We All Have the Right to Bear ArmsThe preamble to the United States Constitution clearly states its purpose: to establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense , promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity. The Bill of Rights is the set of amendments to the Constitution intended to secure these goals for individual citizens of the United States. 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. This amendment was written in the wake of the Revolutionary War, when the ability to raise arms against imperial might made the new republic possible. Ensuring gun ownership was critical to creating a government that did not infringe on the freedom of its citizens. The use of weapons, however, is the last option reserved when all other attempts to preserve freedom have failed. Today we live in a world very different from that of our founders. The rise of the United States to world dominance, the shift of population to the cities, and the increase in drug use and violence have brought about great changes in our society. Americans once feared that the loss of the free state would result from foreign invasion or political corruption, but now the greater threat is the violence we see on the evening news. The increase in violence and murders has sparked the largest debate over gun ownership in our nation's history. The Second Amendment has been reinterpreted by those who believe that the simple gift of firearms has led to an increase in violence. I believe the threat is... middle of the paper... [U.S. Department of Justice, April 1994] With proper training, a gun is an effective deterrent and lethal defense. Perhaps the people who know the most about gun control are police officers. In a 1978 survey of police officers, they all unanimously agreed on mandatory prison sentences, stricter gun sales laws, and increased requirements for gun dealers. In this same poll they also agreed that citizens should be allowed firearms in homes for self-protection. This shows that police officers know that they cannot protect everyone at once, sometimes it is up to the individual to decide on self-defense. Works consulted Schwartz, Ted. Protect your home and family. Arco Publishing:New York, New York 1984Surgarman, Josh. NRA: Money, firepower and fear. National Press Books: Washington DC. 1992