After the recent shooting in Colorado, many activists are jumping to arms against the second amendment. Despite these massive pleas though, hardly anything is being done to regulate gun laws. Many politicians consider the topic to be untouchable. One strong word against the right to bear arms could cause thousands of gun owners to vote against you. It's a touchy subject.
That's not to say nothing should be done to fix gun laws. Access to guns is too easy. With a simple click on the internet, thousands of rounds can be sent to your house. There should be more checks and balances. Around 40% of gun sales have had no background checks. Guns shouldn't be taken away, but they should be harder to get. Maybe people should have to take classes to receive guns, such as new drivers do.
Making guns illegal is not a solution though. If someone really wants a gun, they will get one. If guns were made illegal, then only outlaws would have guns, which is far from ideal. Guns also keep the government from turning the nation into a dictatorship. Although extreme, guns allow citizens to fight back in worst case scenarios.
There is no question that something needs to be done to the gun laws. No one should be able to gun down 100 people on a whim. The hard question is what should be done? Answers will not come if lawmakers fear being voted out of office for encroaching on the subject. Open-mindedness is needed to find a solution.
In Kyle Grier's blog post he expresses several issues over gun control and several possible solutions. I agree with him that it is a very touchy subject, many people, especially hunters, find the 2nd amendment very important to their way of life. We cannot take away the right to bear arms when so many people use it for recreational activities that go back so far in history. On the other hand not all guns are used for recreational purposes, some people purchase guns for reasons such as protection or in some cases as weapons against victims. There is no way to distinguish between a person purchasing guns for recreation or to do harm to other people, but there needs to be a way to find out. In my last blog post I mentioned that licenses should be scanned when purchasing guns and ammunition just as they are when people purchase medicines. This would just record in a database the amount of guns and ammunition a person is purchasing, and if necessary would spark alarm to police monitoring that database to look into a person purchasing an unusual amount of weaponry. And they could check to make sure that they are using it in responsible safe ways.
ReplyDeleteThe fact that guns are available for purchase online seems very unsafe. There is no way to track such purchases, some can be paid for in cash through sites such as Craigslist and eBay. I feel it should be illegal for weaponry to be sold online or there should be a way to at least log such purchases into a database like those that record medicine purchases. Weapon purchases are something that need to be monitored, especially if medicines are being monitored, why not guns?
I agree with Kyle that jumping to a swift conclusion to take away weapons is a fine line for citizens. Indeed gun laws need to change. But to what? Complete government control? This will only drive people to illegal means to obtain weapons. This is the major issue now, guns are purchased illegally more than legally as it is. We most certainly do not want to trample our 2nd amendment yet how do we as concerned citizens draw the line between those who are responsible and those who should be barred from ever owning a gun? I personally speaking believe that some sort of psychological test should be conducted as well as longer waiting periods between application and purchase. Hopefully by setting more barriers and regulations, this will create discouragement for those with less than favorable means. I personally have owned guns that took less than 30 minutes to obtain. That bothers me that all that is looked at is my criminal record. Not how many I have purchased, the frequency of my purchases nor my reasons for this. Someone with a spotless record can easily pull a trigger and that’s all it takes for tragedy to happen. How often are these mass shooters repeat offenders, fewer than many think. It only takes one calculated massacre and officials are scratching their head as to how this could have been prevented. The most recent shooting in Wisconsin, as well as Colorado are just sad reminders that this country clearly cannot handle certain freedoms. I would gladly go through a stricter approval process knowing that my gun(s) will be used for protection not to cause unnecessary harm. There are stricter regulations on government assistance than gun laws. It's easier to buy a pistol than to receive food stamps. I cannot be the only one who sees this.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Kyle Grier and believe that something should be done by the government to make it more difficult to obtain a gun. A gun is an object that is supposed to be used as a helpful tool, but just like cars, if they are not used properly and for the right reasons, they could turn into an extremely dangerous weapon that could kill a large sum at people once.
ReplyDeleteI also agree that it is too easy to access a gun. According to the article, about 40% of gun sales occur without background checks. What if 40% of drivers on the road didn’t have a license?
I believe using a gun should be treated just like using a car; one would have to go through classes and through a process in order to receive documentation that allows them to legally use a gun, so if someone really wanted to obtain a gun, they would willingly go through a long process and examination in order to do so.
I know that the regulation of guns is a touchy subject, but it is a subject that must be addressed. There are people who believe guns should be totally outlawed, and people who believe that strict regulation of guns is a violation of one’s Second Amendment rights. A medium needs to be found between these two groups of people. There have been several massacres that have occurred because a mentally-ill person got a hold of a gun, but at the same time, there have been occasions when a person’s life was saved because they were able to defend themselves with a gun. Considering the amount of gun-related issues the country has had recently, politicians should take this issue seriously and find a solution to this very important problem.