As of February of 2018, there have been over 5,000 gun-related incidents in America this year, resulting in over 1,000 deaths. 18 of these gun-related events occured on school grounds, resulting in 22 deaths. These statistics are a disturbing look into the way that gun laws are handled in America; over the recent years, gun violence has skyrocketed, and each time a major incident occurs, the government does nothing but utter empty condolences, while doing nothing about the situation at hand. To protect the safety of the citizens of this country, gun control laws must become more strict. While some people claim that restricting gun laws infringes rights protected by the Second Amendment, adding specificity to the Second Amendment would …show more content…
Some pro-Second Amendment people claim that banning guns would be more dangerous to civilians. Critics of gun control contend that, “If guns were illegal, only those willing to break the law would be able to wield the power of a firearm” (Gun Control Laws). However, many mass shooters get their guns completely legally: and the Sandy Hook school shooting in 2012 was a prime example of this. According to the FBI,“[The shooter’s]'s guns had been purchased legally and registered by his mother, whom he shot and killed before carrying out the attack at the elementary school” (Gun Control Laws). If guns were restricted further, many of these shooters wouldn’t be able to get these guns legally, and it would be a lot harder for them to commit these crimes: many mass shooters stay under the radar before they commit their crimes. Potential mass shooter or not, however, there are certain guns that people shouldn’t be able to own. An associate professor at the University of Georgia School of Law, Sonja West, states that “Protecting the right to keep and bear arms is not the same as forbidding all regulations on that right. We can protect that right and still require background checks, permits, and training. We can still regulate when,
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."
There has been an increase in gun sales and conceal and carry permits nearly tripling from 4.7 million to 12.8 million in response to mass shootings like Sandy Hook (Johnson). As time goes on, there has been an increased amount of debates about whether or not the United States should be adding additional regulations to firearms. Some say the U.S. should not because it would be considered as the government infringing on the people’s rights in the words of the Second 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.” On the opposing side, others feel that guns are something that should not be
In these last few years, the U.S. has been struggling with a massive amount of gun violence. From 2000 to 2013, there have been 160 cases of mass shootings in the United States, totaling 486 deaths and 557 wounded. And yet, despite these statistics, we still cannot pass even the most moderate bills, which would help reduce gun ownership in this country. This is because advocates of the Second Amendment, such as the NRA, stand between our nation and improved gun control legislation. Some of the NRA’s flimsy arguments for keeping the strict Second Amendment include controlling the number of guns owned cannot possibly reduce the number of shootings and people are the cause of mass shootings and not firearms.
I have always struggled with making choices. My attention span is not very long because of my attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. It is extremely difficult for me to thoroughly think through every option that is available to me. This made it harder than it should have been to pick topics for my multiple essays. Choosing a topic determines the content of an entire essay. It is a very important aspect of writing. My indecision caused me to get behind on every essay that my english teacher assigned. As the class progressed I became better at choosing a topic.
People believe that the difficulty to acquire a gun is far too lenient. Since the birth of America, gun rights have been added to the law of the land, the Constitution. Gun rights were added to a section along with other basic human rights called the Bill of Rights: restrictions of the government 's power. This Gun right that allows us to own firearms is known as the Second Amendment. It states “...the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed”. Many people believe that none of the ten amendments of the Bill of Rights should change. Let 's not change the Bill of rights, let 's just make America safer and stricken the gun laws, I have gathered two helpful sources that will support my claim for my Junior Project; one
The issue of gun control has been around since 1837 when the state of Georgia attempted to ban handguns but was deemed as unconstitutional by the Supreme Court (Longley par 38). Gun control is a political issue that has been carried with the United States throughout decades and is currently still a very heated topic that everyone has their own beliefs on. This issue distinctly divides United States citizens into two different categories, which are individuals that support gun control and then others that believe it is unconstitutional. Recently John Paul Stevens, an American Lawyer and Judge, argues that he has never seen such strong protesting, in favor of gun control, and that the second amendment must be repealed (Stevens par 1-3). When looking at Stevens’s argument he does present crucial
Gun control, it’s a topic that has been in the news for some time with the concerns of recent events. It is argued that teachers should be allowed to carry guns to keep students safe in school, but does that really seem safe?
Have you ever wondered why the United States always seems to have mass shootings in the news? Well, this is why gun control should be mandated in the America. Gun control is a debate fueled by the recent shootings of Colombine, Sandy Hook, Marysville Pilchuck, and the recent shooting at a social center. Gun control is a proposal to ban or further restrict gun laws, gun control has been put in place in many other countries such as Canada, The United Kingdom, Australia, Japan, and most of the other developed nations. What’s stopping gun control from being passed is the NRA and other lobbyists say gun control violates the Second Amendment in the Constitution. There should be gun control because it will
Opponents of gun control believe that guns should not be regulated heavier. People, who oppose gun control, say that it is our second amendment constitutional right to own and bear firearms. 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” (U.S. Const. amend. 2). Firearms are often used for food and protection. Many people have grown up living off of the land and hunting is one activity that these people do to survive. This activity is a source of food and to some, the only source of food. Those who oppose stricter gun regulation say that it is not the gun that pulls the trigger. A phrase that many opponents say is “ Guns don’t kill people. People kill people.” A person, who is against gun control, might also argue that if a criminal wants a gun he will get a gun, and regulations cannot stop him. There are many ways to get a gun and criminals are conniving enough to know that breaking the law and finding a firearm would not be difficult whether it be through stealing or other means such as the black market. “I researched the strictly tightened gun laws in Britain and Australia and concluded that they didn’t prove much about what
“If we don’t get gun control laws in this country, we are full of beans. To have the NRA rule the U.S. is pathetic. And I agree with Mayor Michael Bloomberg: It’s time to put up or shut up about gun control for both parties.” These are the words Harvey Weinstein spoke in his opinion about gun control. The United States has a gun problem, and many acts regarding gun control have been issued. Those acts have proven that gun control decreased violence. Gun control has been changed and added to for years. In regards to certain types of violence, gun control acts have been issued since 1934. While some think gun safety can decrease violence, gun control has and will increase safety. Gun control can decrease violence as it’s done in the past, it will create safer schools, and it can limit the availability of firearms. Although some
For many years the controversial topic of gun control has sparked countless passionate debates. The arguments posed in these debates vary widely concerning the possible solutions to solving the problem of violent crime due to the possession of firearms. This paper introduces three different views concerning gun control. The first illustrates the freedom to own firearms. The second view advocates the complete restriction of firearms owned by citizens, and the last one presents a modified freedom of possessing firearms. Each faction seeks to have its position supported by national legislation.
Intro:The topic of gun control has been a huge debate since the first move towards gun violence with the National Firearms Act which was passed in 1929 and is still abided by today. The issue of gun control should be solved by preventing the mentally ill from purchasing guns. Given the current political ideology of the American government, preventing the mentally ill from obtaining guns is an unlikely solution to pass because the makeup of the government is Republican and they believe everyone no matter what has the right to own a gun.
“The second amendment of The United States Bill of Rights is my concealed weapons permit, period.”- Ted Nugent. Saving lives one by one starts with limiting the purchase, sale, and use of guns in America. According to Alexander Lee, the political and social debate over the question of how much gun control is appropriate and it has been regularly discussed within the last decade. Shootings such as Sandy Hook, and Tucson shootings have raised the government’s awareness on guns and possible restrictions and regulations. Gun talks are discussed with the question, “Will controlling guns cut back on violent crime rates?” Although many guns are open to be sold to the public over 18, there are traditional gun laws that limit who can own them. These laws include sell restrictions to the mentally disabled, the age in which you can obtain a gun, background checks, and dishonorably discharged military personnel. Gun control laws could have a positive effect in America by reducing homicide rates, but at the same time, citizens still have the right to bear arms under the second amendment under the U.S constitution. Gun control laws do not mean the absolute confiscation of guns, but rather reduce the amount of power a gun and the amount of ammo that a gun can hold.
I would consider myself to be a conservative, although I do share a few liberal beliefs. I am a
There are new proposed gun control laws in the aftermath of the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newton, Connecticut that occurred on December 14th, 2012. This incident claimed the lives of twenty 1st graders and six adults and has set the government in motion to try to prevent future acts of violence by strengthening gun control laws in the United States (Smith). This has been a topic that has been an extremely emotional debate with people on both sides unwilling to compromise. Gun advocates and critics of the new proposed gun laws argue that these new laws infringe on our constitutional