The FBI has shown that even after every precaution taken to stop gun-related school violence knives are used more than three times more than guns in school incidents. Even if, theoretically, the gun control laws worked to stop all gun-related violence, there would still be over three-quarters of the violence seen in schools today (Driscoll).

	In a 1999 case, District Judge Sam R.Cumming ruled that the Second Amendment protected the right to own and carry a firearm even to an individual under a restraining order. In 2008 the United States Supreme Court found in the case of the District of Columbia vs. Heller that the Second Amendment to protect the right to bear arms. It struck down DC legislation including the law that mandated firearms kept in homes must be fully disassembled or be fitted with a trigger lock. Legislation has risen on the subject of "stand your ground" bills. Citizens have been given the right to defend themselves with deadly force (Lee).

	The gun control controversy is a very heated debate. Every American citizen should know the facts so that they can make an educated decision on the stance they support, so that they can be as safe as possible. Both sides of the argument have valid points and are quite persuasive. There are many people who support gun control citing violent crimes, horrific murders, and school shootings as reason enough to implement more stringent regulations. Others are fiercely against gun control and argue that the Second Amendment guarantees the right to firearms, guns are needed for self defense, current laws often do more harm than good, and sport shooters and hunters would be greatly impeded by new inflexible laws. Will the United States make the proper decisions on the gun control debate in order to protect its citizens?




This speech by Patrick Henry is a great call to arms. Even now, over two hundred years later, this speech still brings forth emotion to stand up and fight. Patrick Henry was a great orator of his time and even today would be seen as one of the great speakers. He speaks in a way that includes many different literary styles, techniques, and methods of persuasion.
Henry's purpose in presenting this speech was to show how inevitable a war with England was, and how now was the time to fight. He saw that the colonies were not gaining any ground asking and petitioning Great Britain to alleviate the laws and taxes that the colonists were opposed to because of the great pain that it brought on them. He shows that it was time to fight by saying, "Has Great Britain any enemy, in this quarter of the world, to call for all this accumulation of navies and armies? No, sir, she has none. They are meant for us: they can be meant for no other," Henry is insisting that there is no question of if there is going to be a war, but when there will be a war. 