When the founding fathers were organizing the framework of the United States Constitution in the late eighteenth century, the amount of power the national government would possess was an issue that came with much debate. The two parties of the day were the Federalists, who advocated a strong national government with an intricate system of checks and balances, and the Anti-Federalists, who promoted strong state and local governments that included small republics to keep the local communities in check. .
John Jay, a former Federalist, opposed this idea while framing the Constitution, saying a country "Should never be split into a number of unsocial, jealous, and alien sovereignties." As one can tell, the parties rarely ever agreed with one another, so the Constitution was created through numerous compromises between the opposing sides. Today, the debate goes on between the contemporary political parties; the Republicans and Democrats. While the Democrats favor a large federal government to equalize and homogenize policies across state borders, the Republicans believe governmental power and resources should be kept close to the people, through their state and community representatives. .
One contemporary debate that represents these contradictory beliefs is the ongoing dispute over gun control. While the Democrats strive for stricter gun laws to better preserve society, the Republicans oppose gun control legislation, and use the Second Amendment to the Constitution, the right to bear arms, as justification for their beliefs. .
A solution to the gun control debate would be to adopt Federalist ideals by creating a national law that requires private gun sellers to possess a license and buyers to initially complete a background check, a resolution that would rid the country of illegal firearms and help restore peace to society yet again.
Ever since the adolescent years of the American nation, guns have been used among the people as means for protection and hunting.
