Because of the recent tragic events in Florida and other locations as well and all of the subsequent discussion these killings have sparked and continue to unfold, the topic is gun control. Remember to adhere to the pragmatic format that we have been using since the 3rd week (5 essay format) and make sure that you have at least 4-6 strategies.
Your Answer:
In the constitution of United States of America, the Bill of Rights had been legislated for the people to have their own rights. It was passed to protect the their basic and fundamental rights for instance, freedom of speech and expression or no unreasonable search of one’s property etc. The second amendment in the rights is that a citizen is permitted to bear guns and firearms to protect himself or herself. There is a heated debate going on about this topic for quite some time now and it has been debated heavily after the recent shooting at the Stoneman Douglas High School, which is in Parkland, Florida. 17 people were killed by the former student, Nikolas Cruz. There are many other incidents of people bearing firearms and killing people in public places such as shopping malls or schools.
There are two sides of every coin and in this debate there are people who advocates firearm regulation who give the argument that by allowing every citizen to bear guns, it implies the government cannot protect its citizen, and if they are unable to do that then they cannot be trusted with anyone and instead of giving weapons to citizens. Their argument is that the government should concentrate on solidifying the workplace security such as in shopping malls, public conventions etc. The gun rights activists’ stance is that citizens should be prepared for every kind of scenario because, in the end, the life of American citizen is of utmost importance and they should have some kind of weapon to protect from the burglars or street thieves. People, who opposes this notion claim that it creates a more aggressive environment all around. Strict control on guns would result in a much more safer community.
The supporters of firearms regulations argues that there is not a need for a student or any teacher to bear a weapon rather increase the police force and guards that are present for public protection. They purport that it will reduce violence, but it is not the case. A study was conducted that from 1980 to 2009, there has not been a significant reduction in crimes by banning weapons. The gun rights activists argue that the criminals will have no problem obtaining weapons illegally and the victim will not be able to defend himself/herself.
Both of the sides have their pros and cons. The arguments of the side who opposes the second amendment is more logical especially after witnessing some of the horrific incidents that occurred recently. But there are people who think that by banning weapons, there will be more violence than there are right now. At this juncture, there is a middle path to implement and that is coming up with strategies to curb the gun violence instead of this never ending debate of whether weapons should be banned or not, what are the pros and cons of this etc.
In order to reduce the gun violence, one strategy is to make people bear tools that cannot cause a mass shooting in public places for instance, if the people who advocate it is necessary to carry weapons for protection, then people should be allowed to carry weapons that are safer in public, unlike a machine gun.
The weapons bear own should be licensed, with every two or three years renewing of the permits. There must be a background check of police indictments on every weapon owner. This should be done on a state level. In this way, people would be more reasonable before going on a killing spree.
The influx of weapons into each state should be checked and controlled. There should be a limit of firm arms in every state and each weapon should be registered to an adult.
The mental condition of a person is very important to check. A full background check on people’s mental conditions and their environments. People should not be allowed to own weapons, who have a tendency to be aggressive and violent. Some times the environment plays an important role in a person’s way of behaving. People having a background of drugs violation or petty crimes, should not be allowed to own firearms.
A training or a test to use a gun must be conducted to see if the person who wants to own a gun is sensible enough to handle a weapon. Many a times, people especially teenagers, get a hold of a gun and do not know the protocols or the methods to use and handle it.
There should be an age limit to bear a weapon. The recent shootings have suggested that the former students of schools have gone to school and committed atrocities. The strict age limit should be implemented with rigorous training and questioning of the people trying to own the weapons.
The states should ban the semi-automatic and several other military weapons. The prohibition of these weapon’s import would make people buy less weapons. The government should initiate a program that allows people to give up their firearms for a considerable amount of money. Australian government initiated this program and surprisingly many people gave up their weapons for money and it reduced the gun violence.
Other than banning particular weapons and stringent control on guns, there are other factors that need to be taken into consideration. For instance, strict regulations on alcohol consumption. People are tend to be more belligerent after drinking and are likely to cause violence than they are when they are normal.
There are other strategies that can be employed for instance, the increased police force and security in places where drug activities are on the rise or the age limit for dropping out of school should be increased. Students drop out of schools and get involved in crimes.
By implementing the above suggested strategies, it would help reduce the violence and the shootings that have plagued the entire nation
