Guns and Domestic Terrorism

The second amendment to the Constitution of the United States declares, "...The right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed." This law was signed into effect on December 15, 1791. In the 220 years since then, this country has changed and expanded in many ways. Today, laws concerning firearms are more complex than this historical amendment.

Gun laws are enforced on both the state and national level. In order to own a firearm in any state, a person must become licensed. However, the requirements vary from state to state, and a licensed firearm holder must obey the laws of the state they are in, not the state in which the permit was issued. States are not obligated to recognize permits issued in other states. This can lead to some confusion when traveling.

New York is one of the strictest states in dealing with the purchase and possession of handguns. In order to purchase a firearm, customers must be licensed by the county or city in which they live. This can take up to six months. A license dictates the make, model, caliber, and serial number of the gun they are permitted to purchase. It must be presented to the seller of the firearm before the purchase.

In general, southern and Midwestern states have the most lenient gun laws. Some are strict and the process to become licensed can be tedious and complicated. Others allow citizens to carry a handgun at any time without becoming licensed. There are three states that allow residents to carry firearms without a permit: Alaska, Vermont, and Arizona.

In Arizona, anyone over the age of 21 can buy a firearm; no permit necessary. When Jared Lee Loughner purchased a Glock 19 semiautomatic weapon on November 30th 2010 from a Sportsman's Warehouse in Tucson, Arizona, all he needed to do was pass an instant background check. He then used that weapon on January 8th when he shot and killed six people and wounded fourteen others.

According to the FBI, domestic terrorism is defined as terrorism that "involves groups or individuals who are based and operate entirely within the United States and Puerto Rico without foreign direction and whose acts are directed at elements of the U.S. government or population." It is as real a threat as international terrorism, and yet most Americans' stereotypes of modern terrorists are generally foreign.

Terrorism that has its origins in the United States is not a new concept. Throughout our