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2nd Amendment is Ratified
The Second amendment says, "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 means that everyone has the right to bear arms. The amendment was originally passed to keep allowing the militia to be able to have guns. Now, the amendment has been more interpreted as everyone no matter what can own and operate a gun. -
Formation of the NRA
The NRA is a special interest group that was formed to advocate for gun rights. They believe that everyone has the right to own and purchase a firearm because of the second amendment. They lobby heavily for gun rights and they are one of the most influential SIGs. -
St. Valentines Shooting
As the climax of a gang battle reached its peak, men thought to be part of Al Capone’s gang shot and killed 7 members of a rival gang. With 70 rounds of ammunition fired, the deadly shooting marked the need for action to be taken at both state and federal levels to protect civilians and bring justice to the gangs who ran the 1920’s. -
National Firearms Act is Enacted
The original Act imposed a tax on the making and transfer of firearms defined by the Act, as well as a special tax on people engaged in the business of importing, manufacturing, and dealing in NFA firearms. The law also required the registration of all NFA firearms with the Secretary of the Treasury. -
United States v. Miller
Jack Miller and Frank Layton were charged with violating the 1934 national firearms act. They transported a shotgun through interstate commerce which violated the act, but the men stated that the regulations went against their Second Amendment right. In a 8,1 decision in the Alabama district court, the judges ruled in favor of Miller and Layton and the case was dismissed. -
National Shooting Sports Foundation is Formed
The NSSF is an industry trade group and a lobby group. Their mission is to promote, protect and preserve hunting and shooting sports. In addition to promoting gun ownership, The NSSF has advocated in favor of gun rights, including arguing against limits on high capacity magazines and the broad use of the term assault weapon. It has also supported legislation allowing concealed carry. -
Gun Control Act
The requirement for people possessing unregistered firearms to register them was removed from the FFA in 1938. Additionally, the act banned interstate shipments of firearms and ammunition to private individuals selling guns to minors, drug addicts and the mentally disabled. It also strengthened the licensing and record-keeping requirements for gun dealers, which gun dealers were not happy about. -
US v. Lopez
Alfonzo Lopez brought a firearm into his school. In that time, schools were gun free zones. Lopez argued that this violated his 2nd Amendment rights. U.S. argued that school zones were economic zones and the government could regulate commerce. Lopez lost the case and was sentenced to jail. But, the Supreme Court ruled that the act was unconstitutional because having a gun in school is not economic activity, therefore could not be regulated or interfered by from the federal government. -
Columbine High School Massacre
In Columbine, Colorado, two teenagers went on a shooting spree in the high school. They ended up killing 13 people and injuring even more before they turned the gun on themselves, committing suicide. This was the worst school shooting at the time, and prompted a national debate on gun regulations. After this shooting, things only got worse and more events like it started happening more frequently. -
District of Columbia v. Heller
The District of Columbia made handgun provisions that held it illegal for an individual to carry an unregistered firearm and prohibited the registration of handguns, though the chief of police could issue one-year licenses. Dick Heller was an officer who applied for a license, but was denied. He sued the District of Columbia because the code violated his second amendment right. The courts held that the codes violated this right, and that keeping firearms nonfunctional was unconstitutional. -
McDonald v. Chicago
McDonald v. Chicago is one of the most influential court cases when it comes to gun control v gun rights. The Supreme Court had ruled in District of Columbia v. Heller that violations placed on handguns were illegal by just the federal government, not the states. In this case, McDonald argued that Chicago’s handgun bans were also illegal and he cited the 14th amendment. The court ruled in favor of McDonald and states could not infringe on an individual's second amendment rights. -
Sandy Hook School Shooting
Adam Lanza took shots at school administrators including 20 children and 6 teachers in Connecticut. The shooting took place within minutes in which Lanza killed both himself and 28 others and leaving 2 injured. -
Las Vegas Shooting
On October 1, 2017, a gunman decided to open fire, from his hotel room, on a music festival in Las Vegas. During the shooting, 58 people were killed and several wounded, leaving the country with the most deadly mass shooting in modern history. -
Stoneman Douglas High School Shooting
The Parkland High School shooting is one of the most widely known shootings in the United States. A young student at the school, opened fire with a semi-automatic weapon, killing 17 and wounding 14 more. With many students at this school left fearing for their lives, many are urging Congress to take action quickly to prevent this from ever happening again. -
March for Our Lives
March for Our Lives was a country-wide march created and organized by the students who survived the Parkland shooting about a month before. The goal was to encourage legislators that action needs to be taken now and not be pushed the bottom of the workload. Over $3 million were fundraised to help the campaign and set up the main march, which took place in Washington. The students called for a national school wide walkout to show that not just one city wants change, the whole country wants it. -
Former Supreme Court Judge supports repeal of the 2nd Amendment
Former Supreme Court judge John Paul Stevens supports the repeal of the 2nd amendment following the deadly Parkland Florida shooting. He states that the 2nd amendment has warped the NRA away from its original intent. -
Santa Fe School Shooting
17-year-old Dimitrios Pagourtzis shot and killed 10 people, while wounding 10 others in the deadly shooting. The shooting took place early morning and many students were in disbelief that a classmate and fellow student could be opening fire on the rest of the student body as well as staff. When officials asked Pagourtzis why he shot the people he did, he claimed to have killed those he didn’t live and spared those he did. -
New Research Shows What Types of Laws Are Most Effective
New research send out from the Journal of General Internal Medicine reports that the majority of decreases in gun related homicides comes from law that stop “who” can possess firearms. The study shows that states/areas that restricted who was allowed to carry a gun rather than banning specific types of guns saw better results in relation to less homicide deaths. Research like this, urges Congress to make more careful choices surrounding new legislation related to gun control. -
National Gun Violence Research Act
The national gun violence act is a bill that is meant to further the research of guns. It researches the causes of gun violence, what could happen and how we could stop it, and also the counteraction of gun violence. -
Gun Trafficking Prohibition Act
The act was made for many reasons, including, more definition of criminal sentencing surrounding gun possession ownership and purchasing. The bill broadens the sentencing of criminals with gun offenses, so this is a big step in regards to gun control and restrictions. -
Sweeping Gun Control Legislation
Since Democrats have taken control of the House of Representatives, there has been a lot of legislation passed regarding gun control. Much of the legislation deals with furthering or adding background checks on all gun sales throughout the country. Democrats are trying to fulfill the many campaign promises made to stop gun violence and improve safety. -
Kentucky Lawmakers Pass NRA-Backed Concealed Carry Law
Kentucky lawmakers have passed a bill backed by the National Rifle Association that will allow people to carry a concealed handgun without a concealed carry permit or required training.If signed into law, Kentucky will become the 15th state to adopt a permitless carry law. -
Dick's Sporting Goods Reduces Gun Sales
Dick’s Sporting Goods decides to stop gun sales in 125 stores across the country. This comes after they limited gun sales to anyone over 21 due to the Parkland shooting last February. The company will also reduce the amount of hunting gear sold and will use those sales as a benchmarker to decide which stores will not sell guns to the public. -
Colorado Signs Red Flag Bill Into Law
After much debate in the both houses, the bill was passed into law by just one vote in the Senate. The so-called “Red Flag” bill aims to continue protection to the citizens, by allowing judges to remove firearms from those who may cause harm to the themselves or others. Colorado is one of 15 states to pass this legislation as there is much backlash due the infringement of 2nd amendment rights. -
Florida Armed Teachers Bill
After the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, teachers are continuously feeling less safe within the walls of the schools. To increase a feeling of security for teachers, Florida is passing a bill to allow teachers to be armed in the school for their own protection. -
Resignation From the 2014 Arms Trade Treaty
President Trump has decided that the US will resign from the International Weapons Pact or the 2014 Arms Treaty. The Obama administration had signed the treaty though it had not and is still not ratified by the Senate, which is needed for the signing to be valid. The President argues that this treaty would allow outside governments to infringe on Americans’ second amendment right to bear arms. -
New York Illegal NRA Probe
With the NRA having some leadership problems lately, the Attorney General of New York has taken actions to investigate the organization. These actions specifically included looking over financial and tax records as well as unauthorized political activity. This is allowed as the NRA was chartered in NY, so the state has jurisdiction of the organization. Many reasons for the investigation include public distrust with the organization and accusations between major members of the group. -
University of North Carolina
On Tuesday April 30th 2019, an armed man came into the University of North Carolina. He opened fire on the final day of classes, and killed two students, and left four others injured. This only furthers the problem of gun violence in the country. -
Cory Booker Calls for Federal Gun Licenses
Democratic presidential candidate Cory Booker unveiled a bold plan Monday to combat gun violence around the country, calling for universal background checks, a ban on assault weapons and closing loopholes that allow people to purchase and possess a gun who shouldn't. -
New York Hearing
The court agreed to hear a Second Amendment challenge to a New York gun regulation. They, fearing a loss that would endanger gun control laws across the nation, responded by moving to change the regulation. The regulation allows residents with licenses to take their guns to one of seven shooting ranges in the city. But it prohibits them from taking their guns to second homes and shooting ranges outside the city, even when the guns are unloaded and locked in containers separate from ammunition.
