There was a time when every man living in America had a pure need to carry a weapon. Dangers such as invasion from foreign countries, conflicts with former settlers, land disputes, and wild animal attacks were stuck in the back of every mind. Our Founding Fathers made the Second Amendment with good cause, but where would they draw the line today? In the past 100 years, these reasons to carry a firearm have all but dissipated. It's not often that one has to worry if a British soldier will come knocking on the door to claim your property.

With the gun related incidents that have occurred across the nation in the past decade, many have began to wonder if there is still a valid reason for firearms to be carried by citizens. Although it is one of our rights as a U.S. citizen, many have abused and taken advantage of this privilege. Take a look at any newspaper and you will see a story of a shooting or massacre at locations ranging from military bases to movie theaters.

So where do we turn now? In light of the crazed gunmen that seem to feel the only way to solve the issues in their life is to end someone else's, a change needs to be made. There have been far too many complicated debates on gun reform to not officially make the call. It seems that this age-old right will be here to stay for a long time before ultimate reform is decided upon. In 2008, the Supreme Court case of District of Columbia v. Heller, the judges ruled that the Constitution protects an individual’s right to own a gun for personal use. This was a 5-4 decision, and unfortunately only applied to federal laws and failed to specify whether it applied to local and state laws. This only confirmed that the amendment will be here to stay for a while longer.

But a lot has changed in seven years since that ruling. There have been at least a dozen highly publicized shootings throughout the nation, and many traditional groups against reform have battled the courts to maintain their rights. According to USA Today, mass killings occur in the U.S. almost every two weeks. Talks of gun control always seem to pick up in election season, but subside until a massive incident occurs. What remains a constant is a need to control the actions of others, not the guns themselves, without infringing on the rights of honest Americans that want to protect their rights. One thing is certain if we continue to turn a blind eye then there will continue to be issues across the nation.