The Second Amendment

“The Second Amendment”

 By: Kyle Langley

            The Second Amendment not only means freedom to bear arms, but is an insurance against a possible corrupt government who might take our rights and liberties away.  The Second Amendment is one of the least understood and has less authority according to many people.  This could not be further from the truth.  Many people who do not approve of the Second Amendment do not understand it nor have shot a firearm. 

            Recently, many news-agencies and social media web-sites have published videos and articles of people, who are indifferent or opposed to the right to bear arms, shooting guns for the first time. As expected, always half of the group changes their mind about firearms and some even consider purchasing one.  When more of the population learns and understands what the Second Amendment means, the more support people will have for it.  I have been able to draw on my experiences with firearms to show strangers and friends what the Second Amendment means.

            When I was a little boy I knew little of firearms, let alone the Second Amendment, but I was fascinated with them.  Since I was making guns out of toast when I was five years old, my parents knew that something had to be done.  My parents decided to teach me proper gun safety and protocol the next time we had to opportunity to shoot. 

                       My passion for firearms lead me to join a competitive rifle team, where I learned that guns also require a great amount of skill and prowess to use.  Because of my achievements in competitive rifle shooting, I was asked by the former coach of the Rio Salado Air Rifle Team to join them.  This opportunity allowed to receive coaching and equipment that would help me win the Junior Olympic State match and go on to compete in the National Junior Olympic Championships.  Since I had the chance to gain of these experiences, I passed on my knowledge of rifles and shooting to others.  I was able to show many people, mainly during my tenure as Youth State Governor, that guns are not tools for evil but are made for much more.

            Because of my experiences, it has led me to have a deep understanding and respect for guns.  I realize that there is no single-purpose for these tools.  They can be used for hunting, sports, and protection.  Because our founding fathers saw this, they knew they had to secure our right to possess and use these tools.  The Second Amendment means the right to bear arms and to protect all of our rights given to us in the Constitution.