Bryce Quigley
Writ 1122
March 3, 2013
What
To Do With Guns
The second
amendment, adopted by the United States on December 15, 1791 in order to give
the citizens of America the right to bear arms. Now over two hundred years
later this amendment has come under a lot of scrutiny. People are questioning
if it is a good law and whether it needs to be changed immediately. The idea to
change the second amendment is very controversial and over the past few months
has been a major topic in the political scene.
December
14, 2012, twenty-six children as well as adults are gunned down at Sandy Hook
elementary school in Newton Connecticut. The shooter was identified as Adam
Lanza a 24-year-old man whose mom worked at the school. It was reported that
Lanza had three guns as he entered the school. This shooting event can be
identified as the day that started the recent gun control outburst (http://www.newstimes.com/policereports/article/911-Sandy-Hook-call-shows-early-confusion-4127274.php
). Some say gun control issues goes back to a shooting in Colorado when a man
killed twelve and injured 58 others using high-powered weaponry. Nonetheless
these recent shooting have caused a long chain of events to spur. Just four
days after the Sandy Hook massacre, Fox news showed gun prices and ammunition
prices rising significantly. People immediately started buying guns, all
because they were worried that soon they would not be able to under the
protection of the second amendment. People are clearly scared tht something
like this may happen again. When is does happen more people want to be prepared
in order to stop something terrible. (http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2012/12/18/gun-sales-surge-after-connecticut-massacre/
)
December
20, 2012, a report is released by PewResearch stating the new change in opinion
on gun control. It stated that as of December 19 about 49% of the us population
believe that controlling gun ownership is a must while only 42% believed that
gun rights should be protected, 9% were not opinionated. These beliefs are
almost equally divided and because of that this topic becomes extremely
controversial. In order to repeal a constitutional amendment there needs to be
two thirds support in both the house of representative and the Senate. With the
current split in beliefs this would be impossible. Furthermore 42% believe
strongly in gun control while 37% believe strongly in keeping the right of the
second amendment. With two sides so separated as well as holding strong beliefs
it can be immediately seen that this is going to cause issues in the government
(http://www.people-press.org/2012/12/20/after-newtown-modest-change-in-opinion-about-gun-control/
).
December
21, 2012, the National Rifle Association makes a statement regarding their own
beliefs of on gun control. In the statement a NRA representative is quoted
saying “The only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun is a good
guy with a gun,’’. The NRA thoroughly believes that the only way to stop these massacres,
such as the Sandy Hook Elementary shooting, is some other officer or good
citizen with a gun. If there are more armed citizens with good intentions, they
will be able to stop the people who are looking to kill. The National
Rifle Association has gone under scrutiny during the new conference there
were “two interruptions by gun-control proponents unfurling signs and shouting
“NRA, stop killing our children’’ and “NRA has blood on its hands.’’ People are
very upset with the current control laws and they are making it clear by
speaking outwardly about it. There are very strong opposing viewpoints and it
was made clear during this news conference.
January
15, 2013, President Obama makes his first official address regarding the laws
on gun control and the possible future. The address proposes an assault weapon
ban as well as background checks for gun buyers. "There are
specific legislative actions that he will continue to call on Congress to take,
including the assault weapons ban, including a measure to ban high-capacity
magazine clips, including an effort to close the very big loopholes in the
background check system in our country,”. This comes exactly one month
after the Newtown elementary school shooting. This proposal was Barack’s first
official announcement on gun policies since coming into office just over 4
years ago. This announcement was very important because it shows that the
president is recognizing that there is an issue with current gun control. This
policy would not fully remove the second amendment but it would serve as a
system of regulation. According to the Obama administration large clips and
assault weapons are not necessary for normal citizens to own or use. The second
amendment, a 200 year law, is getting redefined and is in jeopardy of being
changed. President Obama, being a democrat has very liberal views on policies
like this. Republicans and Democrats are the most separated in history right
now and this new controversy is adding to that separation. (http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/01/15/us-usa-guns-violence-idUSBRE90E0UF20130115
)
January
16, 2013, the National Rifle Association responds directly to Obama’s proposal
on regulating weapons. A NRA representative was quoted saying "Barack
Obama, Joe Biden and their gun ban allies in Congress only want to BLAME you,
VILIFY you, BULLY you, and STRIP you of your Second Amendment freedoms,".
The battle between the two sides gets heated. It is no longer stating beliefs,
but this is rather a direct attack from the NRA on Obama. They both want to
protect citizens as best as possible but they have completely different ideas
on how to execute that. The National Rifle Association also released a
commercial calling Obama an “elitist hypocrite” because his children have their
own bodyguards while normal children have to go to school unprotected. The NRA
was clearly upset with the proposal Obama gave and they were not going to let
it go without a response. (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/16/nra-obama-gun-control_n_2489693.html
)
Febuary 12, 2013, Obama gives the
State of The Union address to the country. This is where he updates the country
on current policies and tell the citizens what the government is doing. During
the address Obama faces the issue on gun control. He made an emotional speech
saying, "Each of these proposals deserves a vote in Congress," he
said. "If you want to vote no, that’s your choice. But these proposals
deserve a vote. Because in the two months since Newtown, more than a thousand
birthdays, graduations and anniversaries have been stolen from our lives by a
bullet from a gun." This proposal allows for a democratic vote in the
house and senate. Obama want to make a fair decision in the policy regarding
gun control. During the speech Obama also makes it clear his stance on the
issue. He tells a story about a little girl that went "One of those we
lost was a young girl named Hadiya Pendleton. She was 15 years old. She loved
Fig Newtons and lip gloss. She was a majorette. She was so good to her friends,
they all thought they were her best friend. Just three weeks ago, she was here,
in Washington, with her classmates, performing for her country at my
inauguration. And a week later, she was shot and killed in a Chicago park after
school, just a mile away from my house,". The sentimental story gives a
perspective on what gun control could actually solved if it were enacted. Obama
even describes the girl so that the average parent or sibling could personally
relate and feel an emotional connection to her death. (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/02/12/obama-state-of-the-union_n_2647639.html
)
March 2, 2013 and article is
released by Fox news regarding gun control specifically in the state of
Colorado. The gun control policy is not just controversial on the national
level but it is also up for debate on the state level as well. As noted before
Colorado had a mass shooting in a movie theatre and since then the state has
been revaluating their policy. The bill calls for making “it a crime to have magazines that can carry
more than 15 rounds, with a stricter limit of eight for shotguns. People who
own larger magazines now would be allowed to keep them.” Although this proposal
is not extreme, it does call for change, which many people are opposed to. Gun
control may have an economic effect as well; there is one gun company that is
threatening to leave Colorado if the bill passes. (http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2013/03/02/company-will-move-if-colorado-approves-gun-control/
)
So far there is no definite policy
regarding gun control. As of now the second amendment is safe and anyone
eighteen or older is free to buy all the guns they would like. The conflicting
sides have created a heated battle that may not be solved anytime soon.
However, the policy is going to be voted on soon and those once legal guns may
not be legal anymore. The policy that the government makes a decision one is
going to have a lot of repercussions. It is unclear what direction the country
is moving in at the moment. One thing that is clear is the country is separated
when it comes to guns and even when a decision is made there are going to be some
unhappy people one way or another.
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