America as a Gun Culture, by Richard Hofstadter

The issue of the application of the Second Amendment takes center-stage once again as the country continues to deal with tragedies that have been precipitated by those using firearms to bring about death and destruction within the USA. As the country continues to deal with the tragedy of the Sandy Hook school shooting, we are reminded of the host of other school shootings along with statistics dealing with death by firearms. Herein begins the cultural and political debate about guns, guns ownership and the Second Amendment. Hofstadter begins this very discussion with an overview of the history of America and her relationship with firearms and provides students with the opportunity to compare his words alongside the decision of the Supreme Court of the United States. In addition, Hofstadter challenges the readers (students) to deliberate about the manner in which the federalist structure of the USA impacts the ability of national and state governments to develop and implement any meaningful legislation addressing the issue of reasonable gun control. Consider further research into the phrase ‘gun culture’ as on of both generic description for the notion of legal firearms and as a derisive statement about those who own guns.