Stop the Killing!

The population of the United States is 326 million people. There are more than 393 million firearms in the America, or enough for every man, woman and child to own a gun, and still have 67 million guns left over. Those numbers come from the latest edition of the global Small Arms Survey, a project of the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies in Geneva.(the washing Post information) The right of an individual to bear arms has been argued since the constitution was ratified on September 17, 1787. The Second Amendment was ratified on December 15, 1791, as one of the first ten amendments to the Constitution, known as the Bill of Rights. The Bill of Rights expanded upon the Constitution by establishing clear individual rights, limiting the government’s powers, and further laying the foundation of American freedom. The right to bear arms for individuals was not originally written into the constitution . It was only granted years later in the second amendment. It is barely conceivable that this discussion is still going on years later. The second amendment still affords the individual the right to own arms, but only for self-protection or protection of their home. At the time that this second amendment was ratified, a gun rifle was capable of shooting one bullet at the time. Today an American made semiautomatic rifle can shoot 600-950 rounds a minute or more discharges in a single shot, with each pull of the trigger. Anybody in American above the age of 18 can buy semi-automatic rifles, capable of shooting hundred bullets a minute. Until very recently a repetitive rifle and guns were available at any Walmart. No one today is being denied the right of an individual to own a gun for self protection, and protection of their home. This does not afford the right for an individual to carry arms in public places, or anywhere outside of the home. Get rid of all the guns on the streets of America, and there would be no reason to feel unsafe on those streets. We as Americans, whether Democrat or Republican, should join together to promulgate and support a law forbidding anyone to bear arms of any kind on the streets of America. Only members of law and enforcement agencies should have the rights to bear arms in public places. For other groups such as hunters, they should have to undergo an extensive training program, before obtaining a license to bear arms, as is common in other countries. Americans, whether Democrat or Republican, we must UNITE to get guns off the streets of America. The penalty for bearing arms in public should be severe even considering the death penalty, with which I personally do not agree. However, putting people in prison for an extensive period of time, is very expensive for tax payers. Strict laws and severe penalties, including heavy fines, rehab centers and community services over extended periods of time, might act as a deterrent to carrying weapons, producing substantial results in securing our streets and public places. We are no longer the Wild West. We must get guns off the streets of America.