Argument 1

The Second Amendment was written in 1791 as part of the Bill of Rights that applies to all citizens of the United States of America. The Second Amendment reads, “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.” It was designed to enable citizens to have the weapons necessary to stand against all enemies; foreign and domestic, primarily the government if it got too large. In a speech on gun control given by the Vice-President, Biden said “If you want to protect yourself, get a double-barrel shotgun. Have the shells for a 12-gauge shotgun, and I promise you as I told my wife, we live in an area that’s wooded and somewhat secluded. I said, Jill if there’s ever a problem, just walk out on the balcony here, walk out, put that double-barrel shotgun and fire two blasts outside the house. I promise you whoever’s coming in is not going to. You don’t need an AR-15. It’s harder to aim; it’s harder to use. And in fact, you don’t need 30 rounds to protect yourself. Buy a shotgun.” The ownership of a Semi-automatic assault rifles gives a homeowner unequaled protection against both home and foreign invasions because of its accuracy, range, high-capacity ammunition magazine, and ease of use.

A semi-automatic rifle provides the shooter with several critical advantages that a shotgun simply cannot provide against a home invasion. First, a typical assault rifle has a 30-round ammunition clip compared to a shotgun that can hold, at the most, five shells. The extra ammunition provides the shooter with more shots to ward off an attack. Next, assault rifles come in calibers ranging for a .22 LR up to a 7.62 Soviet, however the most common caliber of assault rifle is the .223. Shotguns, on the other hand, come in gauges that range from the .410-gauge up to the 8-gauge, with the 12-gauge being the most popular. The recoil of the .223 assault rifle is exponentially less than that of the 12-gauge shotgun. This reduction in recoil makes it a much easier gun for smaller shooters to handle and operate. Lastly, an assault rifle provides the shooter with a much longer range for protection. The .223 caliber is accurate at up to 300-400 yards while a 12-gauge shotgun is effective at up to 50-100 yards. The assault rifle also has the penetrating power to shoot through doors and walls while the shotgun cannot. The semi-automatic assault rifle provides the shooter with advantages that cannot be provided by a shotgun.

In the YouTube video, “Women Take Biden’s Shotgun Advice,” it is obvious that advantages that an assault rifle can provide. The women shooting the shotguns have a hard time either holding onto the weapon or handling the recoil provided by the much larger shotgun. At the end of the video, the women shooting the AR-15 assault rifle has neither difficult of holding onto the weapon or handling the recoil.