to handguns.Lastly, Kates cites a chilling example of how private ownership of a gun by law abiding citizens could have prevented a horrific event. In graphic detail, he describes the abhorrent attack on three helpless women who, in their own home, "were held captive [for 14 hours while being] raped, robbed , beaten, forced to commit sexual acts upon each other and made to submit to the sexual demands of [their attackers]." The police had failed to respond to two calls made by two off the women and they were left defenseless in their own home. An ensuing lawsuit against the city failed as the courts held that "a government and its agents are under no general duty to provide public services, such as police protection to any particular citizen."(qtd. In Kates 59) This graphic illustration drives home the need for the 2nd Amendment and its theme that "...the right of people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed"(US Constitution, excerpt from 2nd Amendment).The Constitution further establishes to "insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings Ellison 13of Liberty to ourselves..."(US Constitution) When taken literally it is in fact the governments responsibility to provide for its citizens and to protect the ideals behind the Constitution. It is the governments responsibility to hold up the right of the average citizen to protect home and hearth by means of owning a hand gun.In Don B. Kates, Jr.'s conclusion to his article, he stresses the need for informed opinions on gun control laws and opposes the moral conjecture of those opposed to the 2nd Amendment. All in all, he has put forth an extremely informative work backed up by well-researched statistics and graphic portrayals of what could and does frequently happen in our violent society.Ellison 14SOURCES CITEDHarr, Scott J. and Hess, Karen M. Constitutional Law for Criminal Justice Professionals.Belmont, CA: Wadswo...
