Both sides of the gun control issue -Which Side of the Barrel? The right to bear arms.

Which Side of the Barrel?

The right to bear arms in the 2nd Amendment has been debated before the ink on the Bill of Rights was dry. Both sides of the gun control issue have been passionate about their point of view. Both sides argue about what they feel are legitimate concerns about this controversial issue. A person who is still undecided on which side he should be on, will have his head spin while both sides spew out a myriad of facts and statistics to support their argument. From a Mother Jones article, writer Josh Sugarmann makes a compelling argument for gun control in this country, comparing guns to consumer products that need to be regulated. From the National Review, writer John Derbyshire uses recent examples why gun ownership helps to quell criminal activity. These two writers represent both liberal and conservative ideas that can be seen in the two dominate political parties in our country today.

Gun Shops, Krupps [i.e., Krupp], Essen (LOC)

Kids with guns

September 11, 2001 attacks in New York City: View ...

The Democrats in Congress have supported gun control for several decades. They pushed through the Brady Bill and claimed the bill has had an impact on the reduction of gun violence. If the Democrats had their way, all the guns owned by Americans would be taken away. Republicans, on the other hand believe that gun ownership is a right that the founding fathers wanted us to have to protect us from a tyrannical government or enemy invasion. The battle lines are clearly drawn, the Democrats and Republicans have both chosen their side of the battlefield, and to be undecided in this debate is just about impossible. Lets us see how the liberal and conservative points of view play out in the two articles.

In Mother Jones magazine, Sugarmann chooses to classify guns as dangerous consumer products that should be regulated like other...