Gun Control

Gun Control Ryan Low "The massacre in Las Vegas killed 58 people and wounded 489 who were crowded together into one field." Guns have harmed many people in the U.S, but lately people are trying to fix this problem by supplying more guns. The NRA wants to supply teachers with guns, but they aren't doing anything about the guns being sold. After the latest Sandy hook high school shooting it has brought up the topic of gun control. Although there is not one solution to this problem, I would like to bring into light gun control. My opinion is that America should be more strict of our gun policy because guns are to easy to get, we don"t need heavy guns, and that there have been to many mass shootings. Firstly, guns are to easy too get. At theweek.com it states, "Vermont is "home to the nation's most permissive gun laws," reporter Paul Heintz explained, saying all he had to do was Google "AR-15 Vermont," get in touch with a seller, and a few emails later they had arranged to exchange the weapon in a parking lot " no ID, background check, license, or wait required." The bad people that use guns to commit a crime don"t care about the law. If we create a new law it won"t change how criminals behave. Laws don"t prevent criminal behavior. They determine a punishment after a law is broke. What we need to do is make it more difficult to purchase guns. If guns get sold so easily how does that prevent somebody emotionally unstable from hurting themself or someone else? Buying a gun in america is as easy as getting a background check and buying the gun. At nytimes.com it states "Pass an instant background check that includes criminal convictions, domestic violence and immigration status. Buy a gun." If it is this easy to get a gun in america, we should definitely fear for our lives. If we pass a bill that keeps stores from selling heavy guns we can sleep tight knowing we at least have something to prevent people from getting heavy guns. A quote from obama says "In 2013 more than 500 kids lost their lives to gun accidents, about 50 of them were children under the age of 5 years old." If the U.S can"t do anything to prevent this, than how will we make any progress? The U.S can prevent this by having a stricter gun policy. In this statement Obama talks a lot about mentally unstable people getting guns. All they have to do is get a background check. If it"s clear they just got a gun. Not a gun for self defense though, a gun to harm people with. Furthermore, we don"t need heavy guns. At nypost.com it says that "One of the guns that the retired accountant used to kill nearly 60 people at a county music festival was an AR-15 rifle, which he had outfitted with a "bump stock," making it capable of rapid fire." A shooter got their hands on a gun that was originally meant for military use and added a bump stock for rapid fire. This shooting killed nearly 60 people. With these lives lost why do we still sell things like bump stocks? At theatlantic.com it states "The assault rifle is a class of weapon that emerged in the middle of the last century to meet the needs of combat soldiers on the modern battlefield, where the level of violence had reached such heights that an entirely new way of fighting had emerged." What assault rifles were originally manufactured for warfare and the battlefield, not for civilians. They were manufactured as such heavy guns they were used only in the military. Eventually assault rifles made their way to the civilians and it became normal for people to purchase them. Lastly, there have been to many mass shootings. At theguardian.com "No other developed nation comes close to the rate of US gun violence. Americans own an estimated 265m guns, more than one gun for every adult." There are no other nations that come close to America's gun violence. Out of 195 nations none of them come remotely close to the U.S. With no action to stop this chain now, how will we ever do anything to stop it. This is America's opportunity to make a change and stop these mass shootings. Go to https://www.theguardian.com... to see how devastating this iformation can be. At nytimes.com it states "After a debate on the State Senate floor on Monday, Republican legislative leaders struck a compromise that would keep guns away from teachers, but keep guns in schools. How? By arming librarians, counselors and coaches." This shows the senate and NRA just want to sell guns. They want to fix our gun problem in America by making more guns. If we supply more guns how can we prevent gun problems? The more guns we supply the higher the risk of a shooting. Another quote from theguardian.com states "Just seven weeks into 2018, there have been eight shootings at US schools that have resulted in injury or death." There were already 8 school shootings just 7 weeks into 2018, that's more than 1 school shooting a week. This definitely shows there have been to many mass shootings in America. This also supports that america should be more strict on its gun policy. Some people might defend America's gun policy by referencing our 2nd amendment rights but do we really need heavy guns and bump stocks for our safety. The 2nd amendment states "A well regulated 14 54 Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed." The 2nd amendment is saying we have the right to bare arms for our own security. Do you really think you'll need a military weapon to protect yourself. Taking away the military used guns won't solve the whole gun problem but it can certainly help reduce the amount of gun violence in the U.S. In conclusion, America should be way more strict on it"s gun policy because guns are to easy to get, we don"t need heavy guns, and that there have been to many mass shootings. I think this matters because if we don"t do anything to stop all the shootings, we need to make a change on America"s gun policy while we can so we can make America safer and a better place.