The Second Amendment of the Constitution and its importance

The Second Amendment of the Constitution and its importance

Introduction

The Second Amendment of the Constitution is a vital part of the American history and is also a topic that has been subject of a lot of discussion and debate over the years. It is considered to grant the citizens with protection and defense and offers broad protection for the ownership of weapons by the citizens. It is regarded as one of the most important amendments in the constitution for various reasons and is one which has continued to be of importance till the current times. The paper in light of the discussion surrounding the amendment highlights the importance and relevance of the amendment for us today.

Discussion

The Second Amendment to the US Constitution, one of the ten amendments to the Constitution comprising the Bill of Rights states 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”. This implies that in order to maintain a free state, it is essential that the right of the people to keep and bear arms is respected. People continue to have the right to own weapons and serve as their own army. The presence of armed citizens then ultimately ensures protection against tyranny, invasion and crime. The right to keep and bear arms was considered to have a fundamental purpose by the founders of the country and it was considered to be a right by which all other rights could be protected (news.bbc.co.uk).

For understanding the importance of the Second Amendment and its relevance today, it is important to look at the historical context and origins of the right to keep and bear arms. The notion of the right to gun ownership had been a prevalent one since years in those times and the various tyrannical governments had led to further strengthen the needs for such a right to be with the people. After James II was dethroned in the Glorious Revolution, the English Parliament in the year 1689, in its Bill of Rights codified the individual right to keep and bear arms so that they can defend themselves whenever needed. The origins of the second Amendment can be thus be traced back to this origins of the right to keep and bear arms with the events surrounding the Revolutionary War ...