“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.”

That is the wording used in the second amendment of the Bill of Rights. This boils down to the fact that United States citizens have the right to own weapons in order to fight back against an oppressive government and that right cannot be taken away. While many feel, in the wake of mass gun violence, the second amendment needs to be reviewed and revised, there is another large portion of the population who disagrees. Personally, I feel that while the amendment may need certain clarifications, such as what firearms are allowed to be owned, there are few things as important as our right as to defend ourselves.

The second amendment debate has been a hot button issue for years. Since the beginning of this country it has always been something that both sides of the political aisle are ready to go to war on (pun intended). What often happens though is that instead of a calm, professional conversation that is supposed to improve the future and stability of this nation, it becomes a giant powder keg and with every life taken from gun violence, a lit match gets closer and closer. Between the far right saying that it’s their God given right to defend themselves with whatever means necessary, who seem to search for any excuse other than gun control to use whenever the 34,000 deaths per year get brought into a conversation, and the far left saying that the only way to keep people safe is to take away all guns and remove the second amendment as a whole, there is little hope for people to find a happy medium.

My personal opinion on our second amendment right is that Americans should have the right to defend themselves. This statistic is not as it seems however, 18,000 of those 34,000 deaths are suicide by gun. While that fact is a staggering and scary number, it is much more a problem of prioritizing mental health more in general as a society. Along with this, studies have shown that nearly 70% of school shooters are minors. This is another problem with a different solution. Teach proper gun safety to adults. This is important not only because over 1200 deaths per year are caused by unintentional shootings, but when teaching adults proper gun safety, they will then be more likely to take better care of their weapons. Currently only 14 states require that firearms be kept in locked cases unless being used. This is extremely dangerous in houses with small children, due to the hazard of accidental firearm use.

Between the constant shouting match that is American politics, most people get way too caught up in the tribalism of it. To many, you’re either right or left, Republican or Democrat. Personally, I believe that everyone needs to take a deep breath and come to the table with evidence based claims and they need to be communicated civilly. Seeing as how this is almost impossible, due to the two sides of the political aisle largely being highly intolerant to one another, it leaves one question, how long can this go on for before everything comes crashing down?