The Pros And Cons Of Gun Violence

This opinion piece from The Washington Post was written by U.S. Senator Chris Murphy from Connecticut. Published days after the recent Las Vegas Shooting, Murphy tells of his past experiences with gun violence urging for stronger gun control legislation. He states that the “phenomenon of horrific mass shootings is exclusive to the United States”, so the solution should be able to be solved by Americans. He argues that our response to “regular mass shootings” has been un-American, and how can a country that has solved the greatest problems in the world, not solve a problem that puts our fellow citizens in harm. “…we choose to be an increasingly distant outlier of exceptional violence”, Murphy states.

With an increase in the number of mass shootings that have occurred in the United States in the last few years the issue of gun control laws has become a prevalent topic of debate throughout American society. This debate stems from two opposing arguments over gun control. Some feel gun control laws are fair and not the contributing factor to these mass shootings, whereas, others feel that there is an urgent need for strict laws in order to end the problem of mass shootings. There are numerous pros and cons to the enforcement of stricter gun control laws but we must note a few things: stricter gun control laws would interfere with the second amendment, it is not the gun that kills it is the individual, and it is ultimately not laws that are

“Gun are designed to kill. They have no other function” (Bowman and Newton). Today, there is a major debate whether or not guns should be legalized or stay legal. The Second Amendment allows people to right to bear arms, but many people disagree with that and to express their opinions, both sides protest. Guns have a long history in the United States. They were made for military purposes and are now used for anything a individual wants to use it for, like for example hunting. Stricter gun control laws should be enacted because they will cause fewer deaths, save money, and for increased public safety.

This was the headline in “The New York Times” by Christopher Mele and Manny Fernandez on November 5th 2017. The authors highlights the events that led to a gunman by the Devin Patrick Kelly, 26, opening fire at a congregation worshiping on a Sunday at a rural church in Texas, killing 26 people and scores injured. According to this article, the motif of the attack was attributed to a serious mental health problem and a failed marriage which led to divorce the victim having assaulted his wife and child.

The Constitution states the second amendment as, “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.”1 This amendment gives the people the right to own and carry guns for their protection and for the security of their homes. There are many controversies surrounding the issue of people owning guns and gun related violence because of the second amendment. One of the biggest controversies is the regulations on gun control regulating what type of guns people may possess and what kind of registration is required. The tenth amendment says, “The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.”2 The second amendment (along with all the other amendments) is under federal jurisdiction; therefore the states do not have power in this case.3 The second amendment gives the right to all American citizens to bear arms, therefore, the States do not have the power to regulate what type of firearm they may possess and how they carry or keep it.

As opponents against gun control have numerous reasons as to why guns should not be restricted amongst the American public but pointed to the Second Amendment to the United Constitution as the main reason why gun control should not be permitted in the U.S. However, what these critics do not want to accept is that since 1980, several crucial events in the United States have led to excessive gun control movement. Remarkably, it takes a lot more than one appalling catastrophe to influence Americans that more attention should be taken into monitoring the number and types of guns the public can get access to. However, some major shooting calamities in the U.S such as assassination attempts on President Reagan’s, Columbine, Virginia Tech, and Sandy Hook have all triggered majority of Americans to take a stance in favor of gun control legislation. The first key push in the direction of the gun control movement begun during the era of Ronald Reagan presidency since he happened to be of one of the most “pro gun” presidents in American history.

Two thousand, four hundred fifty-eight: the number of gun-related deaths in 2017 in the United States as of February 28, the 59th day of the year (“Number of Gun Deaths,” n.d.). Twenty of these occurred on the 27th alone. Just hearing the words “gun control” puts many people on edge; the explosive and divisive nature of the issue leads them to tread cautiously whenever the topic arises. Gun violence is a national dilemma that no one wants to exist. This is where the consensus seems to end: few people agree on how to end it. Gun violence has gotten an ever-increasing amount of press over the past few years, leaving it in the forefront of American attention, and many are frustrated that nothing is changing. In order for any progress to be made,

Multiple videos of police involved shootings have surfaced on the internet over the past few years raising the question; should police be carry firearms? A few countries have already disarmed their patrol officers and left only a few specialized armed units. There are some that would believe the same should be done in the United States. However disarming officers would have disastrous results. Police officers must be armed to project force, secure a crime scene, and defend the lives of others.

Gun violence is a major flaw in our schools and in communities at large. There were 28 people that died in the Sandy Hooks school shooting on December 14, 2012. At the columbine high school shooting on April 20,1999, there were 15 people that were killed. At the Stoneman Douglas High School shooting on February 14,2018, there were 17 students and teachers that had been shot and killed. Since Columbine, there has been 122 deaths from school shootings.

Gun control is one of the most divisive issues in politics. Recently, more mass shootings are correlated with an increase in antagonism on both sides of the debate. Proponents of stricter control fear for their safety while opponents fear for the loss of safety with the possibility of less guns. However ideal it may be to pass legislation that completely ban the ownership of firearms in this country, it is unreasonable to attempt to do that. The best method of placing restrictions on gun ownership without completely banning it is to increase the efficiency of universal background checks on all transactions, both from federally licensed and private dealers.

Gun control, it’s a common topic that gets thrown around debates very often, whether the second amendment should remain legal or it should be banned in the United States. I, among many law abiding citizens, prefer to keep the second amendment within our government just like it has been since our founding fathers signed the Declaration of Independence. However, with this law still in place, it also means anybody over a certain age, depending where they live in the United States, can buy a gun. This puts me on edge because not everybody in our nation is a very self-controlling person, regardless of their gender, ethnicity, religion, and so on. This brings back those tragic moments in our generation such as the Newtown School Shooting, where a man walked into an elementary and shot little boys and girls, and also teachers. Or that time when the man shot many innocent bystanders inside the Pulse Nightclub in Orlando with a rifle and handgun. That is why there should be strict background checks for anyone who is going to buy a firearm, because it’s important to know just who exactly is going to buy a gun.

There have been many shootings in the United States at schools, churches, concerts, and other public conference habitats. Several people have uncertainty of how it should not be so easy for just anyone to be able to own a gun. To a certain crowd guns are a part of their life in which they use them frequently. Innumerable people have pronounced it is not intuitive for everyone to possess a gun everywhere they go. In certain places it does make people feel unharmed to have a gun. In other places it makes people safer being consciously aware that other people are not allowed to bring guns with them.

Gun control has become a pretty big argument. More now so than it ever has before. About 68% of registered voters want there to be stricter gun laws. That totals to be about 2 out of 3 people chose to have it (Shepard, Steven). As to where 25% chose to keep gun laws from being stricter (Shepard, Steven). The other 7% are the people who could care less (Shepard, Steven). I personally think that gun control is a bad idea, it's just another thing the government wants to be able to say yes or no to.

Gun control is a very highly debated topic in today’s day and age. With all the recent mass shootings, supporters call for more gun control and even for the government to ban "assault weapons". Supporters of a ban say that assault weapons are classified as weapons with one or more military features such as a high capacity clip or a folding stock (Lott 1). Opponents argue that this will take defense weapons out of the hands of law abiding but it will do little for stopping criminals. Mental health also plays a large role in the debate as almost 60% of mass shootings are conducted by someone who has history of being mentally ill (Lott 1). In this paper I will go further into the gun debate topic to try and further your knowledge on assault weapons.

The most recent news headline lately has been centered on the deadliest massacre in Las Vegas, according to Criss, CNN reporter it killed 58 people and wounded over 500 people by a man who was able to obtain gun ownership, and explicitly killed innocent lives, a tragic lost for everyone affected. Another deadly attack that shaken the nation, happened in Connecticut 2012, it was a tragic school shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary school, the aftermath according to Cowan, of the New York Times, diagnosed the shooter Adam Lanza with Schizophrenia. Both of these massive shootings led to many young lives taken away too soon by destructive gun violence. So the question that’s still on the rise and still a wide ongoing debate, should gun violence be banned? Will banning, or regulating guns stop a person to commit such violence, and crime?. America is home to hundreds of guns, legally or not, people will manage to obtain firearms, and after all under the second amendment of the constitution citizens have the right to bear arms for self-defense. However, when firearms are in the hands of an individual who are not in the right state of mind and use guns as an assault weapons, or gun violence that should be the nation’s priority concern. Shift our attention, and instead closely focus in attempting to prevent people who are at risk; such as people with mental illness, criminal family history of domestic violence, strictly, meticulously monitored, so firearms weapons can thence be kept away out of the hands of these highly at risks individuals, in addition improve economic and increase educational opportunities for mental health care.