Adopted in 1791, the Second Amendment to the USA Constitution is part of the United States Bill of Rights that gives citizens the right to keep and bear arms. Many Republicans, even some Democrats, and the National Rifle Association (NRA) defend the Second Amendment strongly.
The right to bear arms in fact predates the Bill of Rights. The Second Amendment was based partially on the right to bear arms in English common-law, and was influenced by the English Bill of Rights of 1689. It was an auxiliary right, supporting the natural rights of self-defense, resistance to oppression, and the civic duty to act in concert in defense of the state.
The NRA believes in the right to keep and bear arms so strongly that it now believes that adopting the Second Amendment or a similar by the United Nations would help the whole world. NRA believes that the Second Amendment will help in reducing crime, encourage freedom and democracy. It has been remarked that George Washington has famously noted that “A free people ought…to be armed.” Thomas Jefferson also noted that “The strongest reason for the people to retain the right to keep and bear arms is, as a last resort, to protect themselves against tyranny in government.”. Furthermore Ann Coulter has remarked that “Guns are our friends because in a country without guns, all females are prey”. Michele Backmann has noted that there will be no rapes in India if all women were armed.
