habitat for Humanity

State Laws Paper

Oftentimes questioning the inner mechanics of our government is mocked as anti-American, but I believe that one of the age old policies of the United States, that states should have to obey one another's laws should be subject to some revision. States are individually the right to determine the regulations of certain institutions of government such as whether gays can marry in a certain state and who can own a gun. Although states may have varying policies on these issues, as the current situation stands, they must obey each other's polices. This may not seem to very important, but technically all states must recognize gay marriages approved by Massachusetts. Does Massachusetts really have the right to impose this policy on the other 49 states? Worse for gay rights, this situation has pushed support for a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage and has already spawned The Defense of Marriage Act - a huge step back for gay rights. Gun policy is another tense issue. In Massachusetts gun owners need to register and pass a basic firearms test to show that they are competent. In addition to this, potential gun owners must disclose medical documents relating to their mental health. By contrast, Nebraska permits any citizen to purchase an automatic weapon without any such checks. As the policy stands, any Nebraska citizen may enter Massachusetts with said automatic weapon. It should be stated, that the policy I am disagreeing with is part of the fabric of our nation and unlikely to be changed, however, it is still an issue worth addressing.