Throughout the history of the United States, firearms have always been an ideal American tradition and right that has been fought for time and time again. Due to recent tragedies involving firearms, the view of guns and peoples rights to own and operate firearms have been frowned upon and viewed in a bad light due to Media. News sources have cherrypicked pictures of tragedies and stories about bad instances of gun usage in order to fight for Gun Control and the suppression of Americans rights. Due to the recent Vegas shooting, the argument for Gun Control has never been more intense, and Media outlets are having a field day on the topic. The problem, when it comes to the people's views on guns isn't about whether or not firearms are …show more content…
One of my biggest problems with Media is the fact that they use national tragedies clickbait for their stories to gain more views, for example, the recent Vegas shooting incident. As horrible as it was, CNN, Fox, and even BBC made headlines consisting of “Las Vegas massacre: Families, investigators still asking why,” to draw attention to the story consistently, instead of stating the facts and moving on. The Media also mentions how the Vegas Shooter had acquired firearms through gun stores, although many of his weapons were automatic, which is not remotely legal in the US without very specific licenses which he did now procure. In fact, all known automatic firearms are illegal to obtain as a regular citizen due to the National Firearms Act (1934); yet the Vegas shooter acquired more than 10 automatic firearms to commit this crime. The Second Amendment states that “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 essentially means that we have the right as citizens of the United States to own (within legal restriction) and distribute firearms through the right legal channels provided to us the United States Government. In the case of District of Columbia V. Heller, the District of Columbia stated as law that citizens were not allowed to openly carry unregistered firearms and that any registered firearms must be kept at home in an either
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
The criminals and dregs of society will always find a way to get firearms and cause harm and malicious deeds to law abiding citizens. The need for the American people to defend themselves and their families is absolute. The media is constantly spreading how many lives guns have taken and as horrible devices, but the truth of the matter is, although the use of firearms has been in homicides and murders, the use of firearms has also saved countless people. Many potential rape victims have fought back in self-defense with the use of a firearm and many house invasions have been averted. The fact is a firearm is a tool, and like any tool the device can be used in any way the beholder wants. The negative effect these tools have on the media and social media is when the devices are used with malicious intent by criminals or the mentally
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.
Recently, mass shooting is happening everywhere across the country once in a while, notably in Las Vegas and Texas. And even on our campus, a Soka alumni was arrested for threatening a “killing spree” last Friday. The debate about the gun control has been a hot issue throughout the history of the United States, yet during the interview after the mass shooting in Texas, President Trump responded "we could go into the gun control policy], but it's a little bit too soon.", and called the shooter a "very deranged individual" with "a lot of problems over a long period of time" rather than calling him a terrorist. The right to bear arms is one of the unique features in the American society. Only in the United States, Guatemala, and Mexico clearly states the right to bear arms in their constitution. The Second Amendment of the Constitution of the United States 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 laws have been the main focus of recent controversy due to the constant media coverage that surrounds the topic and the spike in crimes recently committed containing guns. Recently in the media, there have been many cases highlighted that illuminate just how dangerous these weapons are. These cases include, but are not limited to, the Orlando Massacre and the Virginia Tech shooting. Each of these mass shootings provides examples of how easily assault rifles can be placed in the hands of the wrong people and how detrimental it is that these laws are changed. On the contrary to changing the current gun laws, many people fight to keep these current laws in place and protect their 2nd amendment. Throughout this essay I’ll explore many possible
October, 1st 2017 has marked the latest in a now all too familiar trend of tragedies; a mass killing of civilians by a sick individual. In the wake of this tragedy, there is a mass of human emotion, grief, anger, sadness, and a demand for justice to right what has been wronged. In looking for justice, one needs an antagonist to blame, in this case an object, the gun. While it is true that firearms are the weapon of choice for many violent tragedies across the United States, will a ban on firearms truly solve the problem of violence for the country? Although a firearm ban may seem like a preventative for violence in the United States, a comparison of violent crime in other countries with varying levels of gun control, the lack of
Raise your hand if you have ever been victimized by a gun or know someone who has lost their life due to a firearm. Realize that if gun control laws in the united states were more strictly enforced a lot less of us will be raising our hands right now. The United States has a problem with gun violence. Great mass shootings and also school shootings have occurred in the past few years, bringing a great grief to America. Parents are scared to send their children to school or even attend any type of event due to these horrific events that have happened. Some Americans even want to ban the right to bear arms.
Many article about guns or gun related issues tend to start the article by describing something that has happened because of a gun to evoke a sense of sorrow. “The .45-caliber pistol that killed Lucas Heagren, 3, on Memorial Day last year at his Ohio home had been temporarily hidden under the couch by his father. But Lucas found it and shot himself through the right eye.” (Lou, McIntire) This comes from an article in The New York Times titled Children and Guns: The Hidden Toll. This example is followed by many more gut-wrenching child gun deaths. Yet, the case of Lucas Heagren is a bit more in depth, an image of him and his father on Christmas with Lucas holding his present, a .22 rifle. This image was evidence for Mr. Heagran’s negligent homicide trial after Lucas shot himself. The anecdotes bring empathy so that the reader may side with the view of the article. The New York Times also give a clear understanding of who the audience is by stating that gun deaths happen everywhere, “in the households of police officers and drug dealers, in broken homes and close-knit families, on rural farms and city
Gun control has a history dating back to 1791, when the Second Amendment of the Constitution was ratified. However, more recently, the debate over gun control has escalated into a much more public issue to which many citizens can relate. After all, stories about incidents involving guns appear frequently today in newspapers and on television or the radio. One could say that the debate started with the passage of the Gun Control Act of 1968, which banned ownership of guns by certain groups of people and regulated the sale of guns. Since then, two main groups have gradually appeared: people who oppose strict federal
Gun rights are a hotly debated topic in the United States, especially in light of recent mass shootings that have occurred. Guns have caused a high number of casualties, eliciting a need to reassess gun laws. There is no one easy solution to the problem, especially due to the development of new firearms such as assault rifles, machine guns, and semi-automatic handguns. Before delving more into the subject matter at hand, let us explore more about the history of gun policies in the US.
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.
Gun control is a creation of laws to prevent people from owning certain types of firearms and also to ensure that guns are not owned by the criminal minded people but by the people who are helpless against crime. The restriction and availability of guns and firearms has become political and social issue in American society. Gun control has become a controversial issue which is hard to enforce over a long period of time. Many of the research studies and surveys have found that the majority of Americans agree with the constitutional right to own a gun and also agree with the enforcement of gun control law. Gun control is necessary to reduce the chances of firearms getting into the hands of unstable and violent people. To reduce this, government has to enforce stricter laws on gun ownership, gun trafficking, create a mental health support system and educate in second amendment.
What is a Gun? According to Dictionary.com the definition of weapon means the following “any instrument or device for use in attack or defense in combat, fighting, or war, as a sword, rifle, or cannon.” Additionally, Google’s definition means “a thing designed or used for inflicting bodily harm or physical damage” Both definitions imply some sort of intent to harm or kill another human being. The most common type of weapon today that is used to inflict harm on others is widely known as a Gun or Rifle. About “ Thirty-nine percent of American households report owning at least one gun”(American Gun Ownership, By The Numbers). This is the percent of those who legally own a weapon. Those who do not legally own a weapon are not included. As the world becomes more violent and dangerous many feel the need for protection. Therefore, some resort to a weapon. Sadly some of these fall into the wrong hands. The statistics and deaths speaks for themselves. Something needs to be done about the use of weapons. Strict gun restrictions need to be put in place. If restrictions are put into place, and not improvement is made,
Although gun violence has fluctuated since the 1960s, recently it has started to become a major topic of debate and chaos. Polls and studies conducted by Everytown.org have provided some extremely frightening statistics about the gun problems in America. In an average year, 12,000 people in the U.S alone are slaughtered by firearms and on an average day, 93 people. That means that our country’s gun homicide rate is 25 times higher than all other developed countries. Even though they were only mentioned as statistics, these were all people with families and passions. Sadly, the gun violence will continue if congress doesn’t start changing the way our gun laws work. A great way to start would be to enforce background checks on all gun purchasers, no exceptions.
Guns have become a weapon to self-defenses when a person is in danger and needs to be able to protect themselves. Many people carry a gun to prevent robbery, break-ins, kidnaps and even abused. In order to purchase a gun, the buyer must be 21 years of age, pass a background check, pass a mental health team, able to demonstrate a safe handling and a waiting period is about 30 days to get the results. When purchase the gun must be locked away with the safety lock and the bullets must be in a different lock box and be out of reach so children won't be able to get their hand on it.