Is the Second Amendment obsolete? or misinterpreted for recreational use? The Second Amendment to the United States Constitution protects the right of citizens to keep and bear arms. The Second Amendment was added to the Bill of Rights in 1791. It was one of the original 10 amendments to the Constitution. The Second Amendment states; “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 English Bill of Rights of 1689 lists very similar rights and is thought to have greatly influenced the Second Amendment. The Second Amendment has been interpreted in many different ways. People leave the interpretation of the Second Amendment to the justice system. Miller, an interesting precedent has been set. Courts have ruled that certain restrictions and regulations on firearms (short-barreled shotguns and shotguns) are constitutional. This court case was one of the first Supreme Court decisions dealing with the Second Amendment. (United States V. Miller) It set a limit on the freedom citizens have with guns and truly began gun control. The District of Columbia v. Heller court case also set a very interesting precedent. The Supreme Court declared the Firearms Regulators Act of 1975 unconstitutional and also ruled that the right to own firearms is an individual right to self-defense. (DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA) The right to bear arms will not be infringed, even if there is no modern militia to be registered. This idea is really solidified in the Presser v. Illinois court case. The court rulings were once again very clear stating that the right to bear arms is an individual right. However, despite the United States being number one in gun ownership, it is number nineteen in gun-related homicide rates. (Wikipedia) Even at number nineteen, there are still nearly 12,000 gun-related crimes/murders per year. (FBI) In Australia, Finland and the United Kingdom, fewer than 40 gun-related crimes/murders occur. The solution to reducing crime now seems to lean towards a ban on firearms. However, when you look at the overall violent crime rate in the United States, the numbers are 367.9 violent crimes per 100,000 people. (FBI) The rate of violent crime in America also decreases every year. However, the amount of firearms in the United States increases every year. The top 3 countries for violent crime rates are Australia, South Africa and the United Kingdom. All of these countries have banned firearms and have nearly tripled the violent crimes found in the United States. (James Slack) So, for a law-abiding citizen, having the right to have a gun might not be a bad idea. If citizens have the right to protect themselves and the tools necessary to do so, crime rates actually appear to decrease. The decrease in crime rates with the presence of the Second Amendment confirms that the right to bear arms is by no means outdated. Modern America enjoys the benefits of greater security