Policy:
At least 84 people have been killed and 119 have been injured so far this year in 86 shooting incidents involving assault-style rifles, according to data compiled by the Gun Violence Archive, a not-for-profit corporation that tracks gun violence. The reason for the shootings can happen for numerous reasons such as terror or criminal acts. Regardless, this is happening because these delinquents have an easy access to assault weapons. Consequently, assault weapons should be banned and made illegal in the United States, unless used by governmental armed forces. Assault weapons are dangerous, impractical, and when not properly operated can misfire and kill innocent bystanders.
Why the issue is a problem?
Assault weapons are a major
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Also, assault weapons cannot be used during the sport of hunting since they fire automatic rounds and are extremely loud. In that case, the reasoning for owning an assault when is not valid.
Why the problem continues to exist?
When the second amendment was written, in 1791, assault weapons did not exist. Further, there was never intended to include assault weapons in such amendment. It was written solely for people to be able to use weapons for self-protection. In fact, the first assault rifle made was the StG 44 in 1944, during World War II, strictly for military use. Nowadays, many states in the US permit citizens to purchase many handguns and assault weapons to their liking, without much supervision. Because of that, the United States has more guns than any other country in the world. There are an estimated 270 million to 310 million firearms in circulation in the United States. With the American population at 319 million, that breaks down to nearly one firearm for every American.
Additionally, gun lobbyists are “very strong” in the political area, influencing lawmakers in believing that assault weapons can actually benefit the public, where in fact they do not. These gun lobbyists give the politicians large amounts of money, causing them to vote in their favor on certain topics related to gun legislation. The phenomenon has been addressed many times but anti-gun activists, yet not action has been taken towards changing the “corruption”
While mass shootings cause a huge unnecessary loss of life, most killings in the United States come from murders and crimes. Guns should be banned to lower crime rates. Because “more than 70% of homicides are committed with a firearm” (Cannon n.p.) and 2.
People and organisions like the NRA fights for our gun rights every time they try to pass laws on gun control. Once they begin banning one type of gun they will start banning other types of guns. In California they have ban assault weapons (the ultimate assault weapon). They are now trying to ban the .50 cal. Rifle in the assault weapon ban because they say it is a sniper rifle (the ultimate assault weapon). Although bills like these do not pass it does not prevent law makers from trying to slip them in.
The issue of banning assault weapons and large capacity magazines has been debated for years, but has never been discussed with such urgency as it is now. The issue is the banning of assault weapons in our society. Are we the kind of country that allows and encourages its citizens to own weapons of mass destruction? The moral issue we face is banning ownership of these weapons to ordinary citizens while protecting their rights under the second amendment of our Constitution. Considering the bloodshed and death that assault weapons cause in the hands of citizens and criminals, it seems to me that assault weapons do not have a place in our homes and society.
The United States contains 5% of the world’s population. However, our nation covers 35-50% of the world’s civilian-owned guns, is ranked first for firearms per capita, and holds the highest homicide rate among all other nations of wealth and democracy at 88.5% (Masters). Such high rates and loose restrictions are bound to lead to tragedy. We will not sit here and make excuses, we will not allow power in the hands of insanity, and we will not allow the safety of our children to be hindered. After each tragedy that has struck, we have failed to successfully improve gun control. As of now, we hold no federal law banning semi-automatic assault weapons, just like the weapons used in the Las Vegas massacre, resulting in
Every time there is a mass shooting, the government proposes new rules, but they never put them in place because of the National Rifle Association (NRA) is influencing the government, therefore, Congress has not been able to renew or place a ban on assault weapons.
July 20th, 2012, twelve are killed and fifty-eight are injured at a movie theater in Aurora, Colorado. The man who killed them used a semi-automatic rifle with a one hundred round magazine. An automatic weapon has no use in the United States because all sporting events, and activities with guns can be accomplished without automatic weapons. It is important because it limits the possibilities of events like the shooting at the Sandusky school in Ohio. Some would say they are a good for shooting range activity and most people don’t commit crimes with them, getting rid of automatic weapons would get rid of the crimes committed with them overall. People die because of the actions taken with with assault rifles. Automatic weapons should be banned in the US because they are not needed for self defense, and they have almost no use in recreational activities.
Assault weapons are the newest and the most popular type of firearm. When most people hear the term ‘assault weapon’, they think of an unnecessary weapon and their connections to mass shootings. That type of thinking is necessary when it comes to these types of weapons, and too many those disagree with people who think this way. There arguments are, “This is America,” and “It’s guaranteed in the second amendment,” but the issue is assault weapons have no place in American society outside the military and police use. 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.” This sentence written by our forefathers says nothing about which weapons are allowed in this country. So it is up to our government to decide which guns are legal and which guns are illegal. From a logical and educated perspective all assault weapons should be banned from public distribution and possession, and be restricted to use by our police and armed forces. This can easily be proven by why the 1994 gun ban was not successful, assault weapon capabilities in the hands of citizens, and solutions to assault weapon control.
I do agree that there are many legitimate reasons for the purchasing of guns. Some men and women enjoy hunting. This, being a sport they enjoy, makes such a purchase understandable. Other men and women feel they
Everyday 93 Americans are killed by guns. Whether it is due to homicide or suicide, it does not matter. At the end of the day gun violence is increasing exponentially. In numerous states, gun laws have been placed in the hopes of reducing gun violence. But now many people believe that gun violence should be treated as a public health problem. I for one feel that gun violence should be put in the category of public health. Every year more than 30,000 people are victims to gun related incidents. It has become such an issue that gun violence is causing more deaths than some life threatening diseases.
The mounting deaths and associated trauma from mass shootings should motivate us to take action to make needed reforms to our gun laws, focus law enforcement resources on combating illegal gun possession and invest in prevention initiatives proven to reduce gun violence. Assault weapons cause more harm than good when they are able to purchased and owned by private citizens. And while most who do own and use these powerful weapons for harmless, recreational activities or a sense of protection, the fact is that when they fall into the hands of individuals who are not mentally sound enough to possess something of such force, the result is one of horrific tragedy. The government must take into consideration the hundreds of innocent people who have lost their lives as a result of these dangerous weapons, and work on ways to prevent
The controversy over assault rifles is one of the most problematic issues related to the contributions of gangs, drug traffickers, and most criminal activity. More often than not, criminals have access to the weapons of their choice more easily than it should be. Getting them from licensed dealers, black markets, and family members’ homes, the availability of these militia weapons has become to effortless to obtain. The rise of criminal activity is part of the reason more than one-third of high school students have easy access to a weapon or gun. “Four out of five guns brought to school are actually brought from their own homes” (Page par 2). This is one of the biggest problems when faced with where criminals get their
As studies show, every day Americans are injured or killed by guns. However, to stop this ongoing issue our country needs to go to source of the problem and change the laws.
First, opponents of the ban of assault weapons claim that the second amendment protects their right to possess assault weapons. According to the second amendment, “the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed" (Strasser). American tradition that lasted for many years would be infringed upon as more gun control laws would violate the right to bear arms. The second amendment also protects an individual’s right to possess a firearm for traditionally lawful purposes, such as self-defense (District of Columbia V. Heller). Furthermore, it was intended to protect the right of gun ownership of all men so they can be prepared to form a military to retain peace and defend their country at any time. Adam Winkler said, ”A 1792 federal law required that every man eligible for militia service own a gun and ammunition suitable for military service, report for frequent inspection of their guns, and register their gun ownership of public records” (Winkler).
Ownership of certain weapons should be prohibited. Assault rifles and submachine guns are firearms that are never necessary. The United States should set a goal to having fewer high-power weapons available. However,the only situation to these firearms being more acceptable to use than others, are the warlike scenarios.
The United States of America is a nation of massacres by military-type assault weapons. Aware of the deadliness of these weapons and due to public safety concerns clearly outweighing the benefits of personal ownership of military-type assault weapons, the United States passed the 1994 Federal Ban on military-type assault weapons. This ban was notably effective during the 10 years it was in effect. However, the Ban automatically expired in 2004. Since that time, the number of U. S. mass murders has markedly increased. Attempts to reinstate the Ban, most recently the stricter 2013 Ban, have all failed. Nevertheless, the less restrictive 1994 Ban did pass the Senate and House of Representatives at one point and was successful. Therefore, the 1994 Federal Ban on military-type assault weapons should be reinstated.