The Issue Of Gun Violence

The two articles that I have read were “Connecticut School Shooting ‘An Attack on America’” by Ted Anthony and “The Price of Gun Control by Dan Baum. All around I believe these articles were both very interesting and both took different perspectives on the issues of guns in America. Both Anthony and Baum illustrated the different problems that we have in America and our communities with gun control and gun violence. But, they both brought the text together to relate it on a personal level. I enjoyed reading both texts and connecting to each one on a different level.

Gun violence is the sign of a far greater universal problem in America today. Violence and gun violence specifically, is surrounded within, and spread all through every part of our society. All the reasons remain intimately related to the actual solution, which can only be a general solution one by treating it as one issue. The region that I live in is considered a peaceful part of Harvest, which I am particularly grateful about. I do not have to worry about gunfights in the roads of my community, nor maybe being helpless confronted by students with a gun at school. That, nevertheless, does not mean that my community is impermeable to gun violence. Huntsville has seen its share of gun violence from the incident at the University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH), where three people were murdered and three others injured on February 12, 2010. Throughout the course of a routine gathering of the biology department attended by about 12 people, professor Amy Bishop stood up and began shooting those next to her with a 9-millimeter handgun (Hall 2010)

The United States is one of the few countries were the right to bear arms is protected by the constitution. Unfortunately, it is also one of the most violent with incidents involving guns this year reaching an estimated 36,212 and an approximate 9,050 deaths (“Gun Violence Archive”). There are an estimated 310 million firearms in households across American, these are only estimates because current gun laws do not require them to be registered or tracked. A more staggering estimate is that most of the guns owned by private citizens are semi-automatic guns, the same type of gun used in almost all mass shootings. While these privately owned guns are legally purchased, many times, they land in the hands of criminals, and owners never report them stolen. Mass shootings and gun crimes are not the only issues with gun violence the one never talked about is suicide, more guns available equals more suicides. The United States is one of the easiest countries to own a gun legally or illegally, stricter gun control laws are necessary.

Many students in America, might consider school almost like a home because they spend about half a day in. We need students to be safe at school, so why not have an officer patrolling the hallways. To make the school much safer, the officers should have guns in case there is a threat towards the students. In the eyes of many United State citizens a gun can symbolize death; however, a gun can save several people’s lives. As U.S citizens, we have the right to keep and bear arms, so why do we not have police officers with guns patrolling schools. “Gun violence is a major social issue in America and American schools and university campuses have become targets of gun violence” (Bond). In the U.S we had several severe situations when someone comes to the school and starts to kill not only students, but teachers and staff, this could have been prevented if we were prepared and secured. Although the opposition may suggest it could be more dangerous to have an officer or guard be allowed with a gun; however, having an officer with a gun would decrease the number of shootings and other minor problems at schools.

The United States has 88.8 guns per 100 people, or about 270,000,000 guns, which is the highest total and per capita number across the globe. The current public gun control debate in the United States seems to be placed on standby until it is sparked up by a major mass shooting. There were at least 126 mass shootings between January 2000 and July 2014.(pro). Opponents of more gun laws accuse supporters of using a horrific event to further a lost cause, saying that more laws would not have prevented the shootings. Advocates of more gun control often want more laws to try to prevent the mass shootings and call for smart gun laws and background checks . Pew Research Center did

Gun violence in America is a huge topic of discussion. Many people have heard about this topic on the news or in the newspaper, but have very little knowledge on this ongoing topic. Those who have a lack of information on gun control tend to not feel strongly towards guns or people owning or carrying guns. People that have never been around guns are often scared of them, but the truth is a gun is nothing more than a hunk of metal. For a gun to go off the gun needs a shooter, so should the real topic of discussion be “Should there be stricter gun laws for the owner?” However, in the United States it isn’t very difficult to obtain or own a gun. Guns are very common in America and anybody could simply sell their firearm to another person with the ending result of now anybody can own a gun. (Degrazia 2) “The Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act mandates background checks of gun buyers, but only if the seller is a licensed dealer; private sales, including those at gun shows and those conducted online, are exempt.” Degrazia states that anyone can get a gun without having a background check, this including anyone over 18. Being able to purchase firearms easily in America can be a serious topic of discussion because many people are getting killed with firearms, school shootings are on a rise, however in zones where guns by law have to be in every household the crime rate is significantly lower than surrounding areas.

Guns have been is society for centuries. They have been used for hunting, war, and even safety. However, in the past several years they have begun to take the lives of many innocent victims, often young children. In response to the killings in Newtown, Conn., it has been noted, “If this were a country, the number of children killed by gun violence would violate international law.” (Browne-Marshall) F.B.I. data shows in 2011, 1,668 African American children were killed due to guns. Day by day gun violence is rising and it is not only in ghetto neighborhoods.

Every year, thousands of people, innocent or guilty die from gun violence in the United States. Gun violence is despicable while guns are still lawful with a permit. The Second Amendment of the Bill of Rights of the United States Constitution 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” (Cornell). This statement means that the government were to ever become corrupt the people have the rights to guns in order to protect themselves. This amendment was written because of the Revolutionary War. The founding fathers didn 't want the people to be defenseless like they were against the British so they guaranteed that right. However, our founding fathers failed to think about the disadvantages of giving access to guns in our country so easily. Many people debate that there should be more limits on gun control considering the many deaths and mass shootings that have occurred in the United States. Our country leads all nations in gun violence yet some still debate that it 's in the constitution for a reason, for the protection of the people.

Recently, the SAFE Act, or Secure Ammunition and Firearms Enforcement Act, has sparked a large debate amongst New York residents. The law, passed January 15th, 2013, created many new restrictions for gun owners and those looking to purchase guns. Perhaps the most controversial part of the ordeal was the hasty enactment of the law. Many dispute that it is an infringement on their constitutional rights. In addition, the State doesn 't have the means to enact many parts of the law. The law assumes that restricting the physical guns will solve the issue of gun violence; however, the real issue is mental health, or rather the lack of sufficient mental health care in New York State. The SAFE Act will do little to prevent further gun violence, instead it will restrict law abiding citizens from obtaining firearms for hunting or sport, and it continues to enrage many who feel it 's a violation of their rights.

Gun Violence is found not only in our country, but around the world. Mental illness is a great connection to this very horrible topic we find . Knowing and understanding the importance of gun violence can help to save a life and also influence our generation to come. Knowing the correct information because of laws and rights should influence consequences that can be avoided more easily.

2. My topic is socially significant because many people every day die from the result of gun violence. I wanted to search if there was any way we could improve our gun regulations, and thus reduce how many people die from the gun violence.

Most nations today deal on a daily basis with the pervasive the issue of gun-related homicide. Journalists report on these crimes regularly, and still it is still a regular debate about what variables produce high rates of gun-related homicide. The United States of America boasts one of the highest rates of firearm violence among 1st world nations. Germany, also a 1st world republic, shares a violent past with the United States but sustains a much lower rate of gun homicide. Several variables from within both nations exert influence over this statistic, which makes the homicide rate difficult to predict.

The United States is home to approximately 5% of the world’s population and 31% of all mass shootings. Through these mass shootings and various other methods of gun violence, tens of thousands of people die every year. These gun-related deaths primarily originate from murder and children accidentally shooting themselves. Although those in favor of gun control tend to believe that guns should be terminated completely, the second amendment prevents lawmakers from being able to do so. Therefore, in order to combat these causes, alternative gun control solutions must be made for each one. Gun-related murders can be decreased through the use of universal background checks. Additionally, accidental shootings can be minimized through the

Today gun control issues still receive attention from the United States public. Many changes have been made regulating the manufacturing, transporting, and selling of firearms in the United States since 1791. Immediately after the tragedy of Sandy Hook Elementary school, lawmakers started arguing for gun control in the U.S. hoping that it would bring the country more security.. The Second Amendment of the Constitution 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.” Therefore no one will be able to take away the people’s right to protect themselves and others. While some parts of society believe that guns should be removed from citizens and criminals, law enforcement will still be armed. Instead of trying to remove guns from citizens, there needs to be more of an effort to contain criminals ability to obtain these weapons.

If one was to take every article published in the United States since 2012, online and otherwise, and lay them side by side, a common theme would surface across a considerable part of them: guns. Whether the topic at hand is gun control, gun violence, or a combination of the two, guns have dominated the news cycle ever since the fatal shooting at a theater in Aurora, Colorado, on July 30th, 2012. These topics have made their way into politics as well, with Democratic and Republican lawmakers at an impasse as to how to solve the problems revolving around guns. Additionally, certain interest groups such as the National Rifle Association (NRA) have also weaseled their way into politics with lobbyists sporting donations to make sure certain politicians vote in certain ways to defend the sales of their guns. On the other end, conflicting interest groups such as Everytown for Gun Safety (EGS) try to use the same tactics to sway politicians the opposite way, resulting in politicians being torn. However, despite the problems that guns cause politicians and news stations, they are not as big as they seem. Between coverage on mass media, publicized interactions between the parties and very powerful interest groups, gun control and violence are played up to be a much bigger problem than they actually are.