Before I begin, let me say, please don't refer to me as a no good redneck/hick/hillbilly/etc. as you don't know me personally and shouldn't make such rash generalizations.

Over the years, the war on guns has been roaring. Everyone has different opinions and it’s hard to really know what is right and wrong in this situation. Our forefathers passed the Second Amendment on September 25, 1789, “A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed,” This amendment has been in place for 227 years, and we are continuously having more and more problems with whether it should stay.

I know for a lot of people, this is a touchy subject, as the events of these past few days, weeks, months, and years have revolved around guns being used by people who may not know their effects, care about their effects, or simply don't have the proper education about them to know their dangers. Maybe, all of what I just said is false and these people who use guns irresponsibly do know their dangers and purposely plan to afflict pain on the population. Either way, I do not believe the Second Amendment should take away one’s right to bear arms, and before you start to put in your two sense on the subject, here’s why.

I was in preschool the first time my father took me to the shooting range. My brother Jacob and my father were practicing for rifle season. Being from a small town in Pennsylvania, hunting season is a very big holiday. We even get a day off of school for it. I can’t remember a time that my family didn’t go hunting. I have survived off of the animals we’ve hunted for 21 years, and I couldn’t be more thankful for that. Gun safety is a big issue, there are classes on it children have to take before getting a hunting license, and I’ve even known adults that take these classes if it is their first time going out. In our town, everyone is educated properly on gun use and safety, whether someone has taken courses or it’s simply a family tradition.

Because of my father and his great responsibility on teaching his children about guns, I do not believe this amendment should be taken away. I believe we should have a law on who should be able to own guns and who should not. Many people use guns for the right reasons, one thing we were always told was you can only shoot animals in the right seasons and you can only threaten people if and only if they are infringing on your personal safety in some way. Guns are not toys, not everyone deserves to own a gun, not everyone should be able to, however, many good and bad people do, and it seems these days we hear more about the bad people than the good.

Recently, a friend and I were talking about the new A.L.I.C.E. program that is being administered at schools, which teaches children what to do in a dangerous situation. I have the upmost respect for this program, as the world we live in today, unfortunately, needs it. My father taught me how to defend myself in situations like this, and that was his and my mother’s choice, which I am thankful for.

Guns, whether illegal or not, will always be present in our society. Many people follow the rules and safety on them, while some do not. While some people think that taking away our Second Amendment will help, think of this; are illegal items really not present in the US? For example, we have illegal drugs busting at the seams in almost every town and city. Making guns illegal is not the answer, which is simply taking guns away from those who use them properly and keeping them in the hands of those who want them bad enough. People who want them bad enough will always find a way to get them, just as people who want drugs bad enough always find a way to get them. Taking away our guns is not the answer, setting laws on who should own them is, and this may not fix the problem fully, as there will always be illegal uses of objects in any place, but it is a step in the right direction. So thank you dad, for teaching me about guns and letting me have this opinion. Thank you for teaching me that they are not for fun, they are for food for families and only to be used on people in the form of protection of myself or my county. Finally, thank you for giving me this education that I can and will pass on to my children with confidence.