The controversy of whether regular everyday citizens should be allowed to carry guns from regular handguns to military-style weapons has been going on for a long while, and has increasingly grown into a much bigger issue over the past decade. Here in Texas, a very large percentage of our citizens publicly support the open-carry law that has recently been passed in this state as of January 1, 2016. However, there is still a number of individuals who are opposed to this due to the amount of safety hazards it brings into everyday life in our society.
One solution that the Democratic Party has proposed to the people as a way of regulating the amount of weapons in our citizens hands is having every individual who is wanting to purchase a gun be
However, the fact that our country is starting to be run by a violent hand is not surprising when you have one of our presidential candidates supporting the whole movement. When asked about whether or not there should be any limits on the sales of guns, Donald Trump says, “No. I am a 2nd amendment person. If we had guns in California on the other side where the bullets went in the different direction, you would not have fourteen or fifteen people dead right now. If even in Paris, if they had guns on the other side, going in the opposite direction, you would not have 130 people plus dead. So the answer is no.” Even though Trump is saying that in those situations, it would have been beneficial for the individuals to have guns with them (even though ultimately it would have just led to more lives being lost rather than the opposite effect), it does not hide the shameful act that our republican presidential candidate is openly promoting acts of violence to the public and is not afraid to show it. This is the kind of country we have
Although we do have individuals who recognize the fact that this is something that needs to be addressed such as Hillary Clinton who said, “It is time to act. As President, I will take on the gun lobby and fight for commonsense reforms to keep guns away from terrorists, domestic abusers, and other violent criminals,” it is not enough. In order for this issue to be resolved, everyone must stand up and fight. The awareness of the dangers that this law brings to society needs to be spread to the thousands of people blinded by these violent and negative views of society before the issue is too far gone to be fixed, and we must start
A growing number of publicized tragedies caused by gun violence have caused a great stir in the American community. Recently, President Barack Obama has made proposals to tighten the regulation of and the restrictions on the possession of weapons in America to lessen these tragedies. Should the legislative branch decide in favor of his proposals, all American citizens who do or wish to own the type of weapons in question or who use current loopholes in existing policy would be directly affected. His proposals, which are to “require background checks for all gun sales, strengthen the background check system for gun sales, pass a new, stronger ban on assault weapons, limit ammunition magazines to 10 rounds, finish the job of getting armor-piercing bullets off the streets, give law enforcement additional tools to prevent and prosecute gun crime, end the freeze on gun violence research, make our schools safer with new resource officers and counselors, better emergency response plans, and more nurturing school climates, [and] ensure quality coverage of mental health treatment, particularly for young people,” have been cause for a large amount of recent debate (whitehouse.gov).
“Guns don’t kill people, people do.” This is a well known statement that is oftentimes considered true. However, it is not completely true. Someone who is mentally ill may be unable to make logical decisions and the perception they receive of reality may be tainted by the illness. Gun laws pertaining to those suffering mental illnesses should be more restrictive. Weapons such as guns make committing an act of violence, especially when there are multiple victims, much easier. It is difficult to assess the probability of a person to commit a violent act that harms anyone including himself/herself. Therefore, gun laws need be monitored very closely and made more consistent throughout each state in order to prevent violence that could occur in the future. To make any system effective, every state must have the same laws and regulations, as it is easy for a person to travel to a state more lenient on gun control and purchase a gun from a store that will sell firearms more openly.
The Second Amendment protects the right to keep and bear arms, but only in cases of self-defense and hunting for food. However, the use of guns has drastically changed since 1791 when the amendment was implemented. Today, guns are not solely used in their intended ways. Since 2010, over eighty-seven school shootings have occurred within American grade schools, high schools, and universities, resulting in approximately 107 injuries and 109 murders of innocent students. The two most deadly shootings in the world occurred in the United States: the Virginia Tech University Massacre which left thirty-two dead and Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting which left twenty-eight dead. Each new shooting prompts a debate about gun control laws and leaves citizens wondering about the accessibility of guns; any United States citizen over the age of twenty-one that does not have any previous felonies is able to easily receive a gun license. Forty-nine out of the sixty-one school shootings that occurred between 1982 and 2012 legally obtained firearms. The statistics become even more outstanding: seventy nine percent of all shooters have been diagnosed with a mental illness or disability, including the Virginia Tech and Sandy Hook shooters, Seung-Hui Cho and Adam Lanza. Cho and Lanza were diagnosed with mental illnesses and disabilities, depression and autism, respectively. Even so, they were still able to acquire the guns they needed because extensive mental health background checks did not and still do not exist; Cho purchased his own weapon and Lanza stole his mother’s guns. Although the case studies of Lanza and Cho are only two out of the many school shootings, they should be considered prime examples to illustrate the necessity to add stri...
The second amendment grants all Americans the right to bear arms. The ability to hold a firearm at any time as long as the firearm is registered. In the United states, all it takes to hold a firearm is a background check and a safety class. In a short reading from the “American Now” book a short article By Christina Tenuta called Responsible gun ownership saves lives she asks “do Americans really need guns?”, but are the guns really the problem? Although the second amendment requires some decent documents , the qualifications to obtain a firearm needs to be revised to a mental check, a family history check , and also to make it a priority for reinforcement to check on the registered firearm every six to twelve months.
The implementation of gun control in the United States is a large problem as it will take away the 2nd Amendment rights of citizens, while preventing law abiding citizens from protecting themselves from criminals.( Noyes, 3) The right to bear arms is promised to citizens of the United States. Crime is very high in states that have loose gun control laws. The state of Texas is known to have the most lenient gun control laws of any state in America.( Noyes, 6) However, the solution of taking guns away from people who are registered and licensed to carry them with no criminal record is not the answer to the problem. Americans have never responded well historically to prohibitions. (Baldauf, 7). Public concern about gun control has grown in Texas in the last two years due to the constant violence caused by Mexican drug cartels on the Mexico and Texas border. People in Texas have different beliefs when it comes to gun control, there are those who believe gun control laws are effective in reducing crime, those who believe that gun control laws are ineffective against crime, and those who believe that private owner ship of guns reduces crime.
Gun violence in the United States is higher than ever, and criminals with guns will “…kill as many as 1000 people each day” (Alpers&Wilson). Taking this into perspective, it is only right to fight fire with fire or, in this case, use a gun to protect yourself and those around you. Gun control does not only decrease the ability for protection, it also decreases our rights as U.S citizens. The constitution clearly states that we are given the right to bear arms, meaning we may carry fire arms. Even if we have stricter laws for guns, it will not stop killers from shooting innocent people. These men and women causing damage to the lives of numerous individuals do not care if there is a law banning guns, because all they truly want to do is hurt others. The pain citizens endure every day from losing a family member, friend, or even just a colleague is repulsive. These permanent deaths continue to make people fearful and it causes damage in their lives; unless something is done. Most people agree that action needs to be taken to stop this inhumane cruelty, but the question is; what can be done? Americans need protection, rights, and power to break this inexcusable gun violence circling America. Gun restrictions for trustworthy and reliable gun owners have not been proven to weaken gun violence in the United States; therefore, gun control should be limited because it is only hurting America, not helping it.
Should the 2nd amendment be revoked or changed? Many Americans would say “No,” stating that guns are dangerous and times have changed. Others might argue that having the right to bear arms keeps people safe and less threated by the outside world. In this debate, both sides of the 2nd amendments constitutional rights will be argued. The upcoming presidential election has been influencing voters to revoke our 2nd amendment rights which could change the democracy on which our country was founded.
“They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety.” This quote from Benjamin Franklin illustrates how an emphasis on safety can drastically reduce the freedoms enjoyed by citizens of the United States, especially the Second Amendment of the U.S. Constitution which states that “...the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.” However, with active shooter situations such as Columbine; the Tucson, Arizona shootings, which nearly killed former Representative Gabrielle Giffords; and recent situations at Newtown, Connecticut; Los Angeles International Airport; and Westfield Garden State Plaza mall in New Jersey, the federal government has questioned this right guaranteed to us as U.S. Citizens. In Congress, it is a back-and-forth battle between the Republicans, who favor less gun control legislation and a literal translation of the Second Amendment, and the Democrats who would like to see more gun control legislation to protect the safety of citizens. However, more gun control legislation would punish law-abiding citizens, be a direct violation of the Second Amendment, and expand the power of the federal government into areas where the Founding Fathers never wanted it.
Although the Second Amendment prevents the federal government from completely banning guns in America, limited restrictions are allowed on the distribution and possession of firearms. Certain groups of people such as criminals, the mentally unstable, and soldiers dishonorably discharged from the military are prohibited from possessing or interacting with firearms (Flynn). These restrictions are enforced by background checks in some states on both a state and federal level. However, gun laws vary from state to state and are often not thorough enough; the background checks are flawed due to lack of information and misinformation, and guns can easily end up in the hands of criminals and malevolent individuals. The ease of obtaining a firearm in America fosters crime and a dangerous environment. Hence, the Second Amendment should be reinterpreted so that stricter gun laws can be implemented because modern citizens do not require guns, current background checks are flawed, gun...
Laws have been proposed to try to help this issue, like Bill H.R 4269. Some of the laws are harmful and should not be passed. The bill proposed by Representative David Cicilline bill H.R. 4269. It puts a ban to many firearms and only excludes a certain few. Also the bill would criminalize the sale or transfer of many firearms already in circulation. That would mean criminals would have a greater access to guns
People always want what they cannot have, take away guns what is to stop people from buying them through an illegal source. They did try something similar to that with the war on drugs and all that has lead us to packed prisons for non violent offenders. In the article “Gun Control: exploring the issues” Dan O’Brien and Betty Stanton discuss the issues that by just tightening gun laws there will always be a way to get firearms, it won’t be legal but it will still happen. O’Brian and Stanton say “ Those who are willing to murder already demonstrate a disregard for human life and the laws associated with a balanced society.” (O’Brien) If the person involved in the mass shooting was a law abiding citizen then what would the motive for the killing of innocent people be. This article also talks about how mass media coverage has glamorized this subject and how it is effecting youth in America
“How many have to die before we will give up these dangerous toys?” (Stephen King). Firearms have been out of control over the past decade and has been the cause of most deaths in massacre shootings. The controversy about gun control has escalated throughout the years. Gun control laws will affect people for the better. I will be giving you a different understanding that has the potential to change the tone of the national debate. The government should pass gun laws because guns do not provide protection, they only harm people. Guns are harmful to society overall.
Within the past decade, gun control has become a major topic of discussion in the United States because of all the devastating mass shootings. They have come in multiple different settings, such as churches, schools, governmental buildings, and even movie theatres. Due to these shootings, many people’s response is that we need to crack down on gun control in order to take the weapons out of the killer’s hands, but the fact of the matter is that in some of the cases where many people are killed in shootings, the guy who killed them obtained the gun they used illegally. So us citizens need to realize that no matter what laws are passed or what efforts we make, the “bad” guys are going to get guns regardless, so we might as well allow our own
We as citizens need to understand that guns are not for everyone to use. There are certain people that just cannot be around guns or have a gun with them because they can harm someone intentionally or accidentally due to the loss of self-control. There are people that are not responsible enough to handle a gun. I believe that having a gun should be like saving money and using that money in case of an emergency; you do not touch it for anything that is not worth it. You only touch it in a situation that you feel is needed. That is the way firearms should be used, you don’t use it unless something bad is happening or you feel that your life is being threatened. The reason the
The lawmakers of today make laws and they don’t think about the decisions they make from both perspectives. They may say it’s all right to own a handgun but they may have different intentions than the user has on how and why they need one. The owner may need one for their protection but the lawmaker may think it’s for hunting or something other than it causing violence. To ensure these guns are not being used for violence the law needs to make a set of rules and regulations on the conditions of guns. How to use them/abuse them need to be the number one law. It should state guns are not intended to be used for violence of no kind. The law need to enforce the laws they make to ensure proper safety it would eliminate half of the gun violence.