As Americans, we are very used to the scene after a new mass shooting happens: outrage, fear, and families suffering the death of their beloved ones. Politicians start debating on gun policy, again, arriving at no solution. This has been America’s reality for the past decades. The problem in which lobbyists and a dominant minority stop any attempt to find a solution. Dan Gross, as president of the Brady Campaign, is seeking to promote sensible gun control in the United States. Mr. Gross advocates for gun control and for laws that put a stop to the gun violence problem (Ted Talk). Another article by Tom McCarthy in The Guardian gives some data and ideas about what gun control would look like. McCarthy’s article gives us a context in which …show more content…
They don't all make national headlines. In fact, most of them don't. They go largely unnoticed,” (Gross 1:24) These 90 murders do not get the national attention, but they account for most of the deaths that are gun related every day. The media uses big mass shootings as a way to create euphoria and keep the audience entertained. Media can’t cover all those crimes individually. It makes the public believe that most of the deaths are from these mass shootings. And the public attributes the cause to mental illness when it is a really small portion of the total mass shootings and shootings in general. “The best available national data suggest that only 3%–5% of violent acts are attributable to seriously mentally ill (13),” (Swanson et all 652) Public, in general, exaggerates the problem of mental illness and blame the mentally ill for those crimes. The Brady Act of 1994 blocked people with mental illness from purchasing guns (Appelbaum et all 652) As crimes committed by people with mental problems are minimum from the overall, Brady Act had a small impact on the gun violence rate. (Swanson et all 653) Thus, it is more than clear that focusing on the mentally ill and the mass shootings will not be a solution. Instead, we should focus on the causes of the everyday deaths related to guns and their
Sandy Hook Elementary. Aurora, Colorado. San Bernardino, California. Las Vegas, Nevada. Orlando, Florida. (Words with Negative Connotation) These are just some of the biggest mass shootings that have swept America in the past few years. Hundreds of lives are lost each year to gun related violence in the United States alone. Gun control has been a topic in our country since our founding fathers adopted the second amendment to the US constitution. Although recently controversy has sparked to an all-new extent in America due to the recent spike in mass shootings and gun related homicides. So many families and loves ones are affected each year in the United States because of gun related violence and other mass killing events, because of these events gun control laws need to be revamped and strengthened in American in order to protect the citizens.
The Second Amendment of the US Constitution protects individual gun ownership. The Second Amendment of the US Constitution 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." Gun ownership is an American tradition older than the country itself and is protected by the Second Amendment; more gun control laws would infringe upon the right to bear arms. Justice Antonin Scalia, LLB, in the June 26, 2008 District of Columbia et al. v. Heller US Supreme Court majority opinion syllabus stated, "The Second Amendment protects an individual right to possess a firearm unconnected with service in a militia, and to use that arm for traditionally lawful purposes, such as self-defense within the home." The McDonald v. City of Chicago (2010) ruling also stated that the Second Amendment is an individual right. Lawrence Hunter, Chairman of Revolution PAC, stated, "The Founders understood that the right to own and bear laws is as fundamental and as essential to maintaining liberty as are the rights of free speech, a free press, freedom of religion and the other protections against government encroachments on liberty delineated in the Bill of Rights."
What cause crime? Is is an individual’s access to firearms or is it their willingness to act illegally given the opportunity? In this argumentative essay I will be discussing one of the most debated topics in the United States today, gun control. There are two extremely opposite views on this topic: the belief that guns enable crime, and the belief that guns deter crime. These polar opposites leave room for a very good discussion of what facts and truths may lie behind this topic. Throughout this essay I will be analyzing both sides of this issue.The significance of a topic such as gun control is very prevalent in today’s society. Some see it sad that we must argue over one of our supposedly deemed unalienable rights such as bearing a firearm.
The perception is that mass shootings are usually committed by people dealing with mental health issues that have easy access to firearms.
What is gun control? Who is affected by Gun Control? Why should someone care about Gun Control? Imagine going to a concert with your friends and family, you guys are laughing and having a good time when all of sudden someone starts shooting up the place. Are you thinking to yourself that if guns were banned this wouldn't have never happened? Or are you wishing you had a gun to protect everyone from what is happening? Gun Control has been an issue since the beginning of time, there are some people who think we need it and others who say we have the right to bear arms. With gun control a lot more lives could be saved and people won't have to be scared of a mass shootings happening somewhere. Kids can feel safe when going to school and they won’t have to worry about one of their class mates shooting up the school.
Many small deaths such as Raymond Howell from mckinney texas and mass murders such as orlando florida's homosexual club shooting have occurred under the influence of guns. Guns have destroyed many lives. These deaths should not have occurred, With stricter gun control these unjustified murders would not have occurred and affect the lives of families. Gun control in America should be more restrictive because women will feel more protected from abusers, lower criminals with guns, unjustified gun deaths.
Everyday, politicians and leaders of America are faced with many challenges that could potentially alter anyone’s quality of life, but a few are as urgent as gun violence. Gun control is a controversial topic in American politics because the Second Amendment is relatively vague. More often than not, gun advocates utilize the amendment; “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,” to guarantee their right to own a firearm and argue against gun control policies.
Over the eighteen years of my life, I feel like my ideological perspectives have only truly fluctuated within the last five to eight years. Growing up all I truly wanted was to be happy and for everyone around me to be happy. However, as I grow older I have begun to understand the complexity of trying to make everyone happy and that a lot of individual happiness stems from political association. For myself, my views vary between the liberal and conservative sides depending on the specific situation, and so many of those views have changed over time through experiences and increased knowledge.
We are fortunate to live in a country whose Founders valued the critical right to bear arms enough to protect it. They were able to defeat tyranny. In the end, that's what this right is about (Staff 1). The gun control controversy began when many started to die and get harmed due to gun violence. Gun control became a problem because people began questioning the 2nd amendment right, to a well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, and the right of the people to keep and bear arms (Netzley 15). This was told to not be infringed. As a result of the issue, many feel gun regulations need to be tightened. There are two points of views concerning the debate on gun regulations being tightened. Even though some people believe stricter gun regulations will ensure the safety of
With all these mass shootings happening recently in our country it has brought up a huge discussion on if guns should be legal or not. My view on guns is if you have a clean history and no mental illness issues I have nothing wrong with someone owning a gun. Therefore I am for guns for self defense and hunting. I think having a gun is a huge responsibility and you shouldn’t be able to have any history of being a criminal or have a history of having a mental illness even to the slightest degree. These mass shooters I 100% think that they had a mental illness and sent them over the edge because I don’t know how anyone in the right mind could do a crime as big as killing hundreds of innocent people for no reason.
Would you ever want to die or have one of your family members die from a gun? I have had friends that experienced a family member dying from guns or firearm suicide. People in the community would feel safer from gun threats and gun violence. More Gun control laws should be enacted in the United States to stop gun violence and firearm suicide.
Most U.S. citizens have probably heard of the Columbine, Virginia Tech, and Sandy Hook; they probably know immediately that these names are in reference to mass shootings and/or massacres where firearms were used. The fact of the matter is that innocent deaths by guns are becoming a common occurrence in the United States. Some say that guns kill people, others say that people kill people. Although murder pre dates guns, murder rates have skyrocketed since guns have become mass produced and readily available. Guns
The gun control Act of 1968 was passed after the assassinations of both president John F. Kennedy, the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert F. Kennedy. It banned interstate mail orders of all firearms, interstate handgun sales and weapons with no “sporting purpose. “It prohibited the sale of firearms to minors, felony, fugitives, drug addicts and these committed to a mental institution. And then allowed the sale of machine guns manufactured after May 19, 1986. The violent crime control and law environment Act of 1994 banned the possession, transfer or domestic weapons for 10 years. The debate over gun control in the United States has
In today's society, there seems to be a general concern about the presence of guns. Many different groups of people advocate for stricter gun control from school teachers to the Obama Administration. Society’s views are shaped and changed by what we see and hear. Many people are uneducated on political issues and are very susceptible to believe what they hear. I want the American people to look at facts, do their own research, and then form their own opinion. Form your opinion on what you believe is best for the country and yourself, don’t go along with something just because that’s what you’re told.
Gun control in the United States has been one of the most controversy topics this year. For some they find it unnecessary to even have a law against it but in my opinion it is very necessary for society today. Yes, I know some will argue that restrictions for gun restrictions are “unconstitutional” since the second amendment states that all citizens have rights to bear to arms. An excerpt from ProCon.org explains that,”Michael Waldman, JD, President of the Brennan Center for Justice at the New York University School of Law, stated there is nothing about an individual right to bear arms in the notes about the Second Amendment when it was being drafted, discussed, or ratified; the US Supreme Court declined to rule in favor of the individual right