With all of the conclusions stated up to this point, the future in the United States does not look promising for responsible U.S. citizen gun-owners. The government does not appear to be heading towards the diminution of the strict gun control laws. With the new laws being issued and put into effect around the years of 2013-2014, all United States citizens that legally own firearms now must register all of their personally owned guns to the government. The recent date of 1 April 2014 has just passed, but this day stood the date when a long gun "eligibility certificate" is required to be issued to all citizens owning a gun that is not a handgun (General Statutes of Connecticut). The government believes that it is solving its firearm-related crime …show more content…
Doing anything to stand up against criminals with guns is too difficult, so now the legal gun owning people of the United States who follow and abide by the Constitution are being victimized. Based on the article by Carolyn Wolf (2015), the gun control debate is said to be “Missing the mark.”, this quote indicated that the restrictions of firearms keeps them from the “mentally-ill”, or considered criminals, is a misguiding argument. Wolf states that the restrictions that are aimed at preventing all gun ownership are inaccurate and it should be focused more intensely on the people who are in search of a firearm, suggesting that there should be consistent background checks on the citizens who look to purchase a firearm. The government is now requiring background checks before any person can purchase a firearm, which is a safe and effective law, but restricting the purchase and ownership of a firearm is turning the citizens against its own government. The government wants to fight a battle it was not meant to be in; it is not meant to be in this battle because the Constitution contradicts the government’s
In “The Gun Debate” Patricia Smith explores the effectiveness of gun control and new possible ways to make this country safer. However in “To Carry, or to not Carry” Thomas Willis explains the ways that guns, if operated and cared for properly, can protect you and others around you. The large controversy of whether new gun laws will effective continue to grow larger and more opinionated. After reading both “The Gun Debate” and “To Carry, or to not Carry” I decided that gun laws will be effective. There are many gun sales that go without record or background check of any sort, “... many small scale gun sellers claim to be “hobbyist,” who aren’t required to conduct background checks”(Smith,1).
Introduced to the New World in approximately 1607, firearms and America resemble siamese twins; you can’t have one without the other. Over time, guns have become a crucial part of American society, and to many, the ability to carry a firearm defines their liberties as a citizen. For example, without the ability to carry weapons freely, winning the American Revolution may not have been possible. But, on the contrary, many of the school shootings that occur in today's society could be prevented should the individuals that commit them be restricted to purchase a firearm. For negative reasons like that, the government has been forced to step in and try to regulate the average citizen’s right to carry a concealed weapon through the picking apart of the 2nd amendment and the addition of the Brady Bill in 1993. Because of this, many feel that by limiting their ability to carry weapons, the government is infringing upon their constitutional rights and civil liberties as an
School should be a place of peace and opportunity, but gaps in the system of gun control threatens the safety of faculty and students. School shootings have killed a total of 297 lives, young and old (Slate Magazine). Gun control has been a continuous nationwide debate for many years. It seems that no one wants to take a stance against guns unless they are personally affected. In order to take control of the matter and prevent more incidents from continuing schools need to change. To achieve a safe environment in schools need to educate faculty, safe and students, heighten security, and assess mental health issues.
Every so often the media and news feeds flood with reports of a mass shooting. Families mourn. In the days that follow, calls to action can be heard, and there is a demand for change. Sometimes minor legislation passes, but in the United States extreme change is rarely seen. Other developed nations provide an opposite comparison. Following the Port Arthur shooting in Australia and the shooting in Great Britain, both countries organized for significant gun reform.
According to Nicholas Kristof’s article “our blind spot about guns” gun control is a lot like cars regulation such that if we can regulate cars we can regulate guns. It took a lot of time and effort but thanks to regulations cars are safer than they were many years ago, and the same is very possible with guns. We need to keep our country safe. The first steps to gun control are improving on background checks and also requiring trigger locks on all guns.
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
Breaking news, an “assault weapon” walked in a school and wreaked havoc creating the ninth school shooting we’ve had this year! You may be thinking, what, a gun with a mind of its own? Well, that is exactly the type of thinking the news and gun-control activists want you to have. I have never met a firearm who wants or even can shoot someone, have you? That leads us to think about who the real problem is with gun-control, the firearm, or the human? If these activists were to become successful, we would be able to see the effects. The consequences of people not being able to own guns would have tremendous effects on safety, such as self-defense, which is why laws should focus on placing more restrictions on who can get guns, strengthening the filtering system, and placing harder penalties for those who use guns wrongfully or who do not have the right paperwork.
We see and hear about it on the news how someone shot and killed someone and we all think why do people do that or what gives them the idea to just go out and take another living human life away. Then the issue is would it be better to make Gun-control even more strict so that the deaths caused by gunshots could lower? So when people do bad, other people look for a solution on what to do and the idea that keeps getting tossed up is to make Gun-control more strict so it doesn't happen as often. But this shouldn’t be the case since there will always be gun violence. The issue isn't the gun, the issue is who wields it and uses for harm instead of protection. Then will this person who has a gun will he/she be mentally stable enough to use it
Devin P. Kelley committed a mass shooting at a local Texas church. He was discharge from the Navy because he tried to kill his commanding officers. Devin P. Kelley escaped from a mental institution and was charged with domestic abuse,multiple misdemeanors and of mistreatment, neglect or cruelty to animals, and yet he was able to buy four guns legally (Rosenberg). That is the most recent example of why Americans need more gun control laws. Guns are not cool or makes you look good, they are a dangerous piece of machinery that Americans take advantage of. The average American in the right mindset should not want to own anything more than one handgun or rifle for hunting or protecting their household. Gun control reform that limits gun
Gun control has been a prevalent issue in the United States since its early years, but has recently taken the spotlight as one of the most controversial, and debated topics in the country with the rise of alarming cases and accessible statistics. Because of our constitution, the right to bear arms has endured throughout the years with little revision. Republicans tend to argue strongly in favor of this amendment on the basis of constitutional right and the need for self-defense. (Waldman, 2017). However, the current lax system of background checks requirements for purchase of a firearm have contributed to numerous casualties and cannot stand without reform. In 2017 alone, 13,899 deaths have occurred at the expense of a gun in the United
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.
Gun control is a controversial and important issue all over the world. A gun, as a weapon for defense and protection, has been misused by many resulting in unlawful acts. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, dedicated protect public health and safety, in 2010, there were roughly 31,670 gun-related deaths in the U.S. About 11,100 were homicides (35%) and about 19,400 (61%) were suicides (Jim). Every day, a lot of people lose their lives unnecessarily to gun violence. Congress should amend gun laws to take guns out from the hand of criminals and irresponsible persons. It is apparent that guns have had both negative and positive outcomes, but it has also
As Americans are proud to be reside in the “land of the free,” our nation is noted to have pride of being able to own and carry a firearm. The right for Americans to bear arms is protected under the second amendment of the United States Constitution. However, this privilege has been taken advantaged of in the recent years. Unfortunately, more than 31,000 Americans die from gunshot wounds(1). Americans wake up to devastating news in relation to gun violence on their tv screen more frequently than before. Even when the United States is one of the wealthiest countries in the world, there is still so many casualties in relation to gun violence(2). These unfortunate deaths raise the question of whether Americans should be restricted from owning firearms. In the United States, the right to own a gun should not be banned and abolished, but be looked into carefully to decrease the mortality rate by guns.
Lately, there has been a controversy about gun control due to an increase is gun crime. With all the crimes throughout the years, many people don't know if we should have more laws for firearms or no more than what we have now. Within the last year, there has been about 53,000 incidents alone, but the year before was about 52,000 so not much of a difference of the two years. With mass shooting between the years 2014-2015 here is the only difference of eighty that had occurred and been reported, but yet with the accidental shootings, they are about equal with 2,000 that were reported (Past summary ledgers). The number of deaths that happened in 2015 was around 13,000 and in 2014, it was 1,000 less than that within the year gap. The new laws not only affect the people who oppose firearms but
Guns are used all over the world and are controlled in some countries but in others people are allowed to have any type of gun ranging from automatic assault rifles to big rocket launches. Should it also be controlled in our country the United States of America? Many say no yes and many others say NO! In my opinion it should be controlled.