If there is one subject that is highly debated in politics and in general, it is gun control. There are different standpoints on the issue: people should be allowed to carry guns. After all, the Second Amendment states that citizens have the right to “keep and bear arms.” Some believe that guns are too dangerous to casually have holstered on your belt or in your purse. And others might be in the middle about this issue.
Recently in Florida, a pro-gun activist mother, Jamie Gilt, was shot in the back by her four year old son. How did this happen? The gun, a .45 caliber, was carelessly lying on the floor of Gilt’s truck. This is only one small, low key instance and example that shows that American needs better gun control laws. How could a responsible parent let a loaded gun be in arms reach of their child? In worse case scenarios, her son could have accidently shot himself or killed himself or his mother.
Gilt, fortunately, is now in stable condition. Gilt is lucky to be alive despite being impacted. But on the other hand, there have been too many tragic massacres and events in our country. These massacres that have resulted in people losing family members and loved ones. Innocent people being shot and injured for no reason. Police brutality is a whole other issue.
What’s even worse is how many of these horrific events have happened in such little time: updated in December 2015, The Guardian posted a list of mass shootings in the last three years. The statistics are scary: in the past three years, there have been 1,052 mass shootings in America. Of these 1,052 shootings, there have been 1,347 victims and 3,817 people injured.
These numbers are extremely alarming and worrisome. We as a country are letting guns fall into the wrong hands. As a whole country, America does not have strong federal laws; most gun laws are left to each individual state to decide. (To check what your state allows, click here). This can cause problems all over—what if someone moves to a state with drastically different laws? What if they commit an offense with a gun out-of-state from where they reside?
Gun control is a major issue that American needs to focus on more. We need better gun control to protect the innocent. We need better gun control to ensure that guns are being properly used. American needs better gun control so incidents like Gilt’s doesn’t happen.
Should guns be totally banned? Not quite, and not totally. But there should be better laws and background checks before someone is allowed to own a gun. If our country were to instill better laws and background checks, maybe those horrific numbers could decrease.
