Gun control is an important topic of discussion stirring up controversy and debates in the United States of America today. With the increased number of shootings in the U.S, such as the Charleston church shooting in South Carolina and the elementary school shooting in Connecticut, tensions around gun control are heightened. Government officials are split on the issue, with pro-gun control politicians lobbying for legislation on firearm bans and anti-gun control officials fighting for American citizens’ Second Amendment right. The laws surrounding gun control are being taken to new extremes, even violating the Second Amendment which states,”The right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed” (Baltzell). This country was built around freedom and inalienable rights. That is why government officials and the citizens of the United States should work together to fight the enactment of any further gun control laws as they put American citizen’s safety and rights in danger. The Second Amendment of the United States protects individual gun ownership amongst the citizens in the country. Individual gun ownership is a right that would be infringed upon with an increase of gun control laws. During the McDonald v. City of Chicago case, the U.S Supreme Court on June 28, 2010, ”Ruled (5–4) that the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which guarantees ‘the right of the people to keep and bear Arms,’ applies to state and local governments as well as to the federal
America needs to institute, and initiate gun control laws throughout the entire nation. But not everybody who inhabits the United States believes in regulating arms. Those who are against establishing gun laws argue that gun control directly infringes upon their “right to bear arms” granted to them by the 2nd Amendment. Anti gun control supporters, such as the National Rifle Association, often claim that the act of regulating guns is a sufficient reason why such an Amendment was introduced in the constitution; to protect themselves from any and all forms of violation of civil liberties and freedom. Supporters of anti gun laws are unwilling to welcome any interpretations of the 2nd Amendment that do not match up “word for word,” as was written in the Bill of Rights.
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.
The effects of gun control should abide with the Second Amendment. Although true, the Second Amendment is not an unlimited right to own guns. Notwithstanding, the Second Amendment allows the freedom to bear arms. The Second Amendment has never been interpreted as giving only states the right to peaceably assemble. Moreover, the Court did not address whether the Second Amendment applies to state and local governments. Even though the government chose to limit the rights of the people, the Second
Gun control is a highly controversial issue with each proponent (Pro vs. Con) providing statistics and facts supporting their standpoint. However, in the past several decades, advocates supporting gun control have significantly suffered with state’s enacting concealed carry legislation. The Constitution of the United States of America, the Second Amendment, is one of the most prevalent issues in government. To further reduce their stance, recent court decisions by the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS), has reassured citizens that their Second Amendment rights shall not be infringed upon by any government entity. The Second Amendment of the United States 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.”
The second amendment states that we have the right to keep and bear arms. We are one of the few countries that continue to allow and accept this as a right. This is a right that many Americans safely practice, however, it's also a right that some Americans have taken advantage of. Every year, there are hundreds of mass shootings in America, killing a number of innocent people. Change is necessary in order for us to feel safer in our own country.
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.”
The debate over gun control in the United States has waxed and waned over the years, stirred by a series of mass shootings by gunmen in civilian settings. In particular, the killing of twenty schoolchildren in Newtown, Connecticut, in 2012 prompted a new national discussion about gun laws. However, legislation that would have banned semiautomatic assault weapons was defeated in the Senate despite extensive public support. In 2017, mass shootings at a music festival in Las Vegas and at a church near San Antonio have rekindled the gun control debate and invoked comparisons of U.S. gun policies and those of other wealthy democracies.
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
The United States Constitution’s Bill of Rights states that the Second Amendment which is the right to bear arms which is allowing us to have weapons in our hands; many individuals are becomingly increasingly unsure of where the line is drawn on being able to have a gun and what prevents people from using them for harm. Some people have argued that even though the Second Amendment does protect our individual rights to have the option to own arms, that it should give the government authority to ban high-crime communities from using handguns. Gun violence embraces every town in the United States.
“A series of terror attacks that killed more than 120 people, ISIS claimed responsibility for the horrific Paris attacks,” (Castillo and et. al.). Even though more guns will give more chances of murders, will more gun control laws stop people by getting them, will we be safer without legal guns, and why should we give up our right to bear arms.
Over the past two decades, rising gun control controversy among the American people alters the way Americans foresee firearms. Even today, controversies continue. The Second Amendment of the Bill of Rights 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. (Brooks np)." In January of 2016, Obama announced his gun control plan. His plan would more strictly enforce current laws, including firearms (Smith np). People deserve the right to have firearms for the ability to protect, defend, and entertain themselves and others. The way people obtain information about firearms is the biggest controversy among the American people. The thought that "guns kill people," influences people, when in all reality, they need to understand that "people kill people." Although there are around 10,000 people killed in the United States each year from firearms, guns are not the primary conflict in the killings, the people behind the guns are (Brooks np).
Murder, the unlawful premeditated killing of one human being by another. Without a doubt, the United States would be a safer place to live, if our government had a better control of the amount of illegal weapons in circulation, along with minimizing the allowance of permits provided to people owning guns. Illegal crimes are growing exponentially across the U.S., with nearly 200 firearm injuries per day. The 18th century Constitution does not fit the criteria needed for the U.S. to have a stable and safe environment in today’s world. The Second Amendment needs to be revised in great detail to include all of the new technological advancements of the 21st century. Numerous mass shootings over the years have involved mentally ill people who were able to purchase guns after going through today’s process for a gun permit, proving our government’s control of guns is in need of tighter discipline. Gun laws in the United States need to be modified in order to keep citizens safe and gun deaths at an all time low.
The Second Amendment asserts that you have the right to bear arms, but to what extent? Numerous loopholes now exist that allow for individuals with mental health issues or criminal records to purchase guns. For example, a gun purchased over the internet or from a private vendor at a gun show is exempt from background checks because neither instance does not necessarily require licensed gun sellers. Increasing amounts of gun violence affect citizens of the United States daily and this number will continue to expand until precautions are imposed. Society is culturally embracing violence and becoming willfully blind to the dangers surrounding this civilization. Yes, we have the right to protect our country, and ourselves but from what? It
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,