Why Should We Support Gun Control?
Introduction
Gun control is one of the most contentious issues of all time. The most prominent points of debate center on who should own a gun and how the said owner could obtain the weapon. Gun control laws are vital for the protection of the present and future generations of the country. Guns are essential arsenals for the security of a country, community, and even at an individual level. However, they also carry destruction, violence, and chaos when unchecked. They bring turmoil and unbearable pain when handled without the necessary laws and restrictions put in place. Gun control ensures that with the power given to individuals handling them, there is a balance of proper responsibility and consequences to be borne too.
Gun control is an issue that affects most people today. In America, guns are one of the most top causes of unnatural deaths in the country. Any crime scenes involving robberies, murders, and gang-related crimes are mostly associated with the use of guns. It hence begs the need to control the access of guns by destructive, violent individuals. The need to protect lives surpasses the need to give out an unchecked democratic right to bear firearms.
The second amendment gives an individual the right to obtain and register guns. Still, it is balanced by the Brady Law, which ensures irresponsible people cannot own a firearm. Throughout the decades, gun ownership has been on the rise in America; it has become part of their daily lives. Even though they are for protection and safety, there need to be strict measures on their handling and use. It is an opinion that guns do not kill individuals, but rather the improper handling of firearms is what causes deaths. It is why proper gun control laws are essential.
Gun mishandling puts the owner at not only risk but also other unsuspecting members of the community. There has been an increase in suicide rates, mass shootings, and violent crimes due to relaxed gun laws, as shown in statistics. Individuals, therefore, need proper control and checking to minimize the number of careless causalities caused by the mishandling of guns. Stricter gun controls reduce the number of firearms in circulation, ensuring that only individuals worthy of holding a gun have one in possession, making the country safer. It is why I am pro-gun control.
Access to guns.
Acquisition of a gun by individuals is as easy as buying any other essential commodities by any American Citizen. It leads to a spike in the number of gun-related crimes in the country. A matter of personal opinion splits discussions and controversies of whether to enforce stricter gun laws. The second amendment 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.” (U.S. Const. Am. 2). There is no right and wrong for owning a gun due to our second amendment; however, the way people have been abusing the clause to bear arms is wrong. The crucial issues arising from this comes down to should guns be taken off the streets or should this right be respected. With the increase in the number of mass shootings, primarily due to differences in ideologies and random shootings of innocents, gun control policies should be stricter. Systems need to implementation to ensure that with this right comes a particular check and balance. In every constitution with the rights accorded to citizens, there also come duties that they should carry out. An American citizen can hold and bear a gun, but with reasonable cause and the plausible assurance that they will not use it to harm others. Law implementations are needed to put control measures for saving innocent lives and reducing unnecessary suffering.
Mass Shootings.
In recent times, there have been more increased reports of mass shootings resulting in death and injuries. Relaxed gun laws have led to guns falling into the wrong hands for their misuse as deemed fit. The past year has reports of over a hundred mass shootings. Some of these cases include the 2017 Las Vegas and 2018 Parkland high school shooting. These shootings were committed by individuals who should not have been in gun possession in the first place. What I am proposing is not for the government to put up a total ban on guns but a properly implemented system of control for them. Complete restriction of firearms will only explode the black market demand, but with a more controlled system, right-minded individuals will be able to acquire guns for their protection. The government needs to implement mental background checks for individuals seeking to purchase a firearm. Although this might be an expensive and time taking protocol, its effects will be beneficial in the long run. If this underwent implementation, shootings like the ones which took place in Sandy Hook Elementary and the Colorado movie theatre would actively stop. Due to the lack of these regulations, individuals with unstable mental health and even past violent criminal records are accessing guns quickly.
October 1, 2017, has one case where an assailant shoot at a group of concert-goers in Las Vegas Route 91. It left 58 people dead and 851 others injured. The shooter 64-year-old Stephen Paddock fired rounds from the comfort of his suite, where he was later found dead in his room by a shot he inflicted on himself. His intent and reason for committing the shooting are still unknown. It is an incident recorded in history as one of the worst mass shooting by one individual on American soil. The Parkland High school shooting On February 14, 2018, occurred at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. It led to the death of Seventeen students and wounding of seventeen more; it is considered one of the most horrifying shoots in a school compound. The perpetrator, 19-year-old Nikolas Kruz, who got arrested after some eye witness account, still has no explanation for the crime committed. His defense team only cited anti-social behavior for him, which is not sufficient reason to go around opening fire on innocent school children. The young man had easily purchased the gun one year earlier from a gun store in Colorado at a time where he was a minor and not an individual with the right frame of mind to acquire it. The presence of stricter gun laws would have helped in saving the lives lost in these massacres. A regular standard background check accompanied by a backup medical examination of the individual is vital. Nobody should have that easy access to a rifle in a store. A loophole identified by the Council of Foreign Relations that allowed everyone to own a gun that included in the Firearms Act of 1986; these include convicted felons accessing guns with no background checks in place. With no put in place laws to who can have a weapon, all of us are at risk. Passing legislation for everyone to own guns will only cause more turmoil than an advantage.
Health and Safety.
Another vital factor for pro-gun is the need for safety for all. The possession of guns does not only pose a safety threat to the individual carrying it despite having training or not, but it is also unsafe for those close to them. A recent study shows that guns at home are twenty-two more times likely used in suicides, accidental shootings, and homicides rather than for their protection(” (Kellermann, A. L). Guns at home have led to more injuries, deaths, and even emotional trauma to the children around them. Minors with access to firearms from their homes can fall into the temptation of using them without supervision. Restrictive laws help to reduce the chances of this happening. With the country fighting against mass shootings, firearm suicides have become another problem it has to counter too. Statistical data has shown that of all suicides in America, almost half of them are by use of guns. The country is a diverse one with people from different cultures, races, and political ideologies; naturally there would be some disagreements about some matters. The easy availability of firearms to individuals gives them the well-fuelled gasoline to burn their hatred of other communities. Most racial and religious gun attacks have occurred when individuals with different ideas decide to take power in their hands and exploit it. Gun control will work to ensure that these kinds of killings do not take place in the country. It will keep individuals of all backgrounds and different ideologies safe in their own country.
The Second Amendment
The Bill of Rights contains the second amendment granting individuals right the right to keep and bear arms. It has caused a division in the interpretation of the rights coverage scope. One side says it is there to protect the right of individuals to bear arms while others say it was put in place to support militias in states for their protection. It is important to note that this amendment implemented at a time were guns were an essential item for individuals; however, it is null now. Individuals are not fighting the war, and they do not need to carry guns everywhere they go. Militias are also not a part of the society; the country has moved forward to civilization and better-organized arms to protect it.
The most part argued by the supporters of this amendment is that individuals have the right to protect themselves and feel safe. Not to disagree with this valid point, the stricter gun laws will act to provide an extra layer of comfort for both gun holders and non-owners. It would serve as a buffer from all the risks that the second amendment exposes individuals to, such as robberies, youth massacres, and even hostage situations. With the clarity that guns themselves without handlers are non-harmful items, necessary laws need to be put in place to control the negligence of the controllers themselves.
The survival required during the passage of the second amendment is now long gone and hence emerges a need for laws to adapt to these changing times. The large number of private gun owners mushrooming in the country has led to the mass resistance of gun control laws. They claim that Americans are peacekeeping individuals who will only use guns to protect themselves, but this is fast changing.
The Brady Act
This Act signed into law by President Clinton on February 28, 1994. The Act encompasses several vital areas: these include a waiting period before the purchase of a firearm. This period would serve many purposes like having an individual settle down and probably reduce his anger reducing the chances of an impulse crime. The period would also give ample time to carry out background checks on the purchasers. The examination encompasses mental, health, and criminal records of the potential buyer.
The outcome of the audit would determine if the sale would proceed or not depending on his record, age (minorities are not allowed to hold guns), and their mental health. In 1994-2009, over 107 million Brady background checks carried out lead to the denial of 1.9 million sales. This attempts to cut down on the guns available for violence and impulse attacks. This Act has ensured denial of gun licenses to any individual posing a significant threat to the peace and order of the country. The continued use of the Brady Law and to regulate arms sales will lead to the reclamation of streets in America.
Gun Market in the U.S.
Gun laws are essential in the control of the use, possession, and use of firearms and ammunition. For the promotion of a legally recognized gun market, Several states have put in necessary measures to control it. One such state of learning from is California, which requires the purchase of a gun to be at a registered, licensed dealer; the cut off age for a shotgun is 18 years while a handgun purchaser must be 21 years and above. A handgun safety certificate is also a requirement for individuals who are not in the military or police departments. The document is essential in showing that the individuals handling firearms have at least training on the handling and use of guns.
A mandatory ten-day waiting period also imposed, during which time the seller carries out a background check to determine the presence of prior convictions of violence or domestic abuse and ensure a stable, clear state of mind. In addition to these, an individual is allowed only the purchase of one gun for every month. An individual is also required to apply for carrying the weapon called a Carry Concealed Weapon (CCW), which obtained from the sheriff’s department after 90 days of waiting. Strict measures such as these works to discourage individuals from purchasing guns. These are essential ways of regulating the privilege of gun ownership in America.
Gun ownership is a right in a democratic setting; however, with every right, there needs to be control to prevent its abuse. This right needs accompaniment with a responsibility to keep all firearms safely and responsibly. Studies have shown that almost 85 percent of all gun holders do not practice the safekeeping of their guns. It led to the deaths of children, either due to carelessness by themselves or accidents at their homes. In America alone, over 500 children lose their lives every year to gun mishandling.
A Study of the Brady law campaign showed the death of over 3000 children due to gun mishandling of guns. These are lives not to lose at a tender age due to preventable steps that need implementation. Proper gun storage requires the following: that individual stores it unloaded, pointed in a safe direction, and away from the reach of children, a safe installation is also an additional measure.
Firearms can cause a lot of chaos if left in the hands of irresponsible individuals with no checks. With spiking and alarming gun-related deaths rating the U.S. as one of the most affected developed countries, stringent measures need to adhere. Gun control policies cannot just be debates that do not have any affirmative action taken; they are now essential and necessary for the saving of lives.
Conclusion
Violence and guns are words that seem to go together. The critical question is to weigh the correlation between the two in our country and the need to control one to prevent the other. The debate should not be about the ownership rights of a gun but the proper procedure to ensure that firearms only fall into the hands of responsible individuals. The controls to passed are for the improvement of the state of the country indiscriminately. Every citizen needs to pay attention to the direction of gun laws and policies. It would lead to either protection of future and present communities or eruption of chaos.
The debate of whether or not to control guns should be one with a clear definitive answer: controls are paramount. The necessary policies and laws need to be passed as law. It should then follow the implementation of these laws to ensure that they are working for the benefit of all. It will require cooperation from both policymakers and every citizen in equal measure. Continued fighting of these policies will not lead us to any benefits accrued but for the loss of life and a country in turmoil.
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