Note: I tried to approach this topic in an unbiased way but found that that was impossible. Below is an article that is inadvertently steeped in my own political beliefs, so read with your own discretion.
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.
We have all heard the second amendment a million times over, in different contexts, and for widely differing agendas. The founding fathers hardly knew the impact that those twenty-nine words would have on the future of the American people. Of course, the year was 1791, and the most formidable weapons of the time were far less advanced than their counterparts today. But is the amendment still relevant if guns have evolved to such an extent that modern day prototypes are unrecognizable when compared to the muskets of the 18th century? If firearms have become so much more lethal, should not the second amendment, or legislation at the least, reflect that change?
Is it too much to say that the second amendment is horribly outdated? Or that the people who use the second amendment to further their own agendas are failing to consider the social implications of a society where anyone can buy a gun, no questions asked?
To put this in more perspective, according to a 2007 report by the Switzerland-based Small Arms Survey, America approximately composes of 5 percent of the entire world's population and has 35-50 percent of the world's civil owned guns. The U.S. also has the highest number of firearms per capita. To top it off, out of all the industrialized countries in the world, America has the greatest homicide by firearm rate. Correlation may not prove causation; however, I hold these truths to be self-evident, and to underline a fact that we cannot otherwise ignore: America has a gun problem, and like all other addictions, requires serious detoxing.
Unmistakably, gun-related violence is all too prevalent in our society (though I suppose any gun-violence could be construed as too much). With over 100,000 persons killed in the past ten years, the death toll is daunting and appears to have no end in sight. Since the start of Obama's presidency, there have been a total of at least 14 mass shootings in the states. Six of those 14 happened in the past year. And the rounds just keep coming.
On January 6 Obama spoke extensively about the purpose of his gun control measures, and how he was not, in actuality, trying to take away people's right to purchase a firearm. Recounted in an article by Time Magazine, he was quoted saying, "I mean, think about it...We cherish our right to privacy, but we accept that you have to go through metal detectors before being allowed to board a plane. It’s not because people like doing that, but we understand that that’s part of the price of living in a civilized society." Obama seemed to think that regulation is key to lessening the incidence of gun violence and mass shootings, and who can fault him? Firearms keep winding up in the wrong hands and the results are continually disastrous. It is time to take a stand against gun violence before another person is killed or injured.
When will the American people come to the conclusion that enough is enough, and that gun control--serious legislation intended to crack down on gun ownership in this country--is a necessary measure? A large percentage of the gunmen who were responsible for recent mass shootings obtained a gun legally. Where is the disconnect? We should retain the right to own firearms; there is absolutely no question about that. To make our country safer, however, there should be more of a process before obtaining one (background checks and permits should be necessary in all fifty states, and that should extend to private sales, among other measures). These are common sense laws that, for some strange reason, fail to exist in our "progressive" society.
To add to the general sense of hysteria in this country are the recently passed carry laws. Universities located in Arkansas, Colorado, Idaho, Kansas, Mississippi, Oregon, Utah, Tennessee, Texas and Wisconsin must allow persons to carry concealed weapons on college campuses. Though many private institutions have opted out of this law, public universities do not have the same luxury. This proves to be a significant risk for those who attend a college in those states and who want nothing more than to feel safe in their academic setting.
Gun violence is not going to stop unless the window of opportunity is dismantled. It is time that Americans stopped quoting the second amendment to try to justify our nation's superfluous gun usage. Let us make America safe again. College is already a difficult place to attend--let us not make it any harder with lenient gun laws.
