We get it. By law, you have a right to own and operate a gun in the United States.
But we can't, in good conscience, let Orlando happen again.
The current legal precautions surrounding gun rights are not enough to ensure the safety of the general public. Proponents of the Second Amendment pitch a fit every time a mass shooting leads to the quality of gun control laws in the country into question, claiming liberals want to take their guns away from them, violating their Second Amendment right.
But no one's going to just take them all away. Nor does anyone truly want to.
Don't believe me?
The National Rifle Association (NRA) is currently one of the largest groups of lobbyists in the U.S., donating millions of dollars to countless Congressional campaigns in order to retain it's power and influence over the political process. So far, they've been successful on numerous occasions in preventing mass shootings from affecting the rights of gun owners, and have instead helped increase gun manufacturing during the past few decades. Under the Obama administration, gun production increased 140% throughout his time in office. So no, he's not trying to take your guns. If anything, he's been giving you more.
In fact, similar to Donald Trump's proposed ban on Muslims in the country, the idea that every gun in the country should be confiscated from owners for the protection of the public is simply unrealistic. Considering guns now out number U.S. citizens, collecting every single gun in the United States is virtually impossible.
However, no one can deny that this country has a gun problem we have failed to fix.
In the most recent mass shooting at Pulse Nightclub in Orlando, the killer purchased his weapon of choice just days before the rampage. This pattern has been escalating at a parallel rate to the amount of mass shootings taking place across the country in recent years. The shooters from San Bernardino, Sandy Hook, Charleston, and Aurora all purchased their weapons just days prior to their outbursts as well, none of which should have been permitted access.
Each and every shooter possessed some sort of history of mental illness or instability, making them that much more capable of causing catastrophic damage with a gun in their grasp. The Pulse Nightclub shooter had been investigated and monitored by the FBI twice before being purchasing his firearm just last week, yet somehow acquired a lethal weapon legally not long after. If you see nothing fundamentally wrong with that, you are sorely mistaken.
It shouldn't be this easy for unstable or incapable people to acquire such a dangerous weapon. The country's lackadaisical laws involving gun control have allowed for these atrocities to continue to occur as our legislators refuse to take action on such a timely and important issue. The influence the NRA lobby has on the political process has taken priority over the safety of the public even as the country faces the aftermath of it's deadliest massacre ever recorded.
Does this mean we should penalize responsible gun owners by banning them outright? Absolutely not. But should we turn a blind eye to those who have access to guns who should not? The answer is still a resounding, "no." Victims of gun violence deserve to have their voices heard too.
There's not nearly enough political motivation to abolish such a successful industry from existence either. With such a large political influence coming from their lobbyists in addition to the vast amount of gun-toting, pro-Second Amendment Americans littering the country, it's unlikely we will ever see massive changes to gun laws in this country to the extent many like to portray. There's too much pressure for lawmakers to keep their donors happy, no matter what the consensus of the population may be.
If there is to be gun reform in this country, gun owners need to understand that this is not an attack on their Second Amendment right. No one is telling you you're not allowed to own a gun so long as you can prove your competency surrounding proper safety and operating procedures. This should be of no concern to any responsible gun owner.
So let's just get one thing straight. No one is coming to take your guns away from you simply because they can.