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2^nd Amendment2nd AmendmentOne of the most difficult aspects of American life for Germans to understand lies embedded in the ConstitutionConstitution in a separate Amendment of the Bill of RightsBill of Rights, American: “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.” If you find this sentence difficult to understand with its absolute phrase at the beginning and ask yourself what a militiamilitia has to do with modern AmericaAmerica, then you’re not alone. What exactly the 2^nd Amendment2nd Amendment is supposed to imply has been a matter of intense debate for a long time. Many Americans believe that owning a gun is a right guaranteed in the Constitution and a freedom as sacred as the freedom of speech. Many Americans also think that the government has the responsibility for ensuring its citizens’ safety.

huntinghunting animals, shooting famous peopleIt’s perhaps easier to understand the American fascination [86]or obsession with weapons if we remind ourselves that only a few generations ago settling a wilderness necessitated the use of guns – whether to be used against wild animals, robbers, or American IndiansAmerican Indians. Hunting is also one of the most popular American pastimes ( 11), and who can imagine American hunters without rifles and shotguns? But in addition to school and campus shootings ( 4), it’s also important to consider that firearms were involved in the four US presidential assassinations of LincolnLincoln, Abraham, GarfieldGarfield, McKinleyMcKinley, William, and Kennedy; the attempted assassinations of Jackson, TrumanTruman, Harry, Ford, and ReaganReagan, Ronald; and the assassinations of civil rights activists Martin LutherLuther, Martin KingKing, Martin Luther and Malcolm XMalcolm X, of the politician Robert F. Kennedy, and of the former Beatle John LennonLennon, John.

hesitant reactionsWith the increase in urban violence and especially in the wake of events like the attempted assassination of Ronald ReaganReagan, Ronald or school shootings, Americans usually begin to discuss whether gun controlgun control is necessary and usually decide that while some control would be good, concrete laws restricting gun ownership wouldn’t be good. Americans in favor of the right to bear armsright to bear arms use slogans like “guns don’t kill people, people doguns don’t kill people, people do” and point to the 2^nd Amendment2nd Amendment. Sometimes it takes years for a bill restricting gun use to pass through CongressCongress and finally become law. JamesJames Brady, who was seriously injured during the assassination attempt on Reagan in 1981, became a supporter of stricter gun control. The Brady BillBrady Bill wasn’t passed until thirteen years after the assassination attempt; it regulates that the legal sale of handguns can only take place after a check on the interested buyer. Although gun control advocates and many American cities have attempted to regulate the ownership of firearms, the Supreme CourtSupreme Court ruled in 2008 in a narrow 5–4 decision that the 2^nd Amendment clearly gave Americans the right to possess guns for huntinghunting and for self-defense and wasn’t only limited to members of a militiamilitia as some supporters of gun control had argued.

NRAThe National Rifle AssociationNational Rifle Association (NRA) (NRA), a large and powerful non-profit organization founded after the American Civil WarCivil War, American, plays an important role in defending what their three to four million members see as their constitutional right to bear armsright to bear arms. The NRA argues that owning a weapon not only is part of American tradition but also that law-abiding citizens need weapons for personal safety. In addition to political activity, the NRA sponsors courses [87]and events designed to educate people in the correct use of firearms.

gun controlgun control UKOwnership of almost all kinds of handguns has been prohibited in Britain since Parliament passed one of the strictest gun controlgun control laws in the wake of the Dunblane school shootingDunblane school shooting massacre in 1996. While the National Rifle AssociationNational Rifle Association (NRA) in the UK is older than its cousin in the US, it is much smaller and has little political influence. With public support of gun control high, not having the right to bear armsright to bear arms is not a matter of public discussion in the UK. Statistics about an increase in violent crime could indicate a more violent society in Britain or could point to increased crime reporting.