As Abraham Lincoln proclaimed in his Gettysburg Address, "That government of the people, by the people, and for the people, shall not perish from the earth.
" Did this great American president prophecy about our present America? The Second Amendment protects a person's right to keep what he has earned.
Guns were used to protect homesteads, farms and cabins from intruders who wished to confiscate property, or were used to hunt for food and protection against animals.
The amendment also gives us the right to carry a weapon for self-defense.
Using rifles for hunting, either for sport or food, is an essential element of many homes in our vast inland states.
The Gun Control Act of 1968, signed into law by Lyndon Johnson, regulated the use of guns and the law was respected.
In 1970's it became a forefront in the news when Orrin Hatch became chair of the Subcommittee on the Constitution.
Hatch commissioned a report on the Second Amendment and it stated, " The second amendment to our constitution was intended as the individual right of the American citizen to keep and carry arms in a peaceful manner, for protection of himself, his family and his freedom.
" The Violent Crime Enforcement Act, dealt with offenders and law enforcement, and became law in 1994.
It is the largest crime bill in the history of the US.
It was written by Joe Biden and signed into law by Bill Clinton.
This Act expanded federal law in various ways.
One of the most noted sections was the Federal Assaults Weapons ban, which prohibited civilian use of semi automatic weapons or assault weapons.
Other parts of the act provided for a greatly expanded, new classes of individuals banned from possessing firearms, and a variety of new crimes defined relating to immigration law, hate crimes, sex crimes and gang related crimes.
The Federal Assaults Weapons ban expired on September 13, 2004.
There have been attempts to revive the ban, but so far no Bill has reached the floor for a vote.
Why? To own a gun is not dangerous, it is the intent of the use of the gun.
A group of anti-violence activists canvassed neighborhoods and asked homeowners if they would put a sign on their lawn that they were an anti violence, and also a gun free home.
The homeowners unanimously retorted that they agreed with non-violence, but would not advertise that they were gun free.
Why become the target for a violent crime? Living in a city, there had been home invasions in my neighborhood that would have been averted if the family owned a gun.
If you advertise you are gun free you are telling the subversive cultures that you are an easy hit.
America has become afraid of crime due to the acceptance of violence.
Violence in the media is god.
Violence in video games jumpstart an adolescent into believing he or she is a superhero and impervious to death.
They kill, kill, kill in their games and life becomes surreal.
With violence so prevalent in movies and television, adults and children are becoming desensitized to carnage.
Desensitization seems to be the goal of Hollywood.
If you see any behavior accepted in the culture, after some time, you will believe it to be moral.
Instead of banning guns, enact stricter laws for domestic violence and have classes in school that teach about human behavior.
Let producers in Hollywood return to intelligent movies instead of numbing down our children and producing films that glamorize crime and bloodshed.
Banning guns will not bring peace to America.
There will be an outcry by good citizens.
It is an affront to our American rights.
Keep the political agendas out of our homes and continue the anti-violence programs in our schools.
Guns in themselves are not dangerous; it is the violence that must be abolished in our lives.