What does the US second amendment say? When was it written and why it's being discussed after Texas shooting

President Biden has stated that the Second Amendment is “not absolute,” after America is rocked by another school shooting.

The attack which took place at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas has left 19 children and two adults dead.

Lone gunman, 18-year-old Salvador Ramos used an AR-15 style semi-automatic rifle, which he legally purchased after his 18th birthday.

There have been calls for stricter gun controls in the wake of the attack, with relatives of the Sandy Hook massacre, which took place in 2012, pleading for the government to “take action.”

Here’s everything you need to know about what the Second Amendment is and what President Biden said.

What is the second amendment?

The Second Amendment of the US Constitution gives citizens the right to “bear arms.”

The original text of the amendment reads:  “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 Second Amendment was proposed by James Madison in 1791 to provide a constitutional check on congressional power and prevent them from disarming federal militia.

It passed in 1789 with nine other amendments called the Bill of Rights.

The amendment allows US citizens to this day, to carry and purchase weapons, with each state having set laws on background checks and the type of firearms available.

What has President Biden said about it?

In an emotional address at the White House, President Biden explained that the Second Amendment was “not absolute.”

The President said: ‘When in God’s name will we do what needs to be done to, if not completely stop, fundamentally change the amount of the carnage that goes on in this country?”

He added: “The Second Amendment’s not absolute. When it was passed you couldn’t own a cannon, you couldn’t own certain weapons. There’s always been limitations.”

The President called out the powerful gun lobbying organisations and gun manufacturers.

He said: “The idea that an 18 year old can walk into a store, and buy weapons of war, designed and marketed to kill, is I think just wrong.

“It just violates common sense. Even the manufacturer, the inventor of that weapon thought that as well. You know, where is the backbone? Where is the courage? To stand up to a very powerful lobby?”

How many school shootings have there been in 2022?

In 2022 alone, there have been 213 mass shootings in America.

Out of this, 27 have taken place in or around schools.

Here is a full list of the schools impacted:

Auburn High School, Rockford, Illinois

Two 17-year-old students suffered non-life threatening injuries after being shot whilst sitting in a car, in the school parking lot.

Seminole High School, Sanford, Florida

An 18-year-old was shot three times by a 16-year-old student, but survived the attack.

Oliver Citywide Academy, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

A 15-year-old student was shot and killed whilst sitting in a school van.

Magruder High School, Rockville, Maryland

A 15-year-old boy was shot and seriously injured by a classmate in a school bathroom.

Beloit Memorial High School, Beloit, Wisconsin

A 19-year-old was shot and killed after playing basketball.

South Education Center, Richfield, Minnesota

A 15-year-old student was shot and killed and two other students were left critically injured after two gunmen opened fire.

Rufus King High School, Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Five people, including four students, were left injured after a shooting during a basketball game.

Wenonah High School, Birmingham, Alabama

A 16-year-old boy was shot in the leg outside of a high school basketball game and suffered non-life threatening injuries.

Catonsville High School, Baltimore, Maryland

A 16-year-old student was shot in the arm and suffered non-life threatening injuries.

Minneapolis Public Schools, Minneapolis, Minnesota

A school bus driver was shot in the head while driving the school bus, their injuries were not life-threatening and no students were hamed.

McKinley High School, Buffalo, New York

A 14-year-old student was stabbed and a security guard shot outside the high school. Both victims survived the attack.

Olathe East High School, Olathe, Kansas.

An assistant principal and school resource officer were shot and seriously wounded at the high school after they confronted a student for bringing a gun to school.

East High School, Des Moines, Iowa

A 15-year-old student was shot dead, with two other students left injured after shooters opened fire outside the school.

North Gardens High School, Miami Gardens, Florida

Two students received non-life threatening injuries after being shot whilst inside their classroom.

Dunbar High School, Baltimore, Maryland

An 18-year-old student suffered non-life threatening injuries after being shot in the leg outside the high school.

TechBoston Academy, Dorchester, Massachusetts

A 17-year-old student and teacher received non-life threatening injuries after being shot in the high school parking lot.

Eisenhower High School, Yakima, Washington

A 16-year-old student was shot and killed and another injured outside the high school’s football stadium.

Lee Williams High School, Kingman, Arizona

A 15-year-old student was shot in the leg on the school bus.

Oakdale Elementary School, Charlotte, North Carolina

A teenager was shot outside the elementary school and received non-life threatening injuries.

Tanglewood Middle School, Greenville, South Carolina

A 12-year-old student was killed after being shot by another 12-year-old student.

Erie High School, Erie, Pennsylvania

A student was shot inside the high school hallway and received non-life threatening injuries.

Edmund Burke School, Washington, D.C.

A man with a “sniper-like setup” shot at students and parents waiting to collect their children from school.

Three adults and a 12-year-old student were injured.

Heights High School, Houston,Texas

A student was shot in the hand in their school parking lot after a 17-year-old student opened fire.

Walt Disney Magnet School, Chicago, Illinois

A seven-year-old student suffered an injury after a gun in another student’s backpack fired whilst the children were in class.

East Kentwood High School, Kentwood, Michigan

Two students were injured in a shooting at the high school’s graduation ceremony.

Robb Elementary School, Uvalde, Texas

The mass shooting at Robb Elementary school killed 19 children and two teachers.