The Right to Bear Arms?

     The conflict over gun regulation has intensified and waned within American politics throughout American history.  The issue has led to countless news stories and debates between increasingly polarized sides, yet decisive action is yet to be taken.  An essential reason for this conflict is the debate over how to interpret the Second Amendment.  Those against gun restrictions use the Second Amendment as evidence of “the right to bear arms,” although it is becoming harder to ignore the tragic results of lax or nonexistent gun laws allowing guns to fall into the wrong hands.  This cartoon, created by political cartoonist Chan Lowe for the South Florida Sun Sentinel, delves into this controversy.  It can be inferred from the image that James Madison, “The Father of the Constitution”, could not have anticipated modern weaponry at the time he penned the Second Amendment, and allowing people access to these kinds of semi-automatic weapons is not what he intended.  The setting of this cartoon seems to be directed particularly at an audience of conservative Americans who see no need for stricter gun regulation.  The image’s focal point, the gun, shatters the peaceful colonial scene and acts as a metaphor to how out of place guns can be in today’s society.  The colors help to reinforce this idea, as the stark blackness of the gun contrasts with the colonial scene’s pastel hues.  By putting into context the problems with largely unregulated gun control in the US, I think Lowe successfully accomplishes his purpose.