The Right to Bear Arms-Morgan Davis

The Right to Bear Arms The Second Amendment in the Constitution states an individual’s right to keep and bear arms. It is today’s reality that it has become necessary for the individual to defend himself or herself. An individual has the freedom to obtain a weapon considering they have met the requirements. Crime in society today has risen pushing both police departments and communities to their limits. Especially in today’s economy, criminals are now more than ever desperate committing crimes. With the resources of police departments spread so thin it is nearly impossible to protect all of society from crime. It is this reason why every individual should be entitled the privilege of bearing arms. Some of Tennessee Law requirements for carrying a firearm are that the person carrying the weapon is at their place of residence, if the individual was authorized by written directive memorandum and permit to carry firearms, if the individual intends on committing lawful hunting, fishing, shooting, or camping, if the person is protecting livestock. It is also unlawful for a seller to sell a weapon who is under the influence of alcohol or drugs, for anyone who is not over the age of eighteen, for anyone who has committed a felony with a weapon or attempted to use a weapon (2). In 2008, Memphis was ranked number two in the entire nation for crime levels. FBI’s crime statistics are based on six classifications: robbery, rape, homicide, aggravated assault, auto thefts, and burglary. Some individuals say that it is not right to compare other cities on crime levels because other cities may not report crime as we do in Memphis (5). Researching Memphis’ crime rate was alarming. I knew it is a hazardous place to live, but when the numbers are staring at you in the face it makes you think twice about your hometown. Memphis’ crime numbers made me rethink my decision of which side I would choose for this paper. In 2009, the average unemployment rate was 9.0%, which is the 13,952,833 amount of people in the United States (3). “Although some people may think otherwise, the most important problem facing the United States is not decreased productivity due to the loss of these individuals from the work atmosphere, but instead the possibility that some of the unemployed individuals will utilize criminal behavior as a way to remedy their loss of financial income” (4). When people lose their jobs it usually affects them intensely, such as depression, anger, resentment. Therefore, they might in turn take out revenge on the economy by committing crimes. Police Departments in Memphis have undergone many changes in their budgets. They are now thinly spread out across the Memphis area; therefore this leads to more crime. It is like a domino effect; criminals move from areas when they see more cops in that area, so they move to another area cops are not as heavily populated in. It is an ongoing chase between cops and criminals. “It used to be the criminal element was more confined,” said Larry Godwin, the police chief. “Now it’s all spread out. They might hit one area today and another tomorrow. We have to take a sophisticated look on a daily, hourly basis, or we might never get leverage on it.” Policemen on the streets are saying that crime patterns are ever changing (5). Seeing that crime is ever increasing I feel as though individuals should have the right to bear arms, mainly for self-defense. In our Constitution, it states that every individual is subject to their own freedom. People who do not live in a safe neighborhood may feel like they should have some sort of protection and I completely agree with them. If I did not live in a safe part of town I would most likely own a firearm in case something happened to my family I would want them to be and feel safe. If a criminal knew that my family owned a firearm in the house they would more than likely not break in or harm anyone for the criminal’s own safety. Banning all weapons would be unconstitutional for the Constitution to do because of each individual’s freedom. Sources: 1. http://crime.about.com/od/gunlawsbystate/a/gunlaws_tn.htm 2. http://www.nidataplus.com/lfeus1.htm 3. http://www.bus.ucf.edu/mdickie/Research%20Methods/Student%20Papers/Crime/Trogdon%20Unemployment%20&%20Crime.pdf 4. http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2008/nov/25/metro-crime-ranks-no-2/ 5. http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200807/memphis-crime/2