Robert J. Cottrol

About the author: Robert J. Cottrol is a professor of law and history at George Washington University in Washington, D.C. He is also the chair of the law and social science section of the Association of American Law Schools.

The Second Amendment gives Americans the right to own and carry guns. Gun control infringes on this right and limits people's ability to defend themselves. Gun control keeps guns out of the hands of the urban poor, the people who are most in need of self defense. Ironically, laws that allow people to carry concealed guns have been shown to reduce violent crime in minority communities. The dangers of limiting the right to self defense go beyond its effects in urban areas. When citizens lose the right to own guns, tyranny...