Whenever I blog about an issue that relates to a previous post, I always post the link so you can read my thoughts and your fellow students’ comments. It was with a heavy heart today that I realized just how many times I have posted about senseless gun violence on this blog: Fort Hood, Virginia Tech, Aurora Colorado, Tucson Arizona, and of course, Newtown Connecticut. If you’re interested in reading any of these posts, you can use the search word “shooting” in the search bar located at the top of the page.
Each time we have a mass shooting such as this (and there have just been far too many in my opinion), our nation’s political dialogue becomes more focused on our country’s gun laws. Some have felt that we need stricter gun laws to prevent tragedies such as this from happening. According to Senator Dianne Feinstein, “weapons of war don’t belong on our streets”. Colorado Governor, John Hickenlooper, expressed skepticism that tougher gun laws would’ve prevented the Aurora, Colorado tragedy stating, “If there were no assault weapons available – this guy’s going to find something right?” Senator Ron Johnson agrees, “I don’t think society can keep sick, demented, individuals from obtaining any type of weapon to kill people. Somebody who purposely wants to harm another individual is going to find a method to do so”.
I’ll be frank – I’m torn on this issue. I don’t come from a family that owns guns. I don’t think I would want one in my home. That being said, I strongly support the U.S. Constitution and the people’s right to bear arms. I just think there should be better background checks, waiting periods, etc. I think the real problem here is a lack of mental healthcare in this country – which might be a whole other blog. I know I don’t have all the answers, but it’s clear to me that something must be done to stop, (or at least try and stop) this senseless violence.
P.S. The State of the Union is on Tuesday evening! It's a time for the President to update Congress, the Courts and the American people on well, the state of our union! Try to catch it if you can!
i feel that country's gun laws are fine the way they are its just that people abuse the rights that they have and ultimately the government should just round up every gun in America confiscate them if u will or make bullets like $5000 a pop that way either no ones getting killed by a gun or someone had to really make someone mad for them to spend so much money for them to bust a cap in their you know what
ReplyDeleteI think that guns should be banned from the United States. Don't get me wrong; guns should be banned from all over but especially that we have had so many. mass shootings in the past several years. I somewhat agree with the post above me. Bullets should be so expensive that they won't buy any. However, it wouldn't stop them from going anywhere foreign that practice gun laws. I STILL CAN'T BELIEVE HOW PEOPLE CAN KILL SOMEONE WITHOUT A CARE IN THE WORLD! I Love crime shows like The First 48 and Snapped but I'd never kill someone...unless it's self-defense.
ReplyDeleteI agree that the random public shootings in schools and shopping malls is getting out of hand but we should NOT banned guns from America because its way too late for that and its the 2nd amendment that you have the right to bear arms. Too many Americans are gun owners so if we tried to take them away a big chunk of the American people would refuse and or hide their firearms. Then there would be a black market for guns and yeah it would just get way out of hand and cause a lot more violence. I think to own a gun in this country you should complete a full background check and get tested to determine if that person is mentally stable.
ReplyDeleteEvents like these are always a tragedy, and would never happen if guns didn't exist. However people bent on harming others will always find a way to do so. When people are set to murder others they will not be stopped because a law says they can't have guns, since they have not considered the law of murder either. The gun laws in place only prevent people who respect the law from having them. If more people in that class room had been armed a tragedy like this might have been stopped sooner, or maybe the assailant would have thought twice before attacking. I'm not saying do away with gun laws and arm every man woman and child to the teeth, that's just excessive. However if honest citizens are armed I believe it could have a positive effect. With only a select few armed the one with the gun holds the power, with the majority armed the majority holds the power. While I believe gun laws are necessary I do believe they are to strict and making them harsher will not prevent acts of violence. Owning a gun should not label someone as a radical, if more men and women were properly educated in the responsibility of owning a gun it would have much less of a negative stigma. In short if four people have guns and one decides to commit an act of violence there are three people there to deter, and stop him if necessary. However, if no one has a gun and one man decides to commit an act of violence, he could get one and who would stop him then
ReplyDeleteI would say to make strict gun backgrounds. For us, we do have a right to bare arms, but another thing I want is to ban some guns all around U.S.. I seen a preview of the new 20/20 episode special called "Young guns." It's very much investigate and experiment of how kids can find gun and would accidently shoot someone or hurt themselves. I will watch that special by how it's interesting, but scary for little ones around 2 or 4. A stricter Gun Backgrounds would be fine with me, and something safe to prevent and gun violence.
ReplyDeleteAmerican constitutional gun laws seem like a great safety net for people who believe that defense is properly applied when the person can protect themselves from being a victim; but that is the only instance I deem it appropriate to reason gun ownership. Gun laws were first administered to citizens to frighten enemies to come to terms when in harm’s way. Now the aspect of gun ownership is belligerent and gun owners are attacking firstly to get what they want by threat. A perfect example is the sport of hunting. Not only does it seem unjust to hunt and pry the life of a living creature in its natural habitat, the sport is as senseless as it is heartless. Deprived animal life is shown by a mantle off the wall where part of a stuffed carcass stands. I think the countries gun laws should now be regulated towards tracking the activity of weaponry and ensuring the owners of these guns know where they are and keep them away from those whom shouldn’t have that possession. A lot of times when gun owner’s gun is traced in a crime, they are benevolent to how their device got into someone’s murder when they have not been able to track their gun from the day someone intruded their home and raided their belongings. Allowing citizens the right to carry weaponry like an army soldier is privileged to do, is to uphold rights of personal protection. To keep innocent people from becoming victims rather than defenseless. Gun laws have become means to allow violent acts on not only the human race, but other species that live amongst us whom humans want to conquer. In my opinion, the only time gun laws are honorable is in the hands of our valor soldier to equal the defenses of their enemy. Having guns in the house is a good scare tactic toward intruders, but even scarier if unknowing minds catch a hold and are not aware of the potential hazards they hold.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your opinion that health care should be more opportune to individuals no matter their scenario. Everyone has breaking points and without coaching or any closure the more likely retaliation is able to occur and lives can suffer. Medical interventions can save two sided lives and sanity.
-Tionne H.
Events that happen that involves violence such as shooting is always a tragic, but what that being said i think the government is getting out of hand with the guns laws. I have to opinions about the laws, one i think the government should of been more strict with these guns laws. Second since the guns laws have been made i think gun crime or violence has increase because of the guns laws. Over the past years many schools has had gun violence and many public places you would think you would be safe in such as a movie theater. Also i think people take this guns law as a joke, people who own guns think they can go anywhere and shoot, and that all because how easy someone can go buy and own a gun to have in their own home. Also i think the government should banned the gun law soon because i think its getting out of hand now, its seems to became a trend now.
ReplyDeletei personally think that guns are useful and yes people need better back ground checks. But also most people aren't born killers they are made through years of torment or feeling antiquate i think people blame guns in place for our own doings.
ReplyDeleteHonestly I don't think guns are necessarily the problem. Someone with the intent to kill can do it with their bare hands. some people are just literally crazy so the question is how do you stop someone from being crazy....there is no answer in my opinion just like Charlie says in his blog its built through torment and its a personal issue so I don't think we should blame the tool that was used because a tool is just a tool, someone has to operate it.
ReplyDeleteI mean me personally i feel like they should crack down a little bit more on the gun law but that's just one side of me, but the other side of me feels like bye because hem taking that law away and trying to say that we us as people don't need to buy guns, to me is crazy because in this world now and days i think that it should be a OK thing to own guns for protection purposes. they shouldn't mess it up for people that really need it to protect them selves and there familys
ReplyDeleteI come from a family that has guns locked up in the back closet as well as small hand guns in the bed side tables. My mom and dad have them there for protection and protection only. If someone were to come into our house at any time of day or night and threaten them, myself or anyone else who might be in our home, then they would responsibly act accordingly. All the guns that are locked up are my dad's hunting rifles ect. I myself have a permit to carry a weapon. I do whole heartedly support the right to bear arms. I wouldn't want myself or someone I love to be in danger with no way of protecting themselves. However. I do agree that if someone really wanted to hurt another person, they would find a way to do so with or without a gun. I feel like it would be smart to have mandatory gun safety classes in all public and private schools to teach our young how to properly protect themselves. I can't say that there would be anything that would 100% take care of deaths from guns that were not for defense. Needless to say I am pretty blank on this issue.
ReplyDeleteI read this post at the beginning of the week and have been trying to formulate a response ever since.
ReplyDeleteI have no idea; I'm torn on the issue as well. I come from a family of hunters where the ladies hang out around the food and the guys go hang out in the gun room. (I know, it's very 1950's. I blame my grandparents.) While the males in my family surely had a lecture about gun safety, no one ever talked to me about guns while I was growing up. Only recently, when my dad told me he wanted to get a handgun for me, did we have "the talk" about guns and safety and I'm 26 years old. 26 is a little old to finally be having that talk with my parents.
Everything I'm about to suggest may already be in place, I'm not sure. I've never tried to buy a gun. I think legally, better background checks should be mandatory. No one should be able to walk in a store and buy a gun immediately or within a couple days. Even people who have been cleared for guns in the past should have to go through the same background/mental health check process as everyone else.
Gun laws aside, there has to be great mental health checks put into place. Not only for gun sales, but just in general. Yes, I think everyone in this country should have to go through mandatory and frequent mental health screenings. This country is falling apart and any of us can be sane one month and half crazy with despair the next. I know. The lives of sane people fall apart every day.
A good friend of my boyfriend's was murdered last night. Another random, senseless act. He and I have been discussing gun laws for a while today and we both just shake our heads. There have been a lot of home invasions and shootings around us lately and we've talked about having a gun in our home for protection. He's all for the backup protection but it makes me nervous having a gun in the house. I know if someone came into our home and tried to assault us, I'd have no problem shooting them in defense. I would try to aim for something like their knees, but that's easy to say when I'm safe behind my computer.
Having said that, I really just wish this world wasn't to a point where people feel they should get a gun solely for protection. Gun Issues are issues where we will forever try to band-aid the problem, not solve it at it's roots.
Maybe stricter rules will go into place and it will get worse before it gets better. Maybe everyone will one day be armed and then it'll be like we're back in the Old West. I genuinely don't see a way to fix this issue. I honestly think that no matter what the gun laws are, guns will still be on the streets. Look at how many illegal things are on the streets now, do we really think that better gun laws will prevent guns from getting into the wrong hands? Even if we removed every gun from the world, bad people would still find a way to hurt others. It will never go away.
I come from a family that carries gun in the household. I feel like most of the school shootings and such that occur are due too, as you said a lack of security and mental health within the country. Most of the school shooting that I have heard about are at colleges and high schools and usually involve and individual that has had no history of being a trouble maker or bad student within the schoool. However, for some reason something or someone pushes them over the edge and murder seem to be the only reasonable answer. I think security is the issue here. There is a lack of security and schools and collegial institutions which means that one can easily sneak any kind of weapon in. So I think there should be tighter security but I still have no reason how to go about that in terms of costs and whether it would be effective or not. But I think one is less likely to walk into school with a knife and kill someone where they have to get up close and personal and pretty much have to reveal themselves to their victim before hand, than for someone to take a gun, fire, and simply walk away.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Charlie. A more strict background check might help with the control. I dont think that will fix the senseless violence. Even if people cant purchase guns legally. They will still find a way to get there hands on them. I dont really know what can be done to stop gun violence. Only way to really stop it is to maybe stop people from having guns all together.
ReplyDeleteEveryone says there needs to be stricter gun control; but what about those who don't own guns legally or the gunman who took his mother's guns to the elementary school. Passing stricter gun control laws will not make us all safer. People kill people...and mental health is only part of the reason. We are living in an era of entitlement...more and more people feel that they are entitled to do what they want and there be no consequences. As far as criminals go the reality is that criminals don’t want to get shot; but when you pass strict gun control laws, you take the fear of getting shot away and criminals tend to flourish.
ReplyDeleteThe places with the highest crime rates are the major cities where strict gun control laws have been passed. In some of those cities the police are so overwhelmed that they have announced that they simply won’t even bother responding to certain kinds of crime anymore. I’m not saying there should be fewer restrictions but don’t make it so strict that the only people that have guns are the police officers and the criminals…
I believe that we as citizens have a right to protect ourselves and care a gun.. But at the same time, I believe that the government should make it harder to purchase a firearm and that any person who cares must take a extensive class on gun safety
ReplyDeletePersonally I believe in the constitution and that people have the right to bear arms. I believe that people who want to use violence and get rid of someone, will figure out how to do it with or without a gun.
ReplyDeleteTherefore I honestly don't know how the government should get involved.
But I do believe that our culture is numbed to the gravity of what violence is, we grieve after it happens but we enjoy it as entertainment in video games, movies, music.
If we want to do something about it that's where we should start.
I think our country's gun laws are fine. The only thing I would maybe change is a better background check. But if somebody wants a gun they are going to find a way to get a gun. Its the same with drugs. I think people have a right to own a gun, but I don't feel that it is necessary for you to need 20 guns or any of them that are extreme. Just my opinion
ReplyDeleteI believe that people should have the right to protect themselves and their families. I think that when a shooting occurs everyone immediately jumps on the gun control band wagon, but it's more complicated than that. A majority of people who legally own guns are very responsible individuals. Personally I believe that by making gun laws stricter it just means that more citizens will be unable to obtain guns for protection and criminals will still have them.
ReplyDelete-Morgan
How do i feel about Américas gun laws? I feel people should have the right to have a gun if they feel the need to, and making the gun laws more heavy wouldnt change a thing, peoole never do what they are told.
ReplyDelete-jonesha Wright
How do i feel about our gun laws? I feel no one should be able to own a gun or have rights to have a gun unless you where working for government. that would stop the people that want to harm others and make this country safe. I think the government should make it illegal to have a gun and try their best to get guns off the streets.
ReplyDeleteI feel that our gun laws are sound. I feel as if there is nothing the government can do about people with harmful intention twords other humanbeangs. Yes we can do Physic evaluations and we can make gun laws stricter, but if we do that'll push more twords the illegal distribution of firearms. Just like when alcohol was banned.
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