There is clearly a huge debate going on in this country about the Second Amendment and it the rights it actually guarantees. There are those who believe the Second Amendment was drafted to give citizens virtually unlimited rights with respect to the ownership and carrying of firearms. There as many who believe that a private citizen should be able to purchase a fully automatic machine gun if they so desire and that any attempt to stop them is an infringement on constitutionally protected liberties.
On the other hand, there are those who believe that only the police and the military need to have pistols and assault weapons, as is the case in many European nations with much stricter gun control laws than in the U.S. There are also many who fall somewhere in the middle of these two extreme positions. For example, a moderate on gun control might allow people to purchase firearms, but they must compete a safety course, a background check, and are limited in what type of weapons they can purchase. Continue reading