After every highly publicized mass shooting, the topic of gun control becomes a political hot potato being juggled by the senators, congressman, and even the sitting president of the United States. It followed the usual pattern of condemning the shooter, questioning the ease in which the shooter was able to obtain guns, and with most mass shootings, proposing a ban on assault files used in the shooting. But within a few months, when the news agencies move onto other headlines, when all the hashtags on Twitter fall out of use, we forget about the gun control measures we were so passionate about and move on with our daily lives. This is when the lawmakers backed by pro-second amendment constituents swoop in and briskly cut down the proposed …show more content…
Although gun ownership does not necessarily lead to more gun deaths, study conducted by the Harvard Injury Control Research Center analyzing the relationship between gun availability and homicide using data from 26 developed countries show that where guns are more readily available, there were more homicides. As a result, Americans face greater chance of death by firearms than the next five highest countries combined (“Homicide” 2). Lawmakers within the state and federal government are attempting to alleviate this problem. However, the majority of focus on gun control comes in the aftermath highly publicized of mass shootings, with lawmakers introducing new bills targeted at assault weapons commonly used in those type of shooting. While lawmakers have focused their efforts on introducing new bills to ban and restrict semi-automatic assault rifles such as the notorious AR-15, the statistics compiled in the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Uniform Crime Report show that rifles accounted for 4 percent of the murders committed between 2006 and 2011 while handguns account for 72 percent (Beckett). These new bills, even when passed, will have little to no effect on reducing the number of gun related death. We must then ask ourselves why would politicians attempt to pass these laws that seek to clamp down on these very
It appears as though the repetitive and unfortunate tragedies of mass shootings have become incorporated into the everyday life of American culture. We are forced to live in a heightened degree of fear, skepticism, and hesitation concerning our public safety. This phenomenon could reasonably occur in response to the vast ineffectiveness of the country’s current gun laws. Time after time similar misfortunes arise, yet few major changes are implemented to prevent them from reoccurring in the future. We cannot let this trend continue any further. Though some claim that increased gun control is useless and infringes upon the Second Amendment, it limits civilians’ weapons grade, obstructs those deemed unfit to wield such lethal weapons, and insures a greater level of security, thus it should be executed.
Mass shootings in the United States have literally become an everyday occurrence. A mass shooting is a firearm-violence related incident where four or more people are killed or injured, and recent research shows that on average, over one mass shooting occurs per day (Lafraniere). In a country where guns are hailed as being tools for problem-solving and self-defense, there is a saddening amount of violence caused by firearms. The NRA will always claim that it is people and not guns who kill, but the amount of access the public has to these dangerous machines is extreme in comparison to many other countries. Due to the amount of violence, both homicidal and suicidal, that results from gun use in the United States, better restrictions, regulations, and safety measures should be implemented and enforced. The most important aspect of this issue that must change, however, is the cultural view of firearms in this country; without a shift in perspective, altering anything about the gun problem in the States will be impossible.
Guns are very easy to buy/get your hand on. You can go into a store and buy them and you just have to have your ID with you. There are 88.8 guns per every 100 people just in the united states. This mean there are about 270,000,000 guns in the United States. Also the second amendment protects an individual’s right to own a gun, guns are needed for self defense, not for personal pleasure. GI think guns should be limited to a certain amount. Guns should be controlled, and limited better, and not just available to buy.
In America, gun control has been a source of debate for decades. Recently, an increase in the frequency of mass shootings has caused the country to become extremely polarized in relation to the issue. America is often described as having a gun culture as a result of firearms being engrained in its history and perhaps, consequently, has among the highest rates of gun-related crime as well as gun ownership rates, among developed nations. There exists an abundance of scholarly work done in an effort to develop a solution to reducing America’s high levels of gun related crime; however, there exists no definitive answer to the problem and statistical data could support both arguments for and against guns. The general assumption among these
The great intellectual and writer Stephen King once said, “How many people have to die before we give up these dangerous toys?”. What are these ‘dangerous toys’ that Stephen King speaks of, you may ask? The answer is guns, and the lack of regulation modern America has over them is a serious issue. Gun control-or lack thereof- is a serious problem in America, especially given the recent influx of mass shootings that have plagued the news in recent times. Studies show that in the first 7 years of the early 2000s, 6.4 mass shootings occurred in the United States per year. That number has jumped up to 16.4 per year (Efrenhued and Goldfarb, 2015) . This obviously shows the recent frequency of mass shootings, and with more regulation and law changes, America could bring that number down. Arguments against gun control all revolve around two major points: the need for self-defense, and that more gun control laws won’t really make a difference. Many gun-enthusiast argue that if a “good guy with a gun” had been present in situations like the Charleston Shooting, in which a white male murdered 9 members of a historic
The prize for one of the most controversial issues in American goes to gun ownership. Americans own guns according to the loose interpretations of the Second Amendment of the United States, as people interpret it in different ways. Some people believe the U.S. should have strict gun control laws, prohibiting gun ownership to a casual civilian. On the other side of the spectrum, others find gun ownership as a part of the foundation of America, as it makes us who were are. To make the mess even more confusing, some people believe in the middle of the issue, as they believe gun control is necessary, but should still be available to the public under strict regulations, or something along the lines. So many people have different opinions off of their beliefs, but not facts. The problem is gun ownership and availability increases crime rates and deaths due firearms and through strict gun control laws, one can avert crime and death.
Having lower rates on guns has kept guns out of criminals’ hands and weapons like AR-15’s out of civilians’ hands as well. As of October 8th, 2017, a few days after the mass shooting in Las Vegas; Congressman have rallied together to find a solution to this problem. Some say that the right to bear arms is in the Constitution, but certain gun policies aren’t taking effect in United States. With this implemented, Congressmen agree these policies are the answer to their prays.
One of the most heated topics in Politics today is gun control. In the wake of the Texas Church Massacre which left 26 people dead and the Vegas Shooting that claimed the lives of 58, there is a push to pass legislation to reduce access to weapons. Both sides of the political spectrum-conservatives and liberals-have held strong to their beliefs as there seems to be no progress made. It’s not to say that the views on gun-control have changed much in the past couple years, as conservatives reiterate their right to bear arms in case of self-defense and ancestry while liberals argue for the sake of the harm that weapons inflict upon individuals. Yet only after several massacres in the United States does Congress start to compromise on gun control issues.
A term often used in modern debates about firearms is “law-abiding citizen”. While “law-abiding” means “abiding by or obedient to the law” according to Merriam-Webster, it also carries the connotation that said citizen poses no outward threat to the other inhabitants of this wonderful country. However, with guns on both sides of the issue, both saving lives and taking them, their proliferation throughout American society raises concerns about where to draw the line with regards to gun control legislation. With Time citing over 30,000 deaths due to gun violence a year, legislation must be effective in order to reduce such a startling number (Hale 1).
The number of deaths pear year by firearms has been steadily catching up to the number of deaths per year from car accidents, and the year 2016 has brought both numbers closer together than the any other year in the past decade (“Gun Deaths Compared”). With the Center for Disease Control reporting a 15 percent increase of firearm deaths in 2016, compared to 2015, to a total of 38,000 deaths; this is a significantly larger increase than the 6 percent increase in motor vehicle deaths (Rhodan). More importantly, if the statistics continues to hold true for 2017, gun deaths are projected to exceed car deaths by 2,000 for the first time in over two decades. Armed with these statistics, the citizens of United States obviously want the government to step in and attempt to alleviate this public health concern, but the laws on gun control in recent years have achieved next to nothing in terms of reducing the overall number of deaths. This is because for the past forty years, the conservatives pro-gun advocates and the National Rifle Association actively engage in lobbying to senator and representatives in the congress to have gun control laws watered down if not thrown out altogether. As for the few highly publicized laws that managed to sneak their way past the pro-gun advocates in Congress, they failed to deliver on the promise of reducing deaths. In a study funded by the Department of Justice to examine the impact of the Assault Weapons Ban that was only passed with the help of a
A major issue that is spreading like wildfire lately is the right to bear arms. This Second Amendment enshrined by the Constitution proclaims: “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” (“Right to Bear Arms”). Many people have the argument that the Second Amendment provides individuals the right to own guns, others say that this amendment was set to apply to states’ rights, rather than individual rights. One side claims violence while the other side states protection and legal right.
On December 14, 2012, a 20-year-old white male named Adam Lanza armed with a Bushmaster 223 assault rifle and a Glock 10mm handgun entered the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut. He proceeded to kill 20 children, 7 adults and then took his own life. Similar horrific acts of violence and mass shooting have become the norm in today’s society. The moment one occurs it becomes the only topic of discussion in the news and in politics. Followed by political rhetoric on gun control with no tangible results. According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), “in 2014 11,008 persons died from firearm homicides” (CDC, n.d.). Homicide are a small figure in the overall estimated amount of violent crimes committed with firearms. The constant bombardment of inflammatory news and ineffective regulations contribute to the continues cycle of violence and increases sales of firearms. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Notes that, “In 2015, an estimated 1,197,704 violent crimes occurred nationwide, an increase of 3.9 percent from the 2014 estimate.” (FBI, 2015). As long as criminals have access to firearms citizens will always have a reason to arm themselves.
In a perfect world, one would imagine no violence and no use of weapons. However in the world we live in today we can agree that violence and weapons are unavoidable in America. “In 2014, ATF released firearms trace data for year 2013. It traced more than 336,000 crime guns and identified the sources of 166,426 crime guns in 2013. Among them, 47,803 crime guns or 29% of all crime guns identified crossed state lines, indicating that cross-jurisdiction gun buying accounts for a significant portion of crime guns” (Lee). From state to state, gun laws are diverse and while some argue that there is evidence for guns being an asset to their safety, others believe that these laws need to be redefined and adjusted to ensure their safety. According to the nonprofit project the Gun Violence Archive, the number of Americans killed by terrorism in the last decade was 24 while the number of Americans killed by guns in the last decade was 280,024 (Koper). From just this comparison, one can clearly see that a vast majority of the deaths in our country result from guns. It is one’s belief that gun control should be adjusted and policies should be set forward that ensures the safety of their citizens in a constitutional way while respecting their rights. Each state has the right to obtain their own laws for guns, however in respect to our country as a whole, gun laws in each state should also consider the wellbeing of neighboring states to further enhance security. The community may say that
The discussion of gun control has been widely present throughout the recent years. The right to bear arms, stated in the second Amendment, has increasingly been taken advantage of and has caused significant issues to today’s society. This debate has grown immensely as mass shootings have been more prevalent in the past decade. The most recent and horrifying incident on October 1st of this year when a Los Vegas man, Stephen Paddock, opened fire from his hotel room onto a country concert killing 59 and injuring 500, reveals that more gun control regulation is a must. Gun control is an important topic to be discussed considering guns are not only being used to harm what can be innocent people, like in mass shootings, but also used to harm oneself.
Everyone knows it, especially living in Texas, many people try to change or modify it but nobody has been quite successful. It is second amendment written in the constitution, the right to bear arms, it was clearly important if it was the second right after the freedom of speech1. Guns can cause mass destruction when put into the wrong hands, or they could be great protection to those in danger. Guns are a very common form of protection owning guns are so common that about thirty five percent of all household’s own guns.