The Constitution

"We, the people" are the first words of the American Constitution. Democratic ideals are the cornerstone of all American institutions; and they claim to have the best democracy in the world. The strong belief in the individual rights of the people has in many ways become the founding principle of what they proudly call "the land of the free and home of the brave". The role of the Government is only to secure that these rights are guaranteed for the people.

When the Americans fought against the English in the Revolution, they had no organized army. They fought the English mainly by resistance and sabotage like a militia does to overthrow an occupying enemy. This is why the individual right to carry arms became an important principle and was included in the Constitution. The 2nd Amendment, which was ratified in 1791, states: "A well regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free state, the right for the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed."

Throughout history, this constitutional right has been criticized by some, but cherished and practiced by most Americans. Many will claim that, "that is how the West was won", and it is probably true that "The Manifest Destiny" (the 19th century belief that the United States was destined to expand across the North American continent) never would have become a reality without hand guns and weapons. However, it was also referred to as the "Wild West", where power meant a fast gun. It is impossible to imagine the sheriff and his deputy fighting outlaws and armed criminals without hand guns.

The Situation Today

Today the issue is debated in the USA, but not to the extent that might be expected, at least from a European point of view. Many Americans would like to see stricter control of the sale of hand guns, but their opponents are many and they are strong. In the front line is The NRA (National Rifle Association). They claim that "Guns don't kill, - people do", and they make a point of the fact that more people are killed in car accidents than by firearms, but cars have not been banned for that reason. People should have a fair chance to defend themselves against armed criminals, they say. The Republican Party state that, they "will defend the constitutional right to keep and bear arms" and that they "oppose federal licensing of law-abiding gun owners and national gun registration".

The statistical facts show that more and more people are killed by handguns in the USA, and more and more frequently the victim has no connection with the killer. Many of the victims are school children; every other hour an American child is killed by a handgun. To buy a gun in the USA you only need the money to pay for it and an ID, and you must not have a criminal record, but the illegal market makes it possible for nearly anyone to get hold of a gun quite easily.

So, why don't responsible politicians who see the connection between all the killings and the many hand guns on the loose take action? It is fairly obvious that a desperate person will solve his predicament violently if a gun is already at hand. But the American democratic tradition does not open up for such regulations or infringement of the individual freedom of the people. As long as the majority of the American people don't see this connection, the politicians have no choice but to secure the rights of the people, also when it includes the right to carry arms.