For years now our country has been in a heated debate on the second amendment to the United States Constitution which protects the right of the people to keep and bear arms. Some people feel that it is not safe to let citizens have and carry guns, while others agree it is their right as an American to own a gun. In America, there are approximately 270 million firearms possessed by civilians, and only 897,000 carried by police. Close to 33,000 Americans were victims of gun-related deaths in 2011 and an average of 268 citizens are shot every day. In the past decade our country has witnessed 142 mass school shootings and, in 2010 alone 19,392 people committed suicide with a gun. These frightening statistics are what I believe cause some people
…show more content…
But in fact due to recent development ,mostly coming from the 20th century, America has established laws when it comes to purchasing a gun. Most gun control laws are put into place at the state level instead of at the federal level. The laws also vary from state to state depending on the political party in office. States with Republican leaders tend to limit gun control and states with Democratic leaders tend to increase gun control. The government enforces these laws to make it more difficult in obtaining a gun license as a way to ensure that only responsible citizens are buying guns, legally, and most federal gun laws revolve around keeping guns out of the hands of citizens who should not have them. One element that is mandated by federal law, is a background check. The background checks …show more content…
For example in the past ten years there have been several mass shootings happening in various settings. Furthermore in Aurora, Colorado 2012, James Holmes opened fire on over seventy innocent people who showed up to view a newly released movie in the Century 16 movie theater. Another shooting that occurred on April 16, 2007, was The Virginia Tech shooting. Seung-Hui Cho, a senior at Virginia Tech, shot and killed 32 people and wounded 17 others in two separate attacks, approximately two hours apart, before committing suicide. This attack is the deadliest shooting incident by a single gunman in U.S. history. Lastly, The Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting happened on December 14, 2012, in Newtown, Connecticut. 20-year-old Adam Lanza fatally shot 20 children ages varied between 6 and 7 years of age, as well as six adults. As first responders arrived at the scene, Lanza committed suicide by shooting himself in the head. These mass shootings are just a few that have contributed to the crippling Americans view on guns. However, most people seem to ignore all the facts about these cases. In most shootings the weapons used are not bought legally. The shooters have some form of mental illness. Along with the fact that they target gun free zones, because they know the civilians will not be able to protect
But in fact due to recent development ,mostly coming from the 20th century, America has established laws when it comes to purchasing a gun. Most gun control laws are put into place at the state level instead of at the federal level. The laws also vary from state to state depending on the political party in office. States with Republican leaders tend to limit gun control and states with Democratic leaders tend to increase gun control. The government enforces these laws to make it more difficult in obtaining a gun license as a way to ensure that only responsible citizens are buying guns, legally, and most federal gun laws revolve around keeping guns out of the hands of citizens who should not have them. One element that is mandated by federal law, is a background check. The background checks …show more content…
For example in the past ten years there have been several mass shootings happening in various settings. Furthermore in Aurora, Colorado 2012, James Holmes opened fire on over seventy innocent people who showed up to view a newly released movie in the Century 16 movie theater. Another shooting that occurred on April 16, 2007, was The Virginia Tech shooting. Seung-Hui Cho, a senior at Virginia Tech, shot and killed 32 people and wounded 17 others in two separate attacks, approximately two hours apart, before committing suicide. This attack is the deadliest shooting incident by a single gunman in U.S. history. Lastly, The Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting happened on December 14, 2012, in Newtown, Connecticut. 20-year-old Adam Lanza fatally shot 20 children ages varied between 6 and 7 years of age, as well as six adults. As first responders arrived at the scene, Lanza committed suicide by shooting himself in the head. These mass shootings are just a few that have contributed to the crippling Americans view on guns. However, most people seem to ignore all the facts about these cases. In most shootings the weapons used are not bought legally. The shooters have some form of mental illness. Along with the fact that they target gun free zones, because they know the civilians will not be able to protect