"Sword and Sovereignty always march hand in hand..." Protection of your freedoms from the government can only be ensured in a democracy with armed people. The possession of arms prevents and protects its citizens from a government becoming oppressive or too powerful. With the knowledge that the people have means to overthrow a government, it keeps the lawmakers in check, thus making sure the government will not over step its boundaries. As stated by Cress, "the Second Amendment was intended to provide all citizens with the ultimate check on despotism." This keeps the power in the hands of the people instead of a powerful central rule. A large example of this can be seen in the American Revolution. With armed citizens, the separation from England's oppressive rule was made possible.

In order for a democracy to work, the people within the democra

One idea to keep a republic in good standing is the use of its' citizens as the protectors of the nation. To have the people as the protectors of the nation, they need a means to do so- bearing arms. This right to bear arms is with in a collective for the common good of the people. The need to have an established militia with the people was important to prevent any standing armies, which were believed to cause political corruption and oppression. By looking at the Boston Massacre of 1770, the dangers of a standing army are shown with Britain's hired solders attacking the common man.

Protection from corrupt citizens and government and maintaining the quality of people are just three of many arguments that can be made in favor of the Second Amendment. Though many may argue that the Second Amendment is out dated and no longer is relevant in today's society, with closer look at the founding ideas of the amendment one can see that it still holds true today.

The Second Amendment was written under the influence of a revolutionary society. It is hard to apply some of the same ideas set in the Second Amendment in a nation that grown and changed over the years. By looking at the entire amendment together the true meaning and intent of the Second Amendment can be seen; the use of arms in a group of citizens for the collective.

A few states even specifically stated in their declarations that the right to bear arms was intended for military service. As Lawrence Cress writes, "'man who is conscientiously scrupul

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Approximate Word count = 1032
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)