Gun control has been a controversial issue for many years. The vast majority of citizens believe that if gun control were strictly enforced, the threat of crime would rapidly reduce. Many innocent people feel they have the right to carry guns for protection, or even just for the pleasure of hunting. Americans have a constitutional right to own firearms, and stricter laws and licensing won't actually save lives. 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.” The Founding Fathers included it in the Bill of Rights because they feared that the government federal government could have oppressed the population if the people had not had the means to defend themselves as a nation or as individuals. The constitutions of most of our states state that all power is inherent in the people who exercise it themselves , in all cases in which they consider themselves competent; (such as not electing their executive and legislative officers, and deciding for themselves a jury, in all judicial cases in which any fact is involved), or they can act through representatives, freely and fairly chosen, that it is their right and duty to be armed at all times” (Jefferson believes that the Founding Fathers thought that society benefited from having guns in the hands of the people. In this way all citizens could defend themselves at any time. The government has passed many laws regarding the possession and use of firearms. Federal law currently states the following: The use of any firearm in a violent or drug crime is punishable by law. A person wishing to purchase a firearm must be 18 years old to purchase a rifle or pistol, and a person must be 21 years old to purchase a handgun. With respect to travel, notwithstanding any state or local law, a person has the right to transport a firearm from any place where he or she may lawfully possess and transport such firearm if the firearm is unloaded and in the trunk.