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Gun control

Gun control The shootings that have happened in the schools throughout the Unites States over the past few months have created a great divide among Americans on what we should do as a nation to prevent further shootings from happening. Many people believe that imposing new laws on purchasing weapons by requiring background checks, holding adults responsible for the actions of their children and requiring gun locks on weapons to prevent children will stop these massacres in our school from happening. There are many issues that need to be looked at in order to decide which laws are necessary. Many people believe that these shootings have occurred is because the availability of weapons in our society. This is not true. Guns have been in our society for hundreds of years. Before 1968 anyone could buy a gun through the mail with cash, and a hand-written statement that they were of legal age and without criminal record. (Bridgeman 14a) Yet in 1968, students didn't go to school and try to commit mass murder. It is also a belief that requiring background checks for individuals purchasing weapons at gun shows will stop criminals from possessing guns. This is another misconception. There are over 240 million guns in America. Over 40 percent of all homes in the United States have guns. (Cannon) It would be impossible to enforce any type of legislation to control all of these guns. (Barone) Criminals will be able to obtain guns regardless of any new legislation that is enacted. An example of one of these new laws is the "one gun a month law" that is being introduced in Congress. (Bai 30) Supporters of this law want to make it so no one can purchase more than one gun a month. The intention is that criminals will not be able to go out and buy a bunch of weapons at once and commit a crime. This is ludicrous. The children that committed the high school shootings, and many other crimes that involve guns, were committed with guns that were obtained illegally. (Cloud 35) The only people that will suffer from the "one gun a month law" are the gun manufactures. (Bai 30) This is a bill that is designed to slow their sales and to hurt them financially. One idea that has been introduced is the mandatory use of child locks on all guns. This is a good idea. In 1996 over 140 children died after being accidentally shot. (Cannon) Over 1500 children are injured this way every year. (Cannon) This is a step in the right direction. Many pro-gun supporters do not like the idea of being forced to use a lock on their gun. Many normal household items have safety devices. Medicine bottles have safety caps and lawnmowers have safety devices to prevent children form injury. Guns are very dangerous items and safety measures should be used to reduce the risk of injury. Many anti-gun advocates fail to recognize the fact that Americans have use guns to prevent over 2 million crimes form being committed every year. Many pro-gun advocates believe that the more gun laws that are enacted, the less apt law abiding citizens are to use them to protect themselves. (Barone) None of the gun-control measures above, locks on guns, creating widespread gun prohibition and waiting a month to buy your second gun, would have stopped any of the massacres that occurred in out schools. It is a very emotional time in our country when it comes to the issue of gun control. Logical decisions based on fact, not emotion must be used to create the laws we live by. We as Americans have the right to oppose illogical laws based on public fervor and miss-information. Owning a gun is a right protected by the Second Amendment. We must insure that that Amendment is not taken lightly and abused by creating unnecessary laws, but we must also ensure that laws are created to protect the innocent from unnecessary risk. (Cannon) Bai, Matt Aiming At Each Other Newsweek; 31 May 1999, pages 28-30 Barone, Michael A Dangerous Gun Show US News; 31 May 1999, page 30 Bridgeman, William R. Availability of Guns is Not the Problem, Fayetteville Observer Times; 31 May 1999, page 14a Cannon, Angie The Old Lock and Key Approach, US News; 31 May 1999, page 25 Cloud, John Just A Routine School Shooting, TIME Magazine; 31 May 1999, pages 34-43 Bibliography:

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