The title of this article may seem hyperbolic but given the central role guns play in American politics and, seemingly, the lives of average Americans, I don’t think it’s too far a stretch. Ever since the Second Amendment was ratified on December 15th, 1791, entrenching the right of an American to bear arms in the US Constitution, guns have been a crucial part of American history and legacy. Although no one can say for sure what the founding fathers intended when crafting this amendment, it appears that they viewed it more as a way to facilitate collective resistance, and a way to avoid building a standing army, than a means of individual protection of private property.
Over the years the Supreme Court has interpreted this amendment and defined it as pertaining to individual circumstances. More specifically, the District of Columbia v Heller case of 2008 affirmed the right of the individual to keep handguns in the home for self-defence. In spite of the Supreme Court attempting to clarify that this ruling was limited in its scope, and by no means allowed for unregulated gun ownership, many Americans use the Supreme Court’s interpretation of the right to bear arms as justification for owning guns and fighting against stronger gun control. From their perspective, they had essentially been given a blank check by the highest court in the land.
Perhaps, this has contributed to Americans digging their heels in when it comes to the issue of guns. So much so, in fact, that both sides of the political spectrum are running on pro-gun platforms. Yet, Republicans are far more willing to allow the current standard of access to guns to continue, due, in large part, to the handsome donations from the National Rifle Association, “an American nonprofit organisation which advocates for gun rights”. That being said, it is undeniable that Democrats also attempted to win over gun-toting Americans ahead of the presidential election. For example, Kamala Harris completed a wire autocomplete interview in which she claimed that she supported the Second Amendment and has no intention of taking gun rights away from Americans.
That is to say, in both camps there is an acknowledgement of the fact that access to guns is a key issue across the political spectrum. According to a survey conducted by Pew Research Center, over half of all Americans claim that they have fired a gun at some point in their lives, and 42% live in a household with a gun. However, just because these statistics point to Americans being familiar with guns, doesn’t mean that they haven’t been exposed to the dangers of gun ownership as well. More specifically, 44% of participants claimed that they “personally know someone who has been shot”. You’d think that would be enough to give people pause and get them to support a nationwide ban on these potentially fatal weapons, or at the very least advocate for stronger gun control on behalf of people in their community. Unfortunately, you’d be sorely mistaken. Nowadays some gun owners in America even view these machines “as adding meaning and a sense of purpose to their lives”.
Although the history of gun culture in America is incredibly complex and layered, it is something that needs to be researched further, unpacked and dismantled. The reason for this is that gun ownership has gone well beyond being a hobby, or a way to protect yourself, to become a legitimate safety concern for every single American, disproportionately affecting people of colour. In 2024 alone “there have been more than 440 mass shootings” thus far, not to mention the countless acts of individual gun violence that have occurred. In other words, while people become more and more attached to their guns, guns are causing more and more death and destruction, and nothing tangible is being done to combat either of these phenomena on a national scale. That is why I believe that there is no amount of tragedy that will make America nullify the Second Amendment.
Image: Wikimedia Commons/Michael Vadon
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