Dear Future President,

        The issue of how the second amendment should be interpreted has been an issue in this country since its conception. To many, the second amendment is seen simply as the ability to own a firearm for self-defense or recreation, but this only part of true reason for the implementation of the amendment. The often forgotten part of the second amendment is ‘the right to keep a well-regulated militia,’ truly shows the true reason for having this amendment. Many advocates for gun rights completely ignore the fact the second amendment was included in our constitution to grant citizens the ability to defend ourselves from a possibly tyrannical government. Founding father and one of the main authors of the constitution, Thomas Jefferson, wrote, “What country can preserve its liberties if their rulers are not warned from time to time that their people preserve the spirit of resistance,” in a letter to James Madison, showing one of his main reason for supporting the amendment. As a leader of the Anti-Federalist party, Jefferson was extremely worried on the powers of a new government, further showing the true purpose of including the second amendment. This is not to say that self-defense and other reasons were not considered, but it is fair to say that the possibility of a tyrannical government should not be disregarded. When the truth of second am dement is seen, it shows that the public must be granted the right to hold arms so that it can defend itself against an unbridled government.

         The opposition to this view would claim that a tyrannical government would never arise due to the checks and balance system in place and the current environment of our society. People will also claim that the threat of the misuse of firearms outweighs the potential positive use against a hypothetical government. This is flawed reasoning because a hypothetical tyranny can cause much further and long lasting damage than the results of misused firearms. Furthermore, the regulations that they seek to implement would not result in a reduction in these tragedies because the majority of these shootings happen with stolen firearms that were at one point purchased legally by law abiding citizens. Laws making it harder for law-abiding citizens to acquire guns would not reduce the number of firearms acquired by shooters, gang members, and others. A solution to this problem would be to increase gun safety laws requiring people to keep their firearms in a safer environment in order to reduce the amount of firearms that find their way into the hands of criminals.

        The right to bear arms and create a medium by which to protect ourselves is a right that shall not be infringed upon, as per the second amendment of the U.S. Constitution. This right is essential to the fabric of American society because it is in the very roots of our country. We would not have been able to gain our independence from Britain if we had not been able to keep firearms and been able to organize regional militias. Any infringement upon this right would be detrimental to the American way.

Sincerely,

Mattheus T.