During the Revolutionary War period, colonists viewed the right to bare arms as a natural right, and rightfully so. They faced legitimate dangers such as a tyrannical British rule, Native Americans, and wild animals. Hence, the Founding Fathers included in the Constitution the right to own firearms in 1791. The colonists needed firearms to actively defend themselves against these dangers and eventually overthrow their British oppressors. Furthermore, it made sense for colonists to be armed because the colonial militias were composed of volunteer minutemen. These soldiers had to be quick to act and transform from a civilian to a soldier within minutes, which is where the term originates. Interestingly, "immediately after the colonists defeated the British, we see an immediate abuse of the right to bear arms in Shay's Rebellion, where an unruly group of farmers in economic crisis tried to hijack a militia armory (Shay's Rebellion)." Shay's Rebellion is evidence that the right to bear arms is not always a good idea, especially during times of peace without clear and present dangers. In relation to modern times, there is no justifiable reason to possess arms; we do not face dangers such as a tyrannical oppressor, Native Americans, or wild animals. We live in arguably one of the safest environments there is, with a well-funded police force and military to neutralize threats. We also have a government with a system of checks and balances to prevent an oppressive rule. Therefore, it makes little sense that the Second Amendment prevents stricter gun laws from being passed when guns today are not a necessity. .
Although there are federal and some state background checks when purchasing a gun, they are often contradictory or not thoroughly enforced. A tragic example of this would be the Virginia Tech massacre, where the shooter, Seung-Hui Cho managed to pass the background checks and buy two guns and ammunition to kill innocent people.
