| The second amendment to the U.S. Constitution | | | | select American manufacturing companies, |
| guarantees every American the right to bear | | | | these companies for the work they would be |
| arms. Has any law ever been so ambiguous? | | | | required to do would pay these prisoners |
| What are arms? What does it mean to bear | | | | minimum wage. The product they create would |
| them? At least with the first amendment we | | | | then be infused into mainstream American |
| know exactly where we stand: Freedom of | | | | commerce. In return for these jobs, the |
| speech. It couldn't be any clearer. But, the | | | | prisoners would pay the government for their |
| right to bear arms leaves the second | | | | room and board, and any security, medical, |
| amendment open to different interpretations. | | | | and utility fees. If the prisoner has any |
| We need gun permits to carry a concealed | | | | dependents, their paycheck would reflect that |
| weapon. Do we need knife permits? No. Yet | | | | deduction. Cut off from society, these |
| both can, and often do, cause death. We can | | | | prisons would be a society of their own. Away |
| own a gun, or a rifle, or a sub-machine gun, | | | | from us forever.Crime control, rather than a |
| or a machete, and dozens of other tools to | | | | gun control, is a stricter and more effective |
| kill, even our own bare hands. So, gun | | | | deterrent than the failed alternatives. It |
| control is a debate in our country that makes | | | | would not just deter murder with guns, it |
| no sense unless you broaden the ban or | | | | would deter murder with any type of weapon, |
| acceptance to include all instruments of | | | | as well as rape, aggravated assault - ALL |
| death.According to Population Stats, America | | | | felonies. It would reduce crime and get these |
| has the highest crime rate in the world. | | | | criminals off America's streets once and for |
| Everyday 30 people in the United States are | | | | all, saving the American taxpayer |
| murdered by a gunshot. That means 11,000 | | | | substantially in law enforcement: Money that |
| people. However, there are more than 25,000 | | | | will instead be used to build and staff these |
| murders each year in the United States. In | | | | new prisons. Our safety is what we have to |
| other industrialized countries, Germany has | | | | take care of - what we must take care of - |
| 381 each year, France 255, Great Britain 68, | | | | before we do anything else. We owe it to our |
| Australia 65, and Japan 39. Based on | | | | children.We teach our children to have pride |
| population to make it a fair assessment, it | | | | in America. We teach our children safety |
| turns out to be guns in America murder 1 out | | | | first. We teach our children about good and |
| of 25,916 people every year. Compared to | | | | evil, right versus wrong. What must our |
| Canada where the amount is 1 out of 190,387, | | | | children be thinking when they see murder |
| and 1 out of 864,546 in Great Britain, and | | | | after murder on the news, and walking the |
| only 1 out of 3,254,508 in Japan, America is | | | | streets with the fear of a drive by shooting, |
| the killing field of the world.Gun expert | | | | or of being abducted? We are raising a |
| Robert J. Spitzer, political science | | | | society born of fear and mistrust. This is |
| professor at SUNY Cortland and author of the | | | | why we need a stricter crime bill. This is |
| book The Politics of Gun Control points to | | | | why we must - we have no other choice - take |
| America's 'mixed ethnicity.' "Our diverse | | | | back our country from these criminals.Yes, |
| cultural background, composed of many | | | | Americans should be able to have handguns in |
| different ethnic, religious, social, and | | | | their home for protection, as long as it is |
| other groups leads to inter-group rivalries, | | | | responsibly locked up and away from children. |
| suspicion, hatred, fear, and sometimes | | | | Yes, Americans should be able to have rifles |
| violence,' Professor Spitzer said. "Most | | | | to hunt for food. However, these are still |
| other Western nations, by comparison, are | | | | weapons of destruction and they must be |
| more homogeneous than the U.S."Which brings | | | | registered with personal background checks. |
| us back to the thesis that America does not | | | | There is absolutely no need or reason for any |
| need a gun control law; it needs a crime | | | | person, other than law enforcement and the |
| control law.The number one concern in America | | | | military to have assault weapons that are |
| today is safety: Safety from terrorists, | | | | aimed to violently kill masses of people. We |
| safety from drugs and violent drug dealers, | | | | must compromise through common sense. We must |
| safety from gangs, and safety from those | | | | understand and follow the true intent of our |
| whose evil ways affect our lives and our | | | | forefathers when they penned the second |
| children's lives everyday. However, we have | | | | amendment to the Constitution.All it takes is |
| no safety of which to speak. Our police | | | | the determination, the moral strength of our |
| departments are as overwhelmed by the size of | | | | elected representatives, to enact tougher |
| the enemy as are our troops in Iraq. Without | | | | laws, so we can finally take back our country |
| safety, we are prisoners of our own society. | | | | and make it a safe haven once again for every |
| Safety and security are more important than | | | | American man, woman, and child.Bruce Schwartz |
| any other issue, for, without it, we cease to | | | | is a political activist and author of the #1 |
| live. We merely exist. We must first feel | | | | Amazon bestseller, THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY, |
| safe, and be safe, before we can think about | | | | the story of a nationwide terrorist attack, |
| curing our other ills. With 14,000 of the | | | | which ignites a race/class war seven days |
| homicides each year being committed without | | | | before the American presidential election. He |
| guns (11,000 with), we must look at the | | | | has also written other novels, three |
| bigger picture.We must build more | | | | children's books, and six musicals. He is |
| maximum-security prisons. Enough so that | | | | presently writing the screenplay for THE |
| everyone convicted of first-degree homicide, | | | | TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY, as well as a weekly TV |
| or of a felony three times, is sent there for | | | | dramedy. He has received numerous accolades |
| the rest of their life, without any chance of | | | | for his writing. His site is offering a |
| parole. (There is no reason to spend millions | | | | 3-day, 2-night vacation to one of 90 |
| of dollars on each death row prisoner's | | | | destinations (no time share, no sales pitch |
| appeals that last ten years or longer when it | | | | of any kind) for buying a copy of this timely |
| has been proven not to be a deterrent and | | | | and topical novel. He will also autograph the |
| when housing them is substantially much less | | | | book for you. |
| expensive.)Within a federal partnership with | | | | |