizens from being helpless in situations like these.

That guns often are associated with street gangs, violence and robberies tends to obscure the real value of guns. More often than not, the media will portray the use of firearms in only negative ways, such as demonstrating how armed people may violently react to a situation. It's understandable because gun use is a serious subject. But why not also focus on the stories where guns have saved lives?

In a recent issue of "American Rifleman," a woman tells her story about being home alone with her 3-year-old daughter.

She states, "An intruder forced open my front door and came face-to-face with me, holding my husband's gun." After firing two shots at the intruder, he fled the scene. Who knows what may have happened if there hadn't been a gun nearby in this woman's situation?

To a certain extent, having gun control laws are important for the safety of the people. The Gun Control Act of 1968 made it illegal to sell firearms and ammunition to unfit individuals. Following the lead of this act, authorities at the state and local level have enacted stricter gun control laws.

Ironically, the enactment of these laws hasn't lowered crime rates, but it has achieved just the opposite. Since the Washington, D.C., handgun ban in 1976, crime and homicide rates have steadily increased. In March 2007, the Federal Appeals Court overturned District of Columbia's handgun ban. The Supreme Court is in the process of examining whether or not the Washington handgun ban violates the Second Amendment.

Another example of consequences involving restrictive gun control laws occurred in Jamaica. In the article titled "Jamaica: Gun Control Test Lab, Now Murder Capital," the Prime Minister of Jamaica stated, "There is no place in this society for the gun, now or ever." In response to the Prime Minister's comment, laws were quickly passed that outlawed private ownership of firearms and ammunition on the Caribbean Island nation.

Today, murder rates in Jamaica -- 30 per 100,000 population annually -- are higher than any other region in the world. On the other hand, states with right-to-carry laws have seen a decrease in their crime rates. The right to carry is a state law that allows qualified citizens to carry a concealed handgun. Currently, Illinois and Wisconsin are the only states with no form of a concealed carry law. In 2006, the FBI recorded, "Right-to-carry states have lower violent crime rates, an average compared to the rest of the country."

Enacting gun control laws may be necessary, but they'll only be effective once they are written to address the real issues. It's unfortunate current gun laws affect the law-abiding citizen, but do not affect criminals who obtain guns illegally.

The right to keep and bear arms is one of our essential freedoms protected by the Second Amendment. If this amendment were lost, would other amendments fall under attack?

As President Harry Truman stated, "I have little patience with people who take the Bill of Rights for granted. The Bill of Rights, contained in the first 10 amendments to the Constitution, is every American's guarantee of freedom." If the amendments aren't defended by the people they were written for, then who will defend them?

[KimberRB]

OMG This young lady has hit it right on the head. Outstanding read. She has my vote.

[Red Hat]

She must have some great parents. She sure didn't learn that in school!

[Glock Fan]

Hey Winchester, tell your daughter "good work"! :icon_wink:



gf

[oidsailor]

A surperb read from a young lady, some one is definitly instilling good values, responsibility and some history for this young lady.

[Big Bubba]

We can only hope this fine young lady, will consider running for President when she gets old enough, She displays common sense a virtue that is sorely lacking in a lot of politicians.

[Scarecrow]

she's got a nice head on her shoulders

[DrDavidM]

This would be very impressive from anybody. It is amazing it was written by a high school student. :D

[Cooter]

Originally Posted by Big Bubba

We can only hope this fine young lady, will consider running for President when she gets old enough, She displays common sense a virtue that is sorely lacking in a lot of politicians.

Deffinetly. I wouldn't doubt it, if she turned out to be president. I wasn't concerned too much about the Bill of Rights in High School. I was too busy skipping class, and chasing tail. Lol

Good work Kristen