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 agree, students should be taught about the second amendment, but in a way that encourages them to be a responsible gun owner. I believe that the way people choose to use firearms is all in how they were taught to use and respect them. Taking guns away and putting more restrictions on them will do no good as a whole, some may lose their sense of peace within their own home or on the opposite spectrum, people will resort to different forms of mass violence. Taking guns away will not end violence, but teaching how to be a responsible gun owner or responsible and kind human in general might. This article is a good conversation starter and encourages people to think more into gun violence and how to best handle it without an actual mass shooting sparking the conversation.
Allot of people are starting to question the 2nd Amendment and if we should have the right to own guns. I saw the quote mentioned about “guns don’t kill people, people kill people” and to a extent I agree with it. The reality of all guns being taken away is not very likely or a good idea. The only people this would truly effect is the citizens that use firearms in the proper way. Just like most illegal things if people truly wanted them they will get them and its basically like giving criminals a green light to use deadly weapons and giving normal civilians no way of protecting themselves.
Owning Guns is a constitutional right. It’s a right that I support, but also take extreme caution too. Guns should not be bought out of fear or because other people have them it should be bought for your own reasons with no influences
I found it interesting to read the following line in this article, “our obsession with guns comes from a rising fear of people who are different from us”. I didn’t realize how this is so relevant in society because we associate them with what we were raised to think and even moreso in the shows and movies we watch. This is an extremely important topic to be educated on because of how much of an issue it is in our society.
I personally think people should have the right the bear to arms. I think there should be requirements you have to meet, but all together I think we as Americans have the right to bear arms.
This is a very cool blog, thanks a great deal for this! Ive read a great deal about this topic in the past and I agree with you.
Guns are often viewed as a right rather than a privilege that can cause harm to a person or people. The fear of control of the usage and ownership of guns have created controversy that seems to be one-sided in argument.
Wow! The size and content of the list of mass shootings is heart wrenching. Our country definitely needs to come up with a solution to this problem. No, we don’t want to lose our right to bare arms, but we absolutely need to figure out how to keep them out of the hands of people who intend to use them to do evil deeds. The problem is that criminals don’t usually get their guns legally in the first place. A lot of people think the violence in our country has something to do with the video games, movies, and music, but I’m not so sure that’s it. In my opinion, it’s deeper than that. Most of the mass shooters have a troubled past which involves abuse and/or neglect. Maybe instead of focusing on the gun laws, we should focus on making sure people who have been subjected to abuse or neglect get the psychological help they so desperately need.
American gun culture is a very unique and interesting one. The second amendment and subsequent calls for gun control have become a contentious topic in the American political arena, and for good reason. Countries with stringent gun control see far fewer gun related deaths than the United States does, as our country routinely experiences mass shootings and gun violence on the street. The gun has become something integral to the American identity, for better and for worse.
Why does America have this fascination with firearms? Surely it has much to do with our being born of a revolution, an association with a sort of paranoid anti-government sentiment that runs deep in American culture. We must also remember that professional, full time police were not yet fully present in the states at its founding, coupled with a general suspicion of standing armies, and one can see why citizens may have wanted own a rifle. The American frontier likely also heavily influenced American gun culture. Not only was this land nearly lawless and thus dangerous, it was also ripe with animals to hunt, necessitating gun ownership.
It is hard to say what should be done with guns in modern America. Firearms have evolved rapidly since the bill of rights ratification in 1791, should our gun laws not evolve as well? One easily gets stuck between a rock and a hard place in this debate, as the number of guns currently in the hands of the American population is so large that one wonders whether any gun control laws would make much of a difference. Regardless, this is a great topic to bring up in social studies classrooms, and I look forward to hearing students debate about it in the future.
The article makes very valid points. However, I do not agree with gun control. I agree with the article where it states that gun control is infringing upon the second amendment. Criminals are going to find a way to get their hands on a gun somehow, so I believe good people with guns can stop bad people with guns. Guns are essential to America. Without guns, we literally would not have the freedoms we do now. People need guns to be able to protect themselves and to provide for their families. I grew up going hunting and getting our dinner from the wildlife in the backyard. Without guns, growing up would have been totally different.
This article was very informative, rather than opinonated; however, owning a gun makes me feel safe in a world that is not.