The American Civilian and the Right to Bear Arms Essays

The American Civilian and the Right to Bear Arms Essays The American Civilian and the Right to Bear Arms Essay The American Civilian and the Right to Bear Arms Essay para. 3). Most states, allow individuals the right to carry firearms. An individual may carry the firearm in what is called open carry or concealed carry. Open carry requires the individuals carrying the firearm to have it visible to those around him or her. Concealed carry requires the firearm to remain concealed on a person. Most states allow concealed carrying as long as the individual has completed the required courses. By completing these courses, an individual is given concealed carry permit. Regulations and standards hange from state to state for acquiring this permit. Is it Constitutional for a state to require a permit, carry a concealed firearm? In an article written by R. A. Levy in 2009, he states â€Å"Washington retains the ability to regulate the manner of carrying handguns, prohibit the carrying of handguns in specific, narrowly defined sensitive places, prohibit the carrying of arms that are not within the scope of Second Amendment protection, and disqualify specific, particularly dangerous individuals from carrying handguns. † (Levy, 2009, p. 1, para. ) At the present time, to carry a concealed firearm, an individual is required to have a permit. In the state of Utah, there has been a movement to eliminate the permit requirement. Utah is attempting to remove this requirement, following in the footsteps of Alaska, who has already removed this requirement. Republican Stephen Sandstrom, R-Orem, Utah, is leading this movement to remove the concealed carry permit requirement and states, â€Å"He is meeting with gun-rights advocates and plans a bill for consideration in the next legislative session. â€Å"He claim s wide support among House colleagues, and Rep. Curtis Oda, R-Clearfield, is one of the likely co-sponsors† (B. Loomis, 2010). Conclusion The path to a safer society is a well-educated public with the ability to arm and protect themselves. Like it or not, this is one of the rights we as American citizens have and hold dear. Similar to the right of free speech, the right to bear arms should be embraced and protected. The government may regulate this right, by requiring permits and education, but cannot take the right from the average American citizen. The right to bear arms; however, may be stripped as a result of past behavior, current citizenship status, criminal record, and a number of other reasons. References Government Printing Office. (November 1, 1996 ). The Constitution of the United States of America. Retrieved from gpoaccess. gov/constitution/html/amdt2. html Levy, R. A. (2009). Gun Owners Next Victory in D. C.. CATO Institute. Retrieved from cato. org/pub_display. php? pub_id=10504amp;utm_source=feedburneramp;utm_medium=feedamp;utm_campaign=Feed%3A+CatoRecentOpeds+(Cato+Recent+Op-eds) Loomis, B. (2010). Concealed guns for (almost) everyone. Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved from sltrib. com/sltrib/home/49849261-76/permit-gun-utah-concealed. html. csp Lott, John R. Jr. (1999), American Experiment Quarterly: More Guns, Less Crime americanexperiment. org/uploaded/files/aeqv2n2lott. pdf Mount, S. (2010). Constitutional Topic: The Second Amendment. Retrieved from usconstitution. net/consttop_2nd. html Utah State Legislature. (2003). Utah Code. Retrieved from http://le. utah. gov/~code/TITLE76/htm/76_10_050300. htm