Gun Control: A Debate Rages
[In light of the recent shootings at Sandy Hook elementary school in Connecticut, we bring back a thought provoking article written by a Youngziner earlier this year. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the families of children and adults killed in this senseless act of violence.]
Since the day a man walked into an Aurora Colorado theater and started shooting randomly in the audience, discussions about America’s gun control policies have been surfacing. This is not the first time gun carrying and usage policies have been questioned. For many years, people have wanted stricter gun rules for controlling the possession of guns. They have been countered by others who argue that gun control policies go against the Second Amendment.
Let’s take a look into the history of gun control policies.
The right to keep and bear arms
The right to keep and bear arms is the second amendment to the United States constitution and it is a big part of the fight for gun control policies. The Second Amendment gives citizens the right to use and bear arms for lawful purposes, such as self-defense. For those who oppose the policy of controlling the use of guns, they see the rights provided by the Second Amendment to be in jeopardy.
Gun control politics through the years
The Aurora shooting was not the only time arguments over gun control have arisen. After the assassinations of President John F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King jr., and Robert Kennedy, the Gun Control Act was passed. It expanded the record keeping and licensing of gun sales and prohibited the sale of guns to felons or the mentally ill. Only a decade later, an assassination attempt on President Ronald Reagan, shocked the nation and severely wounded Reagan’s press secretary, James Brady. A few years after the attempt, the Brady Handgun Prevention Act was passed. This required a background check to be performed on anyone purchasing a weapon. These Acts are two of many important gun control policies but they are not supported by everyone.
The case for and against gun control policies
The National Rifle Association is strongly opposed to gun control policies. “Guns do not kill people, it is the people who kill people,” they believe. They want to be able to protect themselves. They also want to preserve the second amendment.
Others argue that if people likely to misuse guns were not allowed to posses them in the first place, due to strict gun control policies, there would be significantly less deaths due to guns. This is proven by the statistic that, in 2010, out of the 12,996 murders in the US, 8,775 were caused by gun violence. This is an alarming statistic that worries many Americans who think the huge problem can be solved by enacting stricter gun control policies.
There are no simple answers to the question of stricter gun control policies. The Second amendment is a precious right, which needs to be protected. However, the Founding Fathers couldn’t have possibly foreseen all the issues involving gun violence we’re facing today.
The gun control issue has been a hot button political issue everytime it surfaces. It is no different this time too, given that it is an election year. While no political solution may be in sight at this time, the debate continues to be earnestly on in search for the right answers, given the overhanging issues surrounding guns.
i think that crooks that have been arrested for assault or murder should not be able to use a gun ever again.
i think they should see who there selling guns and its not the guns who kill people its the people behind the gun
u should have permission from the goverment for those things!!!!!!!!!!!!!
i think they should do backround checks before selling weapons to people
Tots right
I am writing a persuasive essay on it and it helps ALOT
i agree you should nobly be able to purchase guns if you are an army man you should be able but no one else
my opinion is that guns should only be given to soldiers (though i'm against that too) there are way too many insane people for guns to be legal for just anyone to use
i think that its the people not the guns. for example the shootings at the schools all around the world aren't because of the guns it is because the people which were ether bullied or had mental issues. I think that they shouldn't take away the guns are what protect or families
No more guns
its not the guns its the people!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
see the thing is us hilljacks as people call us are from a farm community so we hunt quite often soot out our back door and most of us have our cnc so here we all feel safe but if we get our guns taken away we will be frightend and this hapend somwhere in the middle east they got their guns taken away and the robbers kept thiers so they could rob people way easier this president takes our right to bear arms away theft will go up
I think this is a good idea. most people carry guns to be cool to their friends.
they should to background check on people who would buy gun before they actually sell them to them
What I learned about how people had to go through when It happened.
Why did he kill those kids when they didn't do anything and why would he killed his mother and he killed himself
I liked it but it is sad why would somebody shoot up a school of little kids really they didn't do anything. Why would u do something like that u killed the students then killed your self. Ur sick.
I think that all guns that are not hunting rifles should be banned.
I think that guns should not be baned frome every body u she have to be 18 to by guns to bye a gun this is what i think
that is a good thing that the NRA is saying that guns arent meant to kill people there meant for survival of food or practice sandy hook conneticit didnt deserve those harsh crimes none of it the man who shot all the kids he was mentaly insane or just crazy people don't just go around shooting people shouldn't thats just mest up I am very furious that sombody could do that to a little kid ahh that sicking that somone could do that.
I think that people should be at a certian age and have no mental problems to purchase a firearm.
(I'm making way too many comments on this article, haha)
I agree with everyone saying that the mentally unstable should not be allowed a gun . . . however, it's not that simple. It would be very hard to know if someone is mentally ill, and I think people would be angry still if they made them show a medical record or something. People love to be angry about things. (Maybe for pistols or such they do a background check. Please correct me if I'm wrong about anything)
Plus, it'd be very easy (if you don't live in a place with many police officers) to go to a street corner and trade five hundred dollars for a gun, simple as that. No permit or anything necessary, as long as you don't get caught.
One thing that may come across as rude, but I hate it when people (like on Facebook) start talking about how we should have "the right to bear arms" and how it's un-American to take it away from us and blah blah after some children died because of guns. Please, I respect that you think guns should be legal - but show some respect for the families of the children. Their kids are gone because guns exist.
I think there needs to be a lot stricter rules to carry guns and semi automatic guns should be illegal to unnauthorized citizens.There have been a lot of shootings lately and this could help.
Well, the right to own and bear arms is a touchy subject for most but if you take the guns away from people who use the for perfectly legal and recreational purposes is not fair, if one is a criminal and plans on commiting such a crime. What makes you think there gonna be like "oh wait, I cant kill all those people, carrying guns is illegal"
Guns should be legal. Only someone who is mentally stable should be allowed to be in contact with a weapon. Weapons should be locked up when stored inside a household
i think people should not be able to carry concealed gun and buy guns if your under 20 and have to have a hunting licenses.
good article, I think the adults who died trying to save their children are real heroes
The shooter was 20 years old and had Asperger's disease.. His mother would take him hunting in the woods with her guns and thats where he got the gun.
THE Sandy Hook Elementary shooting was very sad. It killed 8 adults and 20 children.
One other thing, it was 28 people who died, I'm pretty sure. 20 children, six adults at the school, the shooter's mother and the shooter himself.
And why are people blaming the mother (not on this site, but elsewhere)? How could it have been her fault? She didn't know he would do it, he didn't have any diagnoses that could have led to this. I think he had Asperger's, but that doesn't lead to this kind of violence. She was a victim, not a perpetrator.
What do you guys think?
They're thinking of adding armed guards to schools . . . bad idea, I say! It will just scare everyone (and didn't someone say Columbine had guards? Correct me if I'm wrong) What they should do is have drills, just like fire drills, on what to do if there's an emergency.
I think they were also considering allowing the teachers to have guns . . . also a bad idea! What if one of the teachers is crazy, and they're allowed a gun? I'm sure they won't just give them away willy-nilly or anything, but the last thing to do when there's a shooting is allow guns in schools.
Usually I hate it when people rag on the USA, but seriously, America . . . pull yourself together!
I completely agree.
I agree with you.If and when they take the right for our guns away do you think after all the good guys give up their guns their protection that the bad guys will?
I don't think so then all of us are defensless while crazy murders run the streets with guns that we gave up.
I guess we will have to go old school style bow and arrows:) haha and knife throwing like ninja assassians or something
I don't think they'll take our rights for guns away. The second amendment is the right to bear arms, after all. Though I'm not sure America has a problem with ignoring the amendments.
I do agree that the crazy people will get guns no matter what, though. It doesn't matter if they're legal or not.
I would love to know how to throw knives, though, haha. That sounds awesome.
Keep the right to bear arms!!!!!!!
We just need to control the people who abuse the privalege.
guns have the power between life and death witch is wy i dont particaly like them because if someone had a knife the victim may stand a chance.
i think guns are cowerdly
I think people should be allowed to carry guns as long as they have a legal permit, because what if there was to be a shotting at any point in time and that one person that does have a gun can prevent the person thats trying to kill people by shooting them, not by a shot that can kill them but in the arm or shoulder.
people are so bad!
I heard of this guy who planted a bomb int he stairs of a church to kill a church goer...instead it killed 14 children who came early to do sunday-school!
I think since theres been a lot of shooting at schools lately, they should have shooting evacuations. Like if your in an area that gets a lot of tsunamis, your school usually has tsunami evacuation drills. Thats what I think.
I'm glad i dont go to school right now.
In some schools they have lockdown drills in case someone does come in with a gun. Like mine we have a drill every month for lockdown.
I think this article talks about an important topic concerning guns.People really should not give guns to the mentally ill or criminals.If they are abought to give them something they need to do a background check.For the record the saying"guns don't kill people,people kill people" well that wouldn't happen if the gun sellers do background checks.
The recent shooting in the school in Conneticuit killed 40 children. The teacher was the mother of the man who shot his mother and the children.
Your wrong it only killed 20
I'm pretty sure it was 27.
Oh, you meant children. Never mind, I'm dumb. Ignore me!
I don't really have much of a final opinion on gun control laws. On one hand, I think it's good that you can own a gun, for example, if you're being stalked, so you can feel protected. But, I feel so much less safe with people walking around with legal guns . . . I mean, they're really deadly.
About Sandy Hook and the Colorado shooting, though . . . They would have gotten the guns if they were legal or not. Not to be too blunt, but a crazy shooter doesn't care how he gets the gun, as long as he can get it (and especially if he's going to shoot himself later, as many do)
I feel like getting a gun may be a little too easy, though. I mean, isn't it: learn how to shoot, get a permit, buy a gun? And in my state you don't even need a permit, I think.
One last thing, about the "guns don't kill people, people kill people", guns do kill people. Or rather, the bullets. But, the people have the intent of the killing, not the gun or the bullets.
To everyone in Newtown (where the Sandy Hook shooting took place), I really hope you're all okay. And I hope the kids and teachers are in a good place, wherever that is. Rest in peace :)
i've heard of a shooting accidant once. two kids were playing on the second floor and two teens downstairs were messing arond witha a gun, and accidenly shot it through the ceiling, killing one of the kids.
That's so terrible! I hadn't heard of that one but I believe it, not only do bad people do bad things with guns, but bad things can happen by accident, like in your story.
If guns were not in the world some people think that the world would have world peace. Not true! There would still be bombs, fires, and many other things! So I think there is a right to have guns but maybe more LITTLE guns, and I think it is right for armys to have the BIG guns, still this is not even close to getting world peace.
I think they should make a law that only police/FBI/security should have guns!
That would present yet another problem. Even authorities can make bad decisions and if they did the common people wouldn't be able to protect themselves. Gun control laws are the happy medium between these two things.