For the last couple of weeks, we have been forced into the debate of gun control in America once again due to two mass shootings occurring within the span of one week. The 27th of November and the 2nd of December Americans were shaken by two more mass shootings, one in a Planned Parenthood clinic in Colorado Springs and the other at a holiday party in San Bernardino, California, respectively. After being bombarded with such tragic news throughout all media sources, one has to think, "why does the United States have such a unique gun culture?" or "could anything have been done to prevent this tragedy from happening?" There have been more mass shooting this year than there have been DAYS this year; yes, there have been 353 mass shootings in the United States in the 340 days that have passed by this year. President Obama has had to respond to more than 10 mass shootings throughout his seven years in office.
Pro-gun advocates receive their main argument from the Second Amendment to the Constitution of the United States, located in the Bill of Rights. I have no quarrel with the Second Amendment and would not think myself as "anti-second amendment"; however, the Second Amendment was implemented into the Bill of Rights as a measure for the people of the United States to form a "well-regulated militia" with the "right to bear arms" because it is "necessary to the security of a free State". This amendment, along with the other nine original amendments, were implemented after a revolutionary war was fought in order to seek independence from a tyrannical government. I am in no way a voice to what the Framers of the Constitution had in mind for this amendment, but I would imagine that it was put in place in order to give citizens the right to unite and fight against a tyrannical government, in case the new government they wanted to form began to infringe the rights of the people. Nevertheless, this amendment has been used to create a large "gun-culture" throughout the United States.
Some might argue that I base my argument on hating people who like guns, but I don't. I just don't like guns to the extent that I would prefer living in a society that has more mass killings per capita than any other developed state in the world just to keep the guns that one enjoys having. If I ever have the urge to go use a firearm, I would go to a shooting range and use one, join a hunting organization, train myself in sporting events that use firearms, but I would not buy one and keep it in my home because I know the risks of having a firearm and not having training in the use of it.
That being said, it is most definitely not the people that are trained in the use of firearms that I fear within this gun-culture; it is the people that shouldn't be allowed to have guns, yet have the access to buy a gun, that I fear. There should be reforms or restrictions put in place in how one can purchase a firearm such as, more background checks, banning assault rifles or semi-automatic weapons, and/or have a database that tracks gun sales. Other countries with higher gun control laws have much less, almost non-existent, gun crimes occur within its borders. I believe it is long-overdue to join our allies in gun control policies in a way that our second amendment rights are not infringed upon. These mass shootings occur way too often in the United States and it is time that we do something about it.
After reading my thoughts and views on this issue, I wish to leave you with a few links to legitimate news and media sources that contain facts about guns and gun control in the United States in order for you to form your own opinion on the issue; you can find them below.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2015/1...
