We’re tired of hearing President Obama give another speech about gun violence. We’re tired of seeing innocent faces flashing across our screens and imagining the loss their families and friends are feeling. At least that’s what we say, but here we are with another mass shooting in San Bernardino, California. What is America’s deal with guns?
The second 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." It is one of the few amendments that creates the most controversy: whether the American people have the right to own guns. The National Rifle Association (NRA) founded in 1871, is an organization that ensures that people are educated about firearms with their countless programs for kids and adults, such as the "Eddie Eagle GunSafe Program" that teaches pre-kindergarten to fourth grade children to “Stop, Don’t Touch, Run Away, [and] Tell A Grown-up,” whenever they see a firearm and are unsupervised by an adult, and "Refuse To Be A Victim" that helps adults develop their own personal safety plan “using common sense strategies.” If it isn’t obvious, the NRA is pro-gun and its sole purpose is to ensure that citizens have the right to own a gun while providing the education of how to use a firearm.
Our President, Barack Obama, stated in 2008 that he believes in the Second Amendment, however "weapons that were designed for soldiers in war theaters don't belong on our streets." Seven years later, he still upholds that statement and has been working with Congress to ensure those that mean to terrorize this nation are unable to buy guns. So for all those people who claim he "doesn't believe in the Second Amendment" or "is trying to take away our guns," first, do a little more research and two, do more research. The National Conference of State Legislatures is a website a summary of his gun-control proposals.And what would gun control discussions be without the debate about mental health? Time and time again we have seen mass shooters, those who are caught, being deemed mentally unstable. And while research shows those with mental illnesses are "three or four times more likely to be violent than those who aren't," the "vast majority of people with mental illness are not violent and never will be." Dr. Jeffrey Swanson, a professor in psychiatry and behavioral sciences at the Duke University School of medicine says, "Even if we had a perfect mental health care system, that is not going to solve our gun violence problem... overall violence would go down by only four percent."
The purpose of the Bill of Rights is to protect the rights of citizens the government could try to take away. One could say the second amendment is a precautionary tool if the time ever came for citizens to protect themselves from its government. For now, its protection against criminals foreign and domestic. However, gun violence has blown out of proportion and the debate about stricter laws has been ongoing. According to ProCon.org, proponents say the second amendment was intended for militias and gun violence would be reduced. On the contrary, opponents say the second amendment protects a citizen's right to own guns and that guns are needed for self-defense while also deterring crime rather than causing more of it. Nonetheless, the second amendment is still a very relevant and important amendment and it's here to stay.
In comparison to other countries, the United States has 88.8 firearms per 100 people and 3.21 firearm homicides per 100,000. In Australia, due to the Port Arthur massacre in 1996, the National Agreement on Firearms banned all automatic and semiautomatic assault rifles and required licencees to demonstrate a "genuine need" for a particular type of gun and take a firearm safety course. Since then, mass-shootings have decreased in Australia. In Israel, gun laws are quite strict and yet it still has a relatively low gun-related homicide rate.
It's easy to compare and contrast the gun policies and restrictions between the United States and other countries, we have the facts. The true problem however, is that unlike many countries, we no longer have a ban on semiautomatic assault weapons, military-style .50 caliber rifles, handguns, or large-capacity ammunition magazines anymore, like we did in 1994 and 2004.
So, with military grade guns being so available, the question of mental health comes into play. We're so quick to call these shooters crazy, but why don't we consider that some people just snap? We're all human, we all have the capacity to do terrible things, maybe the real thing that separates the "sane" from the "insane" is choice. And as study shows, choices are made seven seconds before we consciously decide to perform them.
It is America's choice whether or not to reform gun policies and restrictions, it's our choice whether to accept that gun violence is going to be the norm or that it's unacceptable. The saying that "people kill people, not guns" has truth to it, for the simple fact that people made guns in order to kill. So it's our responsibility to understand what it is we really want with guns and what actions need to be taken in order to stop these mass shootings. Maybe the scary truth is that guns are a reflection of the violent nature we have been and always will be capable of. No matter, gun violence is a problem whether it be mental illness or not, it is something and we need to take action.
