In recent weeks, there have been a number of events that have led to a discussion in this country about gun control. This new wave of discussion started a little before Christmas when a gunman opened fire on faculty and students as young as six at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut. The shooter, Adam Lanza, killed twenty-seven people, including himself and his mother.
After the horrific events, facts about Lanza started surfacing. He was a twenty year old man with a comfortable background and a clean criminal record. Lanza, however, was thought by family to have a personality disorder, and could possibly have been autistic. His mother, Nancy, despite suspicions of her son's possible mental instability, insisted on keeping guns and ammunition unlocked in her home. There are even reports that when questioned before the shooting, she said she kept the guns to prove that a child like him could be around guns without a problem. While we may never know why Sandy Hook happened, and we will surely never know what was going on in Adam Lanza's head that morning, one thing we do know is that there is a strong possibility the lives lost that day could have been prevented.
Since that dreary morning less than two weeks before Christmas, one major hot button issue has been that of gun control. There are people on both sides of the argument speaking out for their cause. There has been a media battle between President Obama and the National Rifle Association (NRA). There have even been actions taken by President Obama in the form of executive orders to strengthen gun control laws. While I agree that tougher gun laws are necessary, I honestly feel like the President, and anybody who supports his stance on gun control, is fighting a losing battle. You see, guns are a major part of our culture; they have been naturally ingrained in our society since day one.
After the horrific events, facts about Lanza started surfacing. He was a twenty year old man with a comfortable background and a clean criminal record. Lanza, however, was thought by family to have a personality disorder, and could possibly have been autistic. His mother, Nancy, despite suspicions of her son's possible mental instability, insisted on keeping guns and ammunition unlocked in her home. There are even reports that when questioned before the shooting, she said she kept the guns to prove that a child like him could be around guns without a problem. While we may never know why Sandy Hook happened, and we will surely never know what was going on in Adam Lanza's head that morning, one thing we do know is that there is a strong possibility the lives lost that day could have been prevented.
Since that dreary morning less than two weeks before Christmas, one major hot button issue has been that of gun control. There are people on both sides of the argument speaking out for their cause. There has been a media battle between President Obama and the National Rifle Association (NRA). There have even been actions taken by President Obama in the form of executive orders to strengthen gun control laws. While I agree that tougher gun laws are necessary, I honestly feel like the President, and anybody who supports his stance on gun control, is fighting a losing battle. You see, guns are a major part of our culture; they have been naturally ingrained in our society since day one.
In America we glorify guns and war. We allow children to play with toy guns. Television and film is littered with gun toting characters on both sides of the law. From such a young age, we become familiar with guns, but very few of us are really aware of the dangers they present. When people talk about guns, it never seems to be a matter of right or wrong, and I feel that it is because we always have been taught that guns are not bad. I am a firm believer of the old saying "Guns don't kill people, people kill people." I just feel that guns make it easier. Granted, people were killing each other long before guns were around, but never at such a high rate. I personally do not think that changing gun laws in this country will have much of an effect right away, unless we can change the culture of how we view guns in this country.
Whenever gun control comes up, people immediately turn to the 2nd Amendment of the US Constitution. Well, right now I will show you the 2nd amendment and I will analyze it for you as I see it. In the US Constitution, the 2nd 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."
This means that in order for us to be free, we must be able to bear arms and form and organize our own groups to defend against the government in the case they overstep their authority. In this article I will explain why the 2nd Amendment, and any interpretation of it, is almost obsolete in today's society. Even if it is not obsolete, it is full of "malarkey," to quote Vice President Biden.
Whenever gun control comes up, people immediately turn to the 2nd Amendment of the US Constitution. Well, right now I will show you the 2nd amendment and I will analyze it for you as I see it. In the US Constitution, the 2nd 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."
This means that in order for us to be free, we must be able to bear arms and form and organize our own groups to defend against the government in the case they overstep their authority. In this article I will explain why the 2nd Amendment, and any interpretation of it, is almost obsolete in today's society. Even if it is not obsolete, it is full of "malarkey," to quote Vice President Biden.
Now, let us start with the part about the well regulated militia for use against government. This is no longer feasible because the government has tanks, planes, nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons. Regardless of how many guns and how many bullets you have, the government always has the upper hand. Now, if the 2nd Amendment included missiles and nuclear warheads, then I'd see what people are saying. But from where we stand now, guns will not protect us.
While we are on this topic, people call me blind because I do not truly believe that our government is out to get us. There are some shady individuals within our government, and there are certainly other things going on that prove they are trying to keep us down, but I do not believe that they are trying to take over the world. I guess what I am trying to say is, well, Jon Stewart already said it perfectly when he talked about failing to fix our current dystopian society because we are afraid it could create another dystopian society. I say let us deal with the problem at hand first and worry about the future later.
Another problem with gun reform is people that say they have the right to own weapons for hunting. With all the uproar about the government trying to overturn the 2nd Amendment, don't you think that at least one person who believes the Constitution is the only defining law of this country would point out that the 2nd Amendment, or any possible interpretation of it, says nothing about hunting. So if people want to be angry at others for trying to overstep the constitution, a lot of those people need to start by looking in the mirror and realizing that the constitution says nothing about being able to hunt.
Here is where I start to anger people. Let us take a look at the constitution. It is a list of rights we as Americans have, as granted by God. That's right, the Constitution states that these laws are not to be dictated by the government but are God given and inalienable. Ok, so let me get this straight. The first and most important right God saw fit to give us is the right to free speech. That's excellent. But now, am I supposed to believe that God thought the second most important right was of that to carry guns? Does this seem far-fetched to anybody else, or am I the crazy one here? These rights are not God given; they are dictated by the government. So right there, people who argue about the 2nd Amendment being granted by God can watch their argument fly right out the window.
While we are on this topic, people call me blind because I do not truly believe that our government is out to get us. There are some shady individuals within our government, and there are certainly other things going on that prove they are trying to keep us down, but I do not believe that they are trying to take over the world. I guess what I am trying to say is, well, Jon Stewart already said it perfectly when he talked about failing to fix our current dystopian society because we are afraid it could create another dystopian society. I say let us deal with the problem at hand first and worry about the future later.
Another problem with gun reform is people that say they have the right to own weapons for hunting. With all the uproar about the government trying to overturn the 2nd Amendment, don't you think that at least one person who believes the Constitution is the only defining law of this country would point out that the 2nd Amendment, or any possible interpretation of it, says nothing about hunting. So if people want to be angry at others for trying to overstep the constitution, a lot of those people need to start by looking in the mirror and realizing that the constitution says nothing about being able to hunt.
Here is where I start to anger people. Let us take a look at the constitution. It is a list of rights we as Americans have, as granted by God. That's right, the Constitution states that these laws are not to be dictated by the government but are God given and inalienable. Ok, so let me get this straight. The first and most important right God saw fit to give us is the right to free speech. That's excellent. But now, am I supposed to believe that God thought the second most important right was of that to carry guns? Does this seem far-fetched to anybody else, or am I the crazy one here? These rights are not God given; they are dictated by the government. So right there, people who argue about the 2nd Amendment being granted by God can watch their argument fly right out the window.
The National Rifle Association (NRA) is the leading gun advocacy group in the United States. They are one of the richest, most powerful lobbies in the country. They have fought for years to scare people out of creating stricter gun laws. They have been a prominent feature in this new argument about gun control and are one of the major contributors to the gun culture we share in this nation. This time around, they have even gone as far as targeting President Obama's daughters in their recent ads. The ads caused so much controversy that even GOP members who are in support of the NRA have started backing away. If we can somehow not fall into the propaganda trap that the NRA is setting, we can at least begin breaking ourselves free from this fascination we as Americans seem to have with guns. There have been other nations who have had the same gun problem we have here in America but have found ways to alleviate, if not completely fix the problem.
The United Kingdom is one example of how the culture can be changed. For more than a decade now, the UK has some of the strictest gun laws in the world. They also have one of the lowest gun murder rates per capita. Granted, the problem was not resolved overnight, it took time, but now the UK is at a point where even the police are unarmed and they still have far, far less police fatalities than we do per capita. It just took some time to turn around the gun culture.
I said earlier that President Obama has passed a few executive orders on gun control. Now we will look at what these new orders are and what they are trying to accomplish. The first thing is stricter background checks. This is to ensure that people with a history of violence or mental instability will be less likely to obtain a firearm. I am all for this. Granted, there is a black market and a real hardened criminal will still have ways of getting a gun, this just vastly decreases those chances. The next order is for smaller magazine cartridges, which I also have trouble disagreeing with. Nobody needs to let off 100 rounds a minute, at least not in self defense. If this law were already in affect, the Sandy Hook Massacre would not have been nearly as bad as it was. The last part of this is the ban on assault weapons. I'm on the fence about this, but at the same time I see why people say that no normal citizen should have an assault weapon. Those kinds of weapons should be used only by the military. A regular handgun is more than enough for self defense and as far as I see it there is no need to carry an assault weapon or keep one in your home if you plan to be a law abiding citizen.
For people complaining that this is stripping them of their 2nd Amendment rights, I hate to burst your bubble, but you can still go purchase a gun unless you have a reason in your past that says you are unfit to carry. These new executive orders are not really that harsh, and I feel they are a necessary step if we are to reverse the gun culture we currently live in. Some people say that this is how it starts. They start with these orders, and the next thing you know, we can't have any guns at all. These are most likely the same people who live in fear that the government is out to destroy this nation and start a hostile takeover. I, fortunately, do not live with these fears and I see these new gun control measures as a step in the right direction.
I have, over the past month or so, heard many convincing arguments about why we need gun control. I have tried to look for convincing arguments on the other side, but so far the only pro-gun arguments I get are "Its our God given right" or "We need to protect ourselves against our own government". Since I have basically dispelled these two notions, if anybody can offer me legitimate reasons why we do not need stricter gun laws I will be glad to listen. In fact, I encourage it because it may enlighten me and show me a side I never thought of.
I honestly believe that gun control can work. Just remember, give it time. Nothing will change overnight, especially when the problem is so ingrained in our society. Just give these new gun control measures a chance before we immediately dismiss them and say they will not change anything. And before we can invoke real change, we must start by changing our culture, our image, our attitude toward guns if we hope to do it successfully. I am not sure how this will all end up, but I am certain of one thing: change for the better starts now!
Article edited by Christine Longden
The United Kingdom is one example of how the culture can be changed. For more than a decade now, the UK has some of the strictest gun laws in the world. They also have one of the lowest gun murder rates per capita. Granted, the problem was not resolved overnight, it took time, but now the UK is at a point where even the police are unarmed and they still have far, far less police fatalities than we do per capita. It just took some time to turn around the gun culture.
I said earlier that President Obama has passed a few executive orders on gun control. Now we will look at what these new orders are and what they are trying to accomplish. The first thing is stricter background checks. This is to ensure that people with a history of violence or mental instability will be less likely to obtain a firearm. I am all for this. Granted, there is a black market and a real hardened criminal will still have ways of getting a gun, this just vastly decreases those chances. The next order is for smaller magazine cartridges, which I also have trouble disagreeing with. Nobody needs to let off 100 rounds a minute, at least not in self defense. If this law were already in affect, the Sandy Hook Massacre would not have been nearly as bad as it was. The last part of this is the ban on assault weapons. I'm on the fence about this, but at the same time I see why people say that no normal citizen should have an assault weapon. Those kinds of weapons should be used only by the military. A regular handgun is more than enough for self defense and as far as I see it there is no need to carry an assault weapon or keep one in your home if you plan to be a law abiding citizen.
For people complaining that this is stripping them of their 2nd Amendment rights, I hate to burst your bubble, but you can still go purchase a gun unless you have a reason in your past that says you are unfit to carry. These new executive orders are not really that harsh, and I feel they are a necessary step if we are to reverse the gun culture we currently live in. Some people say that this is how it starts. They start with these orders, and the next thing you know, we can't have any guns at all. These are most likely the same people who live in fear that the government is out to destroy this nation and start a hostile takeover. I, fortunately, do not live with these fears and I see these new gun control measures as a step in the right direction.
I have, over the past month or so, heard many convincing arguments about why we need gun control. I have tried to look for convincing arguments on the other side, but so far the only pro-gun arguments I get are "Its our God given right" or "We need to protect ourselves against our own government". Since I have basically dispelled these two notions, if anybody can offer me legitimate reasons why we do not need stricter gun laws I will be glad to listen. In fact, I encourage it because it may enlighten me and show me a side I never thought of.
I honestly believe that gun control can work. Just remember, give it time. Nothing will change overnight, especially when the problem is so ingrained in our society. Just give these new gun control measures a chance before we immediately dismiss them and say they will not change anything. And before we can invoke real change, we must start by changing our culture, our image, our attitude toward guns if we hope to do it successfully. I am not sure how this will all end up, but I am certain of one thing: change for the better starts now!
Article edited by Christine Longden
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