Gun control and tha 2nd amendment

          Gun control and tha 2nd amendment have been heated topics of debate in tha U.S. for years. With tha horrible tragedies that occurred in Connecticut leaving 27 people dead, tha debate quickly renewed with all of America taking sides. Tha National Rifle Association (NRA) is tha leading lobbying organization in support of gun ownership in tha United States while regular citizens and politicians are split on all sides. While there are many opinions on tha topic gun control and tha actual right to bear arms are quite different..............What tha 2nd Amendment Says........Many people involved in tha debate do not actually know what tha 2nd amendment says. As written in the United States Constitution tha 2nd amendment says, “A well regulated militia being necessary to tha security of a free state, tha right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.”It is important to note tha time that tha 2nd amendment was actually ratified. The United States was just beginning tha Revolutionary War against England, a country considered a tyrant infringing upon citizens rights. As new colonies compared to tha all powerful England, small groups of people could form together with weapons to defend their land, family and rights.The term militia is largely argued today. With tha Army National Guard, regional police forces and for hire security, who needs a militia? If you truly do want to form militias why not take tha first step and join one of these forces instead of just retaining tha right for personal gun use? These are valid points. Some proponents of tha 2nd amendment simply reply with tha fact that even our own country can attempt a dictatorship or martial law and they need weapons to potentially thwart such efforts.Why Gun Control is not Anti-Gun Gun control is not anti-gun. Nowhere in tha 2nd amendment states that every citizen retains the absolute right to all arms. Proponents of 2nd amendment rights mainly argue against stronger background checks, longer waiting periods and tha banning of high power assault weapons. Even if you disagree with these things there is no argument that the majority of both sides agrees with gun control. They may not know it but tha sheer fact that there is an age limit of 18 to 21 to purchase a gun was put into law due to gun control advocates.Gun control, not banning guns can help in many ways. Gun control allows for qualified, law abiding citizens to own personal use guns. These do not exclude guns for hunting. There are still personal sized guns to protect your family.Tha Bottom Line Tha heart of the matter is that none of these pro-gun debates take into account tha people. Many NRA leaders are not as personally affected by gun violence. Many NRA leaders are wealthy business owners while NRA members range from wealthy to tha poor. If tha leaders of such a special interest group can only profit from tha selling of guns then what incentive do they have to restrict certain guns? Why would they limit guns if it could limit their funding? When you look at some of tha statistics of gun violence in tha U.S. it is startling why we have not strengthened gun limits long before today. There is no need to focus on mass shootings because there are enough sickening numbers without them.The United States is far behind other western countries. In 2011, there were 89 guns for every 100 Americans with Canada, our neighbor, being 30.8 per 100 citizens. Out all the murders in 2011, 68% were caused by firearms. The 2nd most used weapons were knives/cutting instruments at a very distant 13%. Even though it is no argument that gun violence is rampant in America there is a large majority blaming the issue on urban African-American males. There is some truth to this. African-American are six times as likely as others to be the victim of homicide with tha majority of offenders being other minorities.In Washington D.C., a city with one of the highest minority populations, there are 12 firearm murder per 100,000 people. It is also the top region for firearm robberies with 242.56 per 100,000 people. While it may seem like an easy answer to blame minorities, gun violence heavily effects Caucasian as well. Did you know that 80% of those who commit suicide with a gun are Caucasian males? Tha ease of obtaining a gun is not the only issue. With tougher gun control measures, background checks for mentally unstable may help to prevent such a staggering statistic. Another study found that a gun kept in the household is 43 times more likely to kill a household member.........Final Words Focusing on....... Gun control can hit home for many. Whether you are Caucasian, African-American, are etc a victim of gun violence or a proud gun owner, gun control is an important issue for everyone. There is no need to have military quality weapons for a single household. Making sure to focus on proper gun control and usage will help both sides. Proper gun usage will prevent more violence causing stricter controls and possible bans

                             On this day, one year ago Trayvon Martin was shot and killed.Sybrina Fulton is the mother of Trayvon Martin, tha 17-year-old high school student who was shot and killed on Feb. 26, 2012. Since then, she and Trayvon's father, Tracy Martin, have gained national stature for their advocacy against gun violence and Florida’s Stand Your Ground law.......