Citizen Rights and Gun Control Laws

            America has always prided itself on being the land of the free. Our national Constitution and Bill of Rights have ensured that the people of America maintain their basic rights, and more. Nevertheless, many of the rights guaranteed in these historic documents are often the subject of heated debate. The right to be free from unreasonable searches and seizures under the Fourth Amendment, the Fifth Amendment's guarantee against self-incrimination, the First Amendment's protection of speech and petitioning activity, all of these issues has been subject to contentious arguments in courts of law and the courts of public opinion. Of late, however, the most lengthy, argumentative and noisy debates have focused on gun control. Some people think that guns should be more harshly regulated, while others believe that they should be more easily available. Gun control lobbyists and activists claim that firearms only cause pain and destruction, but they couldn't be more wrong. In this country, firearms are not only used for sport and competition, but also for self-defense as well. The founding fathers made it crystal clear in the Constitution that the ability to own guns is a right, and this decision has been confirmed by our nation's courts and by the custom and practice of the generations that came before us throughout our history. Firearm restriction proposals should not be made into law because they completely and utterly ignore the Constitution and would result in a more violent society where the only means for the people to defend themselves against a threat has been abolished and taken away. .
             Gun control has been a topic of debate in Congress for centuries. It is defined as any law or policy designed to limit or abolish the sale, possession, and use of firearms. Gun control proponents argue that firearms cause tragedies and massacres (such as the Newtown and Columbine school shootings) while gun rights supporters claim that they are needed for sport, protection from tyranny, and self-defense.