Gun control laws aim to limit or regulate firearms by selecting who can sell, buy, and possess certain weapons. Criminals do not obey laws, and stricter gun control or gun ban laws will have little effect on reducing crime. There are many myths that gun control reduces acts of gun violence, which are simply not true according to research. People are responsible for crimes, not the guns themselves. Taking guns away from US citizens who use them for various reasons, shooting practice, competition, hunting and self-defense, should not be punishable for criminal acts. As stated by Mytheos Holt, “Guns in the right hands help public safety. Guns in the wrong hands harm public safety." Research shows that defensive gun use deters criminals and reduces crime (Holt 2). Not only is it wrong to penalize law-abiding citizens, it is also against the Second Amendment. It is unconstitutional to pass laws that violate the Second Amendment right to bear arms. The Second Amendment is often misinterpreted because of its wording; people believe it only applies to the military or militias. The Second Amendment states; “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.” On June 26, 2008, the Supreme Court ruled in District of Columbia v. Heller, that citizens are the militia and that the Second Amendment is an individual right. McDonald v. Chicago, sets the precedent that the amendment covers every state and locality, not just federal enclaves (Levy 1). The Second Amendment has two clauses, the operative clause and the prefatory clause. The Operative Clause is the actual protected right and the Preliminary Clause is... in the middle of the paper......ews. Yahoo!, April 23, 2013. Web. October 11, 2013. Kleck, Gary. “Guns and Self-Defense by Gary Kleck, Ph.D.” Guns and Self Defense by Gary Kleck, Ph.D. Network. October 04, 2013. Levy, Robert. "Cato Institute". National legal journal (2013): n. page Cato Institute. Network. 09 October 2013.MacBradaigh, Matt. “It makes it clear that firearms are not just for the military.” PolicyMic. Np, nd Web. October 11, 2013. Pavlich, Katie. “Arkansas will allow teachers to bring firearms to school.” Townhall.com. Np, 01 Aug 2013. Web. 17 Oct 2013. Sager, Josh. “Refuting the Arguments Against Gun Control.” The cynical progressive. Np, 12 January 2012. Web. 17 October 2013. Tucci, Pietro. “The Daily Caller.” The daily caller. Np, nd Web. 07 October 2013.Zhao, Emmeline. “Guns in Schools: Firearms Already Allowed in 18 States with Few Restrictions.” The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, January 15, 2013. Web. October 17. 2013.