Dr. David Childs, Ph.D.
Northern Kentucky University
Second Amendment
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.
The famous western radio and later television series entitled GunSmoke is an iconic film that perpetuated the American myth of the old west. It celebrates the quick drawing Marshall Dillon who settles justice on his own terms by shooting and killing all of the bad guys. American movies celebrate and glorify gun toting heroes, the carefree attitude of the cowboy and his gun. However, guns in reality do not always bring about such a positive outcome. GunSmoke Episode https://tinyurl.com/y96ld49t
In contrast, an NPR article by Leila Fidel from November 11, 2018 was entitled “Reporting On Mass Shootings: A Familiar Heartbreaking Script” https://tinyurl.com/y8xpwrla. The article highlights the recent slaughter of 12 innocent people at a bar and grill in Thousand Oaks, California, characterizing it as an “all too familiar script.” Even though these scenes are becoming common place, that does not take from the fact that innocent lives were once again taken, all too soon. People lost friends and loved ones and have to pick up the pieces and figure out how to go on living. When mass shootings take place such as the ones in Las Vegas, Orlando, Sandy Hook and Virginia Tech, questions and discussions resurface such as “why” and “how could we let this happen again?” Here is a list of mass shootings in US from a 2018 New York Times article https://tinyurl.com/yag3h2at.
A hot button topic in the history of the United States is centered on the right of American citizens to have guns (lots of guns and as many as one wants). Supporters of gun control push for stricter firearm laws. This includes implementing more stringent background checks and longer waiting periods for those purchasing guns. They also push for mandatory child safety locks and a limit of one handgun purchase per month. They further push for raising the legal age limit for gun ownership to age 21 from the current age of 18. Advocates of gun rights argue that the above mentioned kind of legislation infringes on the constitutional rights of law-abiding citizens.
Some people read the second amendment as their American right to bear as many arms as they so wish, as long as they have a permit. With the rise in gun violence and mass shootings this has been a contentious topic. The United States is “one of 6 countries that make up more than half of gun deaths worldwide.” That is, “half of all gun-related deaths in 2016 occurred in six nations — Brazil, the United States, Mexico, Venezuela, Colombia and Guatemala” (https://tinyurl.com/yc6ygen3, 2018).
Has gun violence become a part of our identity? With the proliferation of shows like The Walking Dead and classic movies like The Godfather or even the popularity of combat video games like Assassin’s Creed violence does seem to be ingrained in the very fabric of what is means to be American. Perhaps these forms of entertainment hearken back to the romanticism of the old west and the myth of the fearless lawman, as well as outlaws who were immortalized by their quick draw of the gun. The golden age of radio and television was full of westerns that glorified the cowboy and depicted native americans as savages who deserved to be shot and killed.
Perhaps our obsession with guns comes from a rising fear of people who are different from us (Racially, ethnically, culturally or economically), what scholars call a fear of “the other.” Or perhaps it is a legitimate concern for increasingly unsafe neighborhoods and more firearms are necessary. The old adage goes something like this “Guns don’t kill people, people kill people.” But if people did not have access to the guns in the first place they would not be able to commit mass murders or kill people to settle a simple dispute.
This is an important topic for discussion in social studies classrooms, as future generation of citizens in the US will have to figure out how to solve the rising complexity of issues surrounding gun violence that comes in the form of: Mass shootings, African Americans being killed by law enforcement and a rise in street violence. Below are some lesson plans, articles and links teachers can use to foster lessons and discussions about the Second Amendment and the right to bear arms.
TEACHER RESOURCES
The Culture of Violence in the American West Myth versus Reality
https://tinyurl.com/ybkeouss
Second Amendment Lesson Plan
https://tinyurl.com/y9uqu57g
Teaching the Bill of Rights: The Second Amendment
https://tinyurl.com/ybzhg3ag
Interactive Constitution
https://tinyurl.com/yautek7d
California Bar Shooting Leaves 12 dead, Including Sheriff’s Sergeant, Police Say
https://tinyurl.com/ydxjlck6
The Terrible Numbers That Grow with Each Mass Shooting
https://tinyurl.com/yb8ltuea
Mass Shootings in the United States
https://tinyurl.com/y7chy9eb
There’s a Gun for Every American. But Less Than a Third Own Guns.
https://tinyurl.com/yc3do5hd
8 Charts That Explain America’s Gun Culture
https://tinyurl.com/y8bgb5eq
American Guns in Ten Charts
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-41488081
How US Gun Culture Compares With the World in Five Charts
https://tinyurl.com/y8qot95z
I think that this is a very important article because of all the current events that are going on with this. There are two sides of the debate but coming from a background of having a military member in my family I think that the process of getting your conceal and carry and being able to purchase a gun should be more thorough. I think that having more strict protocols are important but in reality people are going to do what they want to do and sometimes no matter what strict protocols can even make things worse. Personally, I wish this wasn’t a problem but having people that can protect our country can help keep this under control.
Respectfully, I disagree with any gun control legislation—period. I do find your thoughts regarding nature of violence to be deeply rooted into our culture to be interesting. I think you give good evidence to back up these claims, specifically with how the Old West is romanticized and with how popular violent video games and media is. I think that over all, this article was fairly balanced, which is something that is rarely seen regarding the second amendment these days. You are correct, gun control is a hot button issue for most Americans, but I think it should be discussed more civilly by both sides of the political spectrum.
This article makes you ponder the different sides of gun violence. I am a firm believer in that guns should strictly be used as means of survival (hunting for food or self defense in something like a home invasion). I agree to the idea that gun violence, especially the rise in it, has to be taken extremely seriously and is beneficial to no one to lose life. Video games and certain movies/tv shows have desensitized the importance of human life. Games where the goal is to gain “as many kills” as possible has no significant learning goals for it’s players other than to kill or be killed. Unfortunately, today’s society has seen/felt/experienced the effects that some of these media platforms have potentially caused. As the times evolve, so must our gun laws in order to protect the rights of the American citizens while also making them feel safe and protected.
In your introduction paragraph, you state something very powerful, “American movies celebrate and glorify gun toting heroes, the carefree attitude of the cowboy and his gun. However, guns in reality do not always bring about such a positive outcome.” This statement is so very true, because the media and different social platforms portrays gun violence as something that is suppose to happen, but in reality this is not true. Then when you state, ” glorified the cowboy and depicted native americans as savages who deserved to be shot and killed,” it becomes all too real. In my personal opinion, Americans (myself included) forget that we “founded” this land by taking from others and brutally murdering, raping, and attacking innocent lives. America was built off of violence and will continue to grow if actions/laws are not placed against guns.
I thought this article was very strong especially since it touched on gun violence. Gun violence is the biggest issue in our world today. In today’s world we hear about gun violence then ever before. I think the gun violence laws need to be stricter or have them be strong laws on guns.
Guns is an extremely important topic, especially in todays society. I currently believe that the age to purchase a gun should most definitely be increased to 21. Its scary to think about how quickly and easily a child, teacher, or even random citizen could come into a school with a gun. It happens so often, it’s become a norm in the United States (and I’m sure in other countries too). Gun violence is so unreal to me. I do believe that it’s necessary for people to own guns, just in case of emergencies but how much testing is done on someone before they actually get to own a gun?
Gun violence is something that I hope comes to an end…. SOON, but I don’t think It will. And there really is nothing to do about it. Logistically, if someone wants to harm others with a gun, they will find a way and it is the second amendment to have the right to bare arms. So, in my opinion, nobody can take the guns away, but I do agree with raising the age to 21 to be able to purchase a gun, and to have more strict background checks. It is a very sad topic that I could go on and on about, but I won’t. I just hope that one day the issue is resolved, or at least slows down…. a lot.
I believe that gun violence is getting out of hand in the media today. Guns have always caused a divide in America, however, today, we live in a world were people can voice their opinions more than ever. On social media, rallies, and televised debates, it is very common for people to be arguing about guns. It is common for the news to cover these stories over and over to evoke fear in people, get their ratings up, and make people side with their views. Gun violence is an issue, and needs to be restricted but not revoked.
Guns and gun violence is a topic that deserves a lot of discussion, there is a crisis that needs to be solved. I do not feel that the answer is taking away guns or raising the age to buy guns. In my opinion the people who are doing such awful things will find a way to do awful things with or without legal guns. The people who own their guns legally and abide by the laws are not the people we have to worry about.
I think every legal American at the age of 21 with no violence history or crimes should be able to carry a gun. Our world is crazy and it just keeps getting crazier! Safety is first in my life, and I think gun control is very important right now. I completely agree that people need to have background checks and make sure they are safe to carry a gun, we shouldn’t be giving guns to just anybody.