Persuasive Essay: Do Students Need Gun Control Laws

School should be a place of peace and opportunity, but gaps in the system of gun control threatens the safety of faculty and students. School shootings have killed a total of 297 lives, young and old (Slate Magazine). Gun control has been a continuous nationwide debate for many years. It seems that no one wants to take a stance against guns unless they are personally affected. In order to take control of the matter and prevent more incidents from continuing schools need to change. To achieve a safe environment in schools need to educate faculty, safe and students, heighten security, and assess mental health issues.

There are people who believe that teachers should have guns inside the classroom because it can be safer for the students in a shooter situation., but should teachers really have guns in the classroom, and could it more dangerous for the children? That is the questions that people are asking ,and are trying to find the answer to,and that is why this reach paper was made. To show the daugous of having guns inside of school. Even with people who may think it would be safe for students. That if the teacher was to be armed and trained on using guns, also if a time did comes when someone was to come in the school with a gun in hand.

Guns laws in America are one of the most controversial topics today that are dividing many U.S. citizens. Many people are ignorant to what new gun laws will enforce and what statistical data shows about gun violence. Future Gun laws will be used to control guns in America, making it restricted to own and buy weapons. Although some people say that stricter gun laws will protect people more than concealed carry laws, the reality is that concealed carry laws allow individuals to better defend themselves and their families.

Many who are against guns and want them unpurchasable to the public don't realize that people who want to kill (with guns) will find a way to get a gun, legal or not. They don't realize that it isn't the gun that pushes the person to commit the crime, it is the person's damaged mental capacity that makes them do so. Charles Whitman, an ex-Marine, went on a killing spree at the University of Texas in 1966 due to his unstable mental health. He repeatedly sought out help for his health, even telling his psychiatrist about wanting to go up to the UT Tower with a rifle and shoot people, but was blown off by his doctor. He ended up shooting 41 people, killing 16 and injuring 31. After his death, being brought down by brave Austin police officers, he wrote in his death note: "After my death, I wish an autopsy on me be performed to see if there are any mental disorders." This is a prime example of someone compelled by their own urges to seek out a weapon and inflict pain on others. Now let's re-evaluate this story, but

of sixty-two mass shootings done by Mother Jones, about forty-nine of the weapons were bought legally! Twelve of were obtained through illegal methods, and the last one was unknown (Follman). Whether mentally fit or not, loose gun control laws allow those untrustworthy to buy guns and possible commit heinous acts.

Every so often the media and news feeds flood with reports of a mass shooting. Families mourn. In the days that follow, calls to action can be heard, and there is a demand for change. Sometimes minor legislation passes, but in the United States extreme change is rarely seen. Other developed nations provide an opposite comparison. Following the Port Arthur shooting in Australia and the shooting in Great Britain, both countries organized for significant gun reform.

December 15, 1791, the day America’s Bill of Rights was ratified, was the day the initial infrastructure for our country’s basic rights were established. Since then, firearms have been a highly deliberated topic. Even today, the debate over whether we, as a country, should institute stricter gun laws continues to be an ongoing conversation throughout social media, the press, and within our governing bodies. But, since the approval of the Bill of Rights, gun laws have continued to be restricted in order to protect the lives of citizens who reside in America. The initial catalyst for more rigid gun laws was the horrific assassination attempt of Ronald Reagan, which also brought injury upon James Brady who, due to this incident, later became an advocate for gun laws. Ronald Reagan’s potential rendezvous with bloodshed brought about the initiation of Brady’s law as a safeguard to prevent another incident of this kind from besieging our country.

According to Nicholas Kristof’s article “our blind spot about guns” gun control is a lot like cars regulation such that if we can regulate cars we can regulate guns. It took a lot of time and effort but thanks to regulations cars are safer than they were many years ago, and the same is very possible with guns. We need to keep our country safe. The first steps to gun control are improving on background checks and also requiring trigger locks on all guns.

Strict gun laws lead to more gun violence and crime in America. Guns are very dangerous and can be used for harmful reasons, but guns can also be good for America and can be used for protection and safety. These issues are very serious and can be detrimental which leads to the question, should our nation's gun laws be changed.

There is a huge epidemic that is taking place in the United States and our government has to put a stop to it. This issue is the mass shootings that take place in America. There has been numerous amount of mass shootings in the United States and many of them could have simply been avoided if there were stricter gun laws. This last decade has made Gun Control an unavoidable topic in society for Americas citizens and politicians. Our politicians must take a stand against these senseless crimes and ban these pointless weapons once and for all.

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.” The right to bear arms allows citizens to own and carry a fire arm. Not because it looks cool but to protect citizens from an oppressive government. It’s good to know if something drastic happens some citizens can protect themselves from others who are dangerous. The United Sates is one of the largest countries with the most firearms, and with that being said gun violence has gotten out of hand. This doesn’t mean that the second amendment is the cause of it.

From 1988 to 2001, the usage of anti-depressant drugs in the general public increased by four-hundred percent (Swanson). The mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary took place in December of 2012, and during 2014, firearms were used in 88 percent of teen homicides, and 41 percent of teen suicides (“Suicidal Teens”). On February 28th, 2017, the Trump administration repealed a firearms regulation that prevented mentally disabled persons from owning guns. At the same time, teenage mental illness is on the rise, specifically in cases of depression and anxiety. A report from the Surgeon General shows that over 90 percent of adolescents that committed either suicide or homicide have or had a mental disability. Mental disabilities such as depression and anxiety put teenagers at a high risk for homicides and suicides. Teenagers who are stressed due to school, lack of parenting, puberty, bullying, and other factors can develop depression, anxiety or another mental illness. Allowing these teens easy access to firearms proves time and time again to be very dangerous. In some cases, the families of these teens have never been assessed to see if they can responsibly store firearms. The only background check performed is on the owner of the firearm, meaning that a person may own the weapon even if another family member living with them legally cannot. Loose gun control laws allow families with physiologically ill children to have access to firearms, without first checking to see if the disabled children in the home are responsible enough to be around said firearms. Repealing gun control laws instated by the Obama administration will cause an increase in adolescent firearm-related homicides, suicides, and tragedies similar to the one at Sandy Hook Elementary.

Gun control is one of the most talked about topics in modern day America. 43 of 50 states have the right to bear arms. Most states have to background check you in order for you to purchase or sell guns. Some other states prevent carrying guns and some other ban assault rifle weapons. People who support the gun laws say that the second amendment was meant for militias and that gun restrictions have always existed. People who oppose that say that guns are needed for self-defense from people who invade houses or are actual threats. Although both of those are correct, there will always be two sides for control laws.

The first legislative attempt of gun control was in 1934; it started the fight between the National Rifle Association, who believed it was unfair to the law abiding citizens to limit their rights, and lawmakers wanting to limit the amount of crimes. The debate has grown and changed immensely t over the years, but the issue is still there (Magoon). This year in Colorado, Senator Vicki Marble, Representative Stephen Humphrey, and Representative Lori Saine have been the Prime Sponsors for the repeal of the ban of possession and sales of large capacity magazines (Repeal Ammunition Magazine Prohibition). This is known as Senate Bill 17-007; it states that part 3 of article 12 of title 18 of The Colorado Revised Statutes should be repealed and adds a safety clause stating that it needs to be implemented for the “public peace, health, and safety” (Concerning the Repeal of Certain Provisions Concerning Ammunition Magazines). Large Capacity Magazines (LCMs) are generally defined as holding ten rounds or higher, but in the case for Colorado it is defined as holding 15 rounds or higher (Large Capacity Magazines). SB17-007 was introduced January 11, passed through the Senate but was indefinitely postponed by the House as of March 22 (“Repeal Ammunition Magazine Prohibition - SB 17-007”). Senate Bill 17-007 will repeal the ban on large firearm magazines; it should be passed because the prohibition has not shown any decrease of deaths in mass shootings and infringes on America’s second amendment right.

How many people have to die before this world will let go of these dangerous weapons? The Chinese invented gunpowder in the 9th century which lead to the creation of guns. A repeating firearm is a firearm that holds more that one cartridge and can be fired more than once between chargings. Gun control should be enforced more because it will help prevent violence, it can help stop crime, and although some people may argue that gun control should not be enforced because guns can help save people’s lives but they are wrong because people misuse guns.