Draft Position Paper Since the beginning of the colonies, gun control has been violated in our society. Britain attempted to ban all muskets which were considered the assault rifles of the time. They then imposed restrictions and tried to confiscate all gunpowder and prevent it from being shipped to the colonies. The colonists then switched to black powder, which was more unstable and had to be stored in special buildings called powder magazines. These buildings were made of thick layers of brick and were cool, dark and dry. Muskets were considered a very dangerous weapon at the time, however colonists sought the right to own weapons both personally and for their citizen militias. When America became a nation, the Constitution and Bill of Rights sought to protect this self-interest and many others. The Second Amendment states: “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 was established to protect Americans' right to own guns. Although the militia is necessary in this, the element that ties into the present is the right of the people. Muskets were once considered as controversial as assault rifles are today, yet the Founding Fathers sought to protect Americans' right to own them. It is for these reasons that I support pro-gun laws. As with any law, the line must be drawn somewhere. Should people be able to own rocket launchers, armor-piercing shells or grenades? Probably not. This can be established with common sense and is a reasonable point to draw a line on what Americans can own. Things like assault rifles and high-capacity magazines should not be… half of the paper… easy to obtain these weapons. A national gun registry and stricter controls would certainly help control who owns firearms. Almost all people agree that criminals and the mentally ill should not own firearms. By increasing safety in purchasing firearms and more thorough background checks, this problem and the problem of shootings would be dramatically reduced while maintaining Americans' right to own the firearms they want. In conclusion, I believe stronger background checks, mental illness laws, and gun tracking would dramatically increase the safety of Americans while protecting citizens' rights to own weapons such as assault rifles, shotguns, and handguns. Tougher mental illness laws are what to focus on rather than ridding Americans of their Second Amendment-guaranteed firearms.