1st And 2nd Constitution Amendment
Amendment I and II of the United States Constitution covered majorly on the Bill of Rights. Other amendments regarding the Bill Of Rights have also been passed over the years. However, this essay will only focus on the first and the second amendment of the United States Constitution and how they can be interpreted by both the citizens and the government.
Body
The 1st amendment prohibited the creation of any laws respecting the establishment of religion, impeding of the freedom of religion, inhibiting the freedom of speech, freedom of the media, interfering with the right to peaceful assembly or prohibiting the petition for a government redress of grievances (Vile, 2010).The second amendment to the United States was adopted in 1791 and was also part of the US Bill of Rights. The second amendment protects the rights of the people to keep and bear firearms.
Most recently the supreme court in 2008 and 2010 issued two second amendment decisions. First it stated that the 2nd amendment protects the US citizen to possess a firearm even if he/she is not connected to the military. The purpose of that firearm is for self defense within the home. The Supreme Court also agreed that the 2nd amendment of the constitution limits states and local government at the same extent as the federal government (Vile, 2010).The interpretation of these two amendments is crucial for the benefit of not only the citizens of the US but also to the Country in general.
The 1st amendment separates the church from the state and this means that the state cannot interfere or prevent any US citizen from worshipping. The government cannot also dictate how its citizens will conduct their religious worships. The first amendment also gives the citizens the right to speak their mind without fear of punishment/arrest. The media which include, newspapers, magazines, radio and television are free to air any information that they see fit for the public without fear of retribution or the withdrawal of airwaves by the government.Citizens are also at liberty to peacefully protest and complain to the government on issues that are affecting them without any fear of arrest.
From these demonstrations the government can be informed of issues that probably were not aware of and might be able to come up with permanent solutions. This way the government gets informed and serves its citizens better and the citizens are satisfied.The 2nd amendment is more of a justification of the right of the citizens to own guns without the violation of the government.
Over time the passion of gun and the gun control debate has become a hotly debated issue with various groups either supporting or opposing gun possession (Vile, 2010). When this amendment was passed, it was expected that an individual purpose for possessing a weapon will only be self defense purposes and that it will not be used for malicious reasons. Unfortunately the ever rising cases of accidental deaths and the school shootings have brought the whole country to debate whether the gun possession without government interference should be upheld or not.
Conclusion
The 1st and 2nd amendment basically focuses on the basic rights of the US citizen which should be upheld for the peaceful co-existence of the citizens and the state.It is also no argument that the US citizens may need to possess weapons for protection purposes but also we cannot assume that the misuse of this right is on the rise and that the government has to intervene and not necessarily strip people off the right o own guns but to monitor their use and to also the character of the person before permitting them to own the gun.
Reference:
Vile, J. (2010). A companion to the United States Constitution and its amendments. ABC-CLIO
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