Outlawing the Ownership of Handguns Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Outlawing the Ownership of Handguns - Essay Example For Americans, any firearm represents equality and individualism. The Second Amendment to the US Constitution provides that ‘A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed’ (Rights of the People). All fifty of the United States have laws recognizing the right to bear arms as contained in the Second Amendment to the US Constitution. By virtue of the Second Amendment and the Constitutions of at least 44 US states recognize ‘the right to use arms for defense’ (The War Against Handguns). Moreover, a survey conducted by Lawrence Research in 1998 reveals that ‘by an 8:1 margin, Americans believe you have the right to use a handgun to defend yourself in your own home. By a 3:1 margin, people believe that to fight crime, getting tough with criminals is more effective than banning guns’. This trend and ideology within the American legal culture to recognize a right to armed self-defense has been criticized for many reasons. The most obvious relates to the incidents of handgun related crimes and the potential for accidental death and serious injury Professor Friedland of the University of Toronto does not feel that the protection of life, liberty or property is sufficient to justify possession of a handgun or any type of firearm. He maintains that ‘Citizens should rely on the police, security guards, and alarm systems for protection.’