Erin Molello
English101
Position Essay
Gun
Control
Try to imagine
30,000 people standing in front of you. Now before you get to talk to them,
learn their names, or even look at all their faces, they all disappear. These
people are the representing group of the 30,000 people, or more, that are
killed by guns each year in the United States (Heeding God’s Call). 30,000
people that were someone’s child, someone’s best friend, and maybe even
someone’s soul mate, taken from the earth due to the ease of access we have to
guns these days. The set of laws that are enforced today are flawed and make it
too easy for a deadly weapon to fall into the wrong hands. The right of gun
ownership is cherished by many Americans and that is something that shouldn’t
be taken away for those who deserve the right. As a nation we must build on
existing laws, making them stricter and well thought out will then allow for
only those Americans who deserve it to be able to obtain a gun.
While
there are laws against a massive group of people who can not lawfully own a
gun, including convicted felons, mentally ill patients who have adjudicated or
involuntarily admitted to a mental institution, those who have been
dishonorably discharged from the armed forces, anyone convicted of domestic
violence including misdemeanors, anyone under a restraining order for harassing
an intimate partner, and a few more on illegal aliens in the United States.
Although it in unlawful for persons
in the group above to own a gun the laws prohibiting others to sell firearms to
prohibited persons is weak and easily evaded. Many guns sold in private sales
or gun shows are not subjected to perform a background check on those buying
the guns by state law (TheAtlantic). Furthermore, these state laws are backed
up by federal law which in shorthand states that guns purchased by federally
licensed firearms dealers (FFLs) are to perform background checks on probable
firearms purchasers to ensure that the firearm transfer would not violate
federal, state or local law. But the loophole for private sellers is still an
issue that has not gained its needed attention, under federal law persons who
purchase guns from private sellers are not required to undergo a background
check. It was also found that 40 percent of gun owners in America purchased
from a private seller, concluding that this is a serious loophole that is well
known to the public and is used by many to obtain a gun (SmartGunLaws).
With
popular video games, such as halo, call of duty and many more which have been
introduced into today’s society, kids as well as others are becoming
desensitized when it comes to the severity of damage a gun can cause. The laws
in place enforcing gun safety is not cutting it anymore when kids are becoming
use to shooting guns in a virtual world. Although federal law vetoes the sale
of a handgun unless “the transferee is provided with a secure gun storage or
safety device” (SmartGunLaws). But once again this law is only an issue when
buying from an FFLs, if bought from a private owner this law does not exist.
Another loophole; although the purchase of a secure gun storage or safety
device is required it is not required by gun owners to secure their gun in that
purchased device. So yes by federal law one must buy the secure storage device
but included in that same law one could keep their handgun as the centerpiece
on their dinning room table, free for any kid to access and accidentally play a
real life game of halo. Another safety issue; what happens if a gun goes
missing or is stolen? Legally, nothing is an option. If a convicted felon for some
reason didn’t go through a private seller to obtain the dangerous fire arm he/she
wishes to possess, why not just steal someone else’s? Under federal law it is
not required by an individual gun owner to report if his/her gun is indeed
missing or stolen (SmartGunLaws). Someone could physically watch another steal
their gun, run from the house with it and still not be required to report the
incident, never knowing whose dangerous hands this deadly weapon has fallen
into.
The
right to bare arms, as stated in the 2nd amendment, is the
constitutional right which allows Americans the capability to own and store a
gun on themselves or in their residence. But it is nothing more than an
amendment, a privilege that is given to model citizens, and lawfully can easily
be taken away from a person who is not living their life up to par. Many
believe that enforcing more gun control laws would take away their
constitutional right which they then believe is unmoral and unfair, and while
it is possible for the constitutional right to be revoked for all that is not
what the majority of activist promoting gun control laws are asking for. Laws
that prevent a gun from falling into the wrong hands, laws that prevent the
more than 30,000 lives taken from just our nation a year, and laws that allow
those model citizens who do deserve the right too participate and practice safe
gun handling and storage, are some, among a few others, that our nation is in
need of before the numbers of fatalities grow even higher than they are now.
As every day passes stricter gun control laws
are critically needed. In 2009 the statists found on Heading Gods Call stated that over 30,000 people die a year from
gun violence, as stated above. While these numbers are still true the actual
number today greatly exceeds the ones in 2009. With a number of already 47,956
deaths due to gun violence in this year brings shock that nothing has been done
regarding this issue. And if that number doesn’t bring shock and a feeling of horror,
then maybe this number broken down will. 640 children. 308 due to mass
shootings. 2,407 teenagers. 1,736 due to accidental shooting. And many more
lives taken not including the 24,536 who were injured by a gun so far in this
unfinished year (GunViolenceArchive).
The
2 of December 2015 marks our 355th mass shooting this year (The Today Show). The 14 lives that were
taken at San Bernardino can be added to the numbers above which were obtained a
few days ago. 337 days have passed in our calendar year, and the number of
individual mass shootings this year exceeds the number of days. 5 days have
occurred this year were 5 individual mass shootings have taken place in that
single day (Washington Post). It has
been 3 years since America watched one of the most horrific mass shootings
occur at Sandy Hook Elementary School, and since then nothing has changed. We
as nation sat and watched children’s lives taken from this earth, and held the
hands of grieving mothers and fathers, but to this day still are not able to
tell those parents that the immense pain they felt, and continue to feel
everyday, has changed anything.
Fatalities
due to this constitutional right not being regulated appropriately, is a
pressing issue which calls for a rapid yet thought out and thorough plan. This
plan should include and allow those deserving of the right to maintain it, and
those non deserving to be incapable of purchasing and obtaining this lethal
weapon.
Bibliography
Frum, David. “Mass Shootings Are
Preventable.” The Atlantic. 23 June
2015. Web. 29 November 2015.
“Gun Violence Archive 2015 Toll of
Gun Violence.” Gun Violence Archive.
1 December 2015. Web. 1
December 2015.
Ingraham, Christopher. “There have
been 334 days and 351 mass shootings so far this year.”
Washington post. 30 November 2015. Web.
3 December 2015.
Smart
Gun Laws. Something in the Universe, September 2015. Web. 29 September
2015.
Today
Show. Director. Joe Michaels. NBC. King 5, New York, 3 December 2015.
Television.
“USA Gun Violence Statistics.” Heeding Gods Call. October 2009. Web. 29
November 2015.
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