Verified Document

Responsibility Gun Control Term Paper

¶ … regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be in fringed. (Amendment II to the Constitution of the United States) The preceding sentence has inspired a great deal of controversy over the years. Gun control is a heated topic in both American politics and in civil discourse throughout the nation. The issue has had a profound effect on lobbyists and on the general public. Issues revolving around gun control and the constitutionality of both new and old laws constantly see media attention. Every time there is a school shooting or a justifiable homicide, large numbers of advocates for gun control and opponents against the issue arise. Indeed, the politics of gun control and the rights of gun ownership inspire heated and emotional debates throughout the nation.

The concept of gun control is ultimately flawed. The vast majority of those who use weapons in violent offenses have not attained them through legal means. In other words, it is common for stolen guns to be used for criminal acts. The result is that one's own personal responsibility with firearms is far more important than gun control legislation. The reality is that to be a responsible gun owner, one must be aware that he or she owns a weapon. A gun is not a toy, nor something that should be glorified as is common in movies. Guns must be protected from larceny and from misuse. To own a gun is to be responsible for the weapon and one's own actions with said weapon.

Greg Claus contends that to own a gun one must be responsible for the use of the weapon....

In his article, "With Gun Ownership Comes Great Responsibility," he writes of an incident wherein an intoxicated man attempted to enter a house that was not his own. The home owner shot and killed the man as he entered his house. This particular home owner was not faced with a threat to his life, but he shot the man anyway. Claus does not attack the home owner for having a gun, but instead criticizes him for his rash and somewhat unprovoked violence. "The problem," Claus writes. "Is with how coarsely we treat the sanctity of human life." He continues to talk about the possible implications to gun control litigation, but that is not the focus of the article. The focus is responsibility. He finishes his assessment of the situation by writing, "civilized society cannot now nor ever allow fear alone to be justification for killing another person."
Claus's article is concise and well written. He took an issue - the mistaken shooting of a drunk man - and evaluated the issue from a pro-gun perspective. He clearly relates the story to his intended audience and then begins to explore issues of responsibility in gun ownership as filtered through the incident described. Certainly Claus makes a number of assumptions about the incident or perhaps he just did not include his source material. He assumes that there was no violence preceding the shooting and he assumes that the shooter used his weapon without warning the intruder and without provocation. It appears Claus has a good understanding of human nature and one's need to react in light of fear so his assumptions are not that far out. Indeed, his focal point in…

Sources used in this document:
Works Cited

1) North, Gary. "Gun Ownership in Iraq." Lew Rockwell. 7 March 2003. http://www.lewrockwell.com/north/north165.html

Bibliography

Claus, Greg. "With Gun Ownership Comes Great Responsibility." The Press Republican. 16 June 2002. http://www.pressrepublican.com/Archive/2002/06162002gc.htm

Ashcroft, John. "Defense of the Second Amendment." United States Senate Republican Policy Committee. 23 September 1998. http://www.senate.gov/~rpc/releases/1999/gc012501.htm
Cite this Document:
Copy Bibliography Citation

Related Documents

Gun Control & Push for Gun Control
Words: 1736 Length: 5 Document Type: Thesis

GUN CONTROL & PUSH FOR GUN CONTROL Surname The research paper is on gun control and the push for gun control. To respond to the topic the paper first lays down in the first paragraph basic concepts of the gun control ideals and the pro-gun movement. The introduction explores the basic tenets and motivations of the pro-gun and gun control activists in America. The paper uses the motivation and opposition of both

Gun Control Vs. Crime Rate
Words: 2852 Length: 10 Document Type: Capstone Project

Gun Control vs. Crime Rate Gun ownership in Virginia and the effects it has on crime rates There is much controversy regarding gun laws and the effects that they have on crime levels, as many are inclined to believe that they reduce the number of gun-related offences while others believe that they actually amplify the chances of a person being shot. American culture has come to be a gun culture, considering that

Gun Control Debate Aside From
Words: 2831 Length: 10 Document Type: Term Paper

As a consequence, it is difficult to conclude that strict liabilities for gun owners (a la LaFollette) represent and appropriate and reasoned response. "Gun ownership fails to clearly possess any of the three characteristics of ultra-hazardous activities." It fails to be an activity that is not commonly done, that necessarily involves a risk of serious harm, and that cannot be made safe even with extreme care (Hunt, 2001: p.

Gun Controls "Studies Have Shown That Guns
Words: 2326 Length: 7 Document Type: Term Paper

Gun Controls "Studies have shown that guns are needed for the safety of the people and there is a need to repeal Gun Control for all guns." Semiautomatic weapons have been brought out by a student of suburban high school and fired resulting in fatal injuries to his classmates and teachers and several others. The consequence is that a pre-teen boy was sentenced for life under the charge of murdering a 6-year-old

Gun Control Legislation Gun Control Is Not
Words: 874 Length: 2 Document Type: Term Paper

Gun Control Legislation Gun control is not one concern, but several. To some people gun control is a crime issue; to others it is a rights issue. Gun control is a safety issue, an education issue, a racial issue, and a political issue. Within each of these issues, there are those who want more gun control legislation and those who want less. Guns are not for everyone. Certain individuals cannot handle

Gun Control in the 21st
Words: 5200 Length: 15 Document Type: Term Paper

Hence, while ratifying the U.S. Constitution, the Virginia convention passed a resolution specifying: "That the people have a right to keep and bear arms; that a well-regulated militia, composed of the body of the people trained to arms, is the proper, natural, and safe defense of a free state;" It is, therefore, clear that the central issue that led to the adoption of the Second Amendment, as part of the

Sign Up for Unlimited Study Help

Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.

Get Started Now