As I reflect on this past year’s top news stories and headlines, one of the main legal issues that continues to arise and cause terror in our own country is gun control. This is a controversial issue that has been debated for years, especially as more and more shootings occur. We’ve seen deadly mass shootings in our schools, churches, malls, nightclubs, concert venues, and most recently in Las Vegas, which is now classified as the deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history, leaving 58 people dead and 546 injured. All of these mass shootings are senseless actions caused by a small few but have a nationwide effect on countless families and loved ones. People are afraid for their safety with a fear of not knowing when and where the next shooting will take place. This is why there are so many proponents of stricter gun regulations. As I was doing my research on gun control, I found that in America, there is an average of 88 guns per 100 people (about 270 million guns), which is the highest total and per capita number in the entire world, according to the 2011 Small Arms Survey. Additionally, the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence estimates that around 114,994 people are shot each year in the US, including murders, assaults, accidents, police intervention, suicide attempts, and suicides. There are also people who fear that stricter gun regulations will make them have a loss of security, arguing that restricting their right to bear arms would leave citizens unable to protect themselves in times of self-defense from local criminals or foreign invaders, or if in a rare case the government were to turn against the people someday. Many gun owners believe it is their birthright to have a gun in their possession as it is part of America’s great heritage, with the country’s colonial history and revolutionary roots. People are divided in their view of what gun control should and shouldn’t be. America has around 35-50 percent of the world’s civilian-owned guns, according to a 2007 report by the Switzerland-based Small Arms Survey. That being said, the United States also has the highest homicide by firearm rate among the world’s most developed nations. Over the years these statistics have gone up and down but one thing that
Every day in America an average of 93 are killed people due to gun violence. One of the biggest concerns today in American policy is gun control. This is a very controversial and complicated topic for both pro-gun and anti-gun supporters. American policy makers need to make it harder for the wrong people to obtain firearms and the fact that Second Amendment and gun control can co-exist. Mental illness constantly emerges in relation to mass shootings and shooters a like, as well as day to day homicides and suicides. America doesn’t necessarily have more crime then other developed countries the crime is just much more lethal. Right-wing Republicans constantly use the Second Amendment as shield to use firearms, the fact is the document is
Gun control should not exist at all in the United States. Mass shootings have almost become seen as normal event in the United States. What people do not understand is that gun control is not the answer; there are countries with little to no control that have fewer shootings. According to The Washington Post,Finland is ranked number 4 in countries with the most guns despite that they only had 24 homicides by firearm (“Gun homicides and ownership by countries” n.pag.) . In the article Did Gun Control Work In Australia “it is shown that gun control has reduced the problems but it still has not completely got rid of all firearm deaths”(Matthews n.pag.). The number of murders, homicides, or suicides do not go up due to people just owning more guns. Clayton Perry, a staff writer at the University of Maine, even points out “Stricter gun laws were in place during the Assault Weapons Ban between 1994 and 2004, but that didn't stop the shooters at Columbine in 1999 ”(Perry n. pag.). In Iceland, thirty out of a hundred people own a gun and they have zero homicides caused by guns a year(“Gun Homicides and ownership by country” n. pag.). In this day and age, everything is unpredictable, guns are a form of protection for everyone and there should not be restrictions on protection. The U.S. Department of Justice released a data brief that states, “ On average in 1987-92 about 83,000 crime victims per year used a firearm to defend themselves or their property”(Rand BJS Statistician n. pag.). The National Sheriffs Association released that the average police response time is at eighteen minutes while the average school shooting only last twelve minutes (“Embracing Technology To Decrease Response Time” n. pag.). Gun control should not exist because other countries do fine without it , high gun ownership has no link with increasing death rates , and guns are not harmful when instructions are followed.
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.
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.
“The boundaries of the Second Amendment do not coincide with the boundaries of gun control” (Blocher and Miller, 2016, p.296). Guns and the idea of gun control have been a high valued topic, between the Federal Government and state governments since the beginning of the 20th century. How strictly guns should be regulated is a common topic between the Federal Government and state governments, especially with the increase in mass shootings over the years. Although there are regulations set by the Federal Government, most of the time, it falls on state governments to mandate guns because it is easier for each state to determine what is best for it and the people that live there. State governments are more closely related to the people in
October 1, 2017 marked the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history. With almost 500 injured and 58 killed, not only did Las Vegas feel the tragedy of a personal loss, but the incident had rippling effects that shook all of America (Flaherty). With the fresh wounds of the recent Las Vegas shooting, politician's initial reaction is to implement more strict gun restrictions and "lay down the law" to prevent a similar event from happening again. Due to the drastic laws being carried out, the topic of gun control is a current issue in society. Is the solution to implement more firm restrictions on gun ownership or can the government allow the people to be their own advocates? While the opposing views of pro-gun restrictions argue that is up to the discretion of the government, they are often narrow-minded resolutions with no hope to finding a real solution. This particular shooter obtained his guns legally and passed all background checks, going unnoticed until his plan unfolded. Establishing more strict firearm restrictions would not have stopped the Las Vegas shooting from occurring. The number of gun restrictions can not increase, the government needs to either fix the existing laws or do away with gun restrictions entirely. Gun restrictions are not the solution because guns are not doing the killing--people are, the laws only attack the law-abiding citizens, and the gun restrictions add another infringed upon right that the government controls. While voting against additional gun rules will not completely eliminate the controversy behind this topic, voting against these laws will be a milestone to regaining the rights we have already been promised.
Have you at any point felt terrified and unprotected? You know, that feeling you get when you 're strolling through a terrible piece of town alone and you understand that your telephone just kicked the bucket and there 's nobody around to hear you scream if something happened? Presently envision feeling that way wherever you go, constantly. This is the truth that we Joined States nationals would be living in if our legislature were to execute add up to firearm control. Completely there should be some control, and no uncertainty more stringent directions to possess and convey a firearm than we have now, yet removing weapons from all of us together would be a disaster!
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 topic of gun control seems to be split into two different opinions for the most part. Some people believe there should not be strict government regulations on most guns because it is part of the 2nd Amendment of the Constitution. This 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." @@@ Most people who support the 2nd amendment believe that the government should not be allowed to impinge on the public’s right to own and use guns. On a completely other note, some people believe the government needs to step in and regulate guns. Some areas that people believe need regulating can include how guns are obtained, how many one person can own, and the type of guns that can be sold to the public. In my own opinion, even though some Americans believe access to guns help protect people and is a right, there should be heavy regulations on large capacity weapons and magazines put in place to help decrease the amount of gun-related violence in America.
With all of the conclusions stated up to this point, the future in the United States does not look promising for responsible U.S. citizen gun-owners. The government does not appear to be heading towards the diminution of the strict gun control laws. With the new laws being issued and put into effect around the years of 2013-2014, all United States citizens that legally own firearms now must register all of their personally owned guns to the government. The recent date of 1 April 2014 has just passed, but this day stood the date when a long gun "eligibility certificate" is required to be issued to all citizens owning a gun that is not a handgun (General Statutes of Connecticut). The government believes that it is solving its firearm-related crime
Imagine walking into a Walmart on a normal morning. Little did you know that in the back of the store, someone was being background checked so that they could purchase a gun. Even though they had a criminal record, they were still able to walk out of that Walmart with a gun in their possession. In the twenty first century, this could happen in so many different stores that you probably didn't know this occurred.
A few months ago, on October 1, a gunman opened fire on the crowd of concert goers at a Harvest music festival. The gunman, 64 year old Stephen Paddock started shooting at a crowd of roughly 22,000 people from the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino. He was able to kill 58 people and injure almost 500 in only 10 to 15 minutes, resulting in the deadliest mass shooting in modern US history.
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.
Guns are used all over the world and are controlled in some countries but in others people are allowed to have any type of gun ranging from automatic assault rifles to big rocket launches. Should it also be controlled in our country the United States of America? Many say no yes and many others say NO! In my opinion it should be controlled.