“ Gun control in America”
Krissia Cruz
CUNY York
10/22/18
Gun control in America
Gun control has been a controversial issue in the United States for the past decade. This is shown by a large number of homicides and mass shootings in the United States due to the misuse of firearms. It’s clear that when guns and violence come together, a negative outcome occurs. The United States government needs to implement stronger gun control policies/tactics which begin with establishing more thorough background checks on people before they purchase a firearm and the gun must be registered under the Federal Firearms License (FFL). Also, those who are in charge of gun businesses should routinely keep track/ record with local law enforcement officials the number of guns purchased and by whom in order to assure the firearm will be used for a good cause. Lastly, stricter regulations need to be imposed on hunting with a firearm and making sure that firearm is being used for hunting and not other activities.
Additionally, the unnecessary violence associated with firearms due to insufficient background checks has caused many innocent and loved ones to lose their lives. Stronger background checks should include age, checking for past and previous criminal records, Mental illness/record, and social media posts or comments. Our youth are at an adolescence age where they have different mindsets compared to adults, especially when dealing with drama at school such as kids being bullied by their peers. Some children think that revenge is the only way to retaliate towards a bully. The FBI should be able to check the system very carefully and notice any records of criminal convictions, mental illness diagnoses and other signs that would keep guns
Gun control in America
out of uncertain and dangerous people. For example, a poor background check is demonstrated in the Texas church shooting that left 25 dead, including a pregnant woman whose unborn child also died. Devin Kelley the suspected gunman of the Texas shooting was not a first time offender since Kelley previously had a domestic violence charge for assaulting his wife and attacking his 1-year old child. Surprisingly, Kelley was still cleared to purchase his rifle at a San Antonio Sporting goods store. Someone with this type of behavior should not have an access to a firearm without expecting anything dangerous to happen. In Kelley’s case, the Air Force failed to record and put an alert for the FBI that Kelley was being treated for “mental disorders” and that he was “a danger to himself and others.” Over a simple mistake, 26 innocent people died in a church shooting because the FBI and the Air Force could not review Kelley’s personal records.
Furthermore, Social media plays another role in triggering gun violence. People can easily comment and antagonize each other on personal views and pictures along with instant message threats to each other. These types of signals should be flagged and informed directly to the FFL, who should deem the consumer not capable of purchasing a firearm and be banned from doing so. Opposedly, some people feel more secure when they do have a firearm for protection from others who are not stable.
Gun control in America
There are some families that own homes upstate where there is nothing but forests and they are very isolated from others. These families tend to purchase a firearm for safety which is acceptable. I understand why people purchase firearms to feel protected especially in this violent world. Many people decide the best thing do is to purchase a weapon to have at home or to carry around. Business owners of gun stores decide to sell to any person that walks in their store to purchase a firearm, whether or not they have a psychological problem. However, they still need a background investigated performed on them before purchase occurs. In doing so, the government and FBI would be increasing public safety and firearm awareness.
As mentioned, business owners should always notify local enforcement officials consumers purchasing firearms and making sure they are registered under the Federal firearm license. In the short article “The Bullet In My Arm” by Elaina Plott, the author mentions her grandfather being the co-owner of an outdoor gun store. In addition, Plott’s grandfather mentions the “Parkland killer” who used an AR-15 style semi-automatic rifle to shoot his granddaughter. Elaina Plott was shot one day which lead her to question herself if the person that shot her had bought the firearm at her grandfather's store. Civilians should not have to worry about gun violence and firearms being purchased by the wrong people. Plott’s grandfather even asked one of the store managers to call the Bureau of firearms and explosives to find out whether the store could stop selling those types of weapons to people under the age of 21
Gun control in America
There must be a strict age limit on gun purchases and who is being held responsible for the purchase of these firearms. I understand that a business is a business and in order to keep it running there should be people purchasing items. However, this does not give a reason to just sell firearms to anyone and not have a secure background check to whom it is being sold to. In the short article, Elaina mentions how she felt betrayed because of the insufficient background check these gun stores would have. The government should have stricter laws involving the purchase of a firearm and it is registered under a federal firearm license. The business they decide to purchase the weapon from should check very carefully and decide whether or not to sell a weapon to such a person.
Lastly, people who hunt for sport should be screened and specific regulations imposed in order to see if firearms are being used to go hunting, instead of using it as a firearm weapon to harm others. The famous AR-15 rifle that is “most popular rifle in America” according to Cummings and Jensen,2018,p1 that can be used for hunting, sports shooting, and self-defense, has appeared in some of American deadliest high school shootings in modern history. Hunting sometimes isn’t necessarily about killing but rather in certain parts of the world they must hunt in order to survive and defeat their prey. Stores should double check hunting licenses along with stronger regulations on specific areas hunters are allowed to shoot their rifles. Having a passion for hunting
Gun control in America
and killing animals to feel superior should be a sport but in specific zone areas, where it's safe to do.
Oppositely, some people may counter-argue that it’s their god given the right to bear arms as stated in the second amendment. It can be argued that guns don’t kill people but instead people kill each other. However, people still use guns as a popular way to kill which is shown by an article written by BBC news which states that there were near twice as many suicides involving firearms in 2015 as there were murders involving guns. Suicide by firearm accounts for almost half of all suicides in the US, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It’s clear that even though guns are our god given right as citizens, they still cause violence and kill people whether it’s homicide or suicide.
In conclusion, I believe the government should implement stricter policies on those who are purchasing firearms. This can be achieved by performing thorough background research on a person including their mental health and criminal records if present. Gun shop owners should not be selling rifles or any type of firearms to just anyone just because they are profiting the business with their purchase. There should be regulations and proof of valid registration license to own a firearm if the person is stable to own one. Those who hunt for sport should only be allowed to use their firearm in specific hunting grounds to prevent misuse of a firearm. As civilians, we
Gun control in America
shouldn't feel unsafe because firearms that are supposed to be used for hunting are Gun Control in America
being used for mass shootings instead. Business owners along with the government and people should be more cautious about firearm use since they are not toys and should be used for positive causes instead of unnecessary violence.
Reference page
Plott, E. (2018, October 17). The Bullet in My Arm. Retrieved October 12, 2018, from https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2018/10/the-bullet-in-my-arm/568369/
Barrett, D. (2017, November 11). FBI's gun background-check database is missing records of millions of cases. Retrieved October 17, 2018, from http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/ct-fbi-gun-background-check-system-missing-records-20171110-story.html
America's gun culture in 10 charts. (2018, March 21). Retrieved October 17, 2018, from https://www.bbc.com/news/amp/world-us-canada-41488081
Brezenoff, Daniel. “Ten Arguments Against Gun Control – And Facts That Prove Them Wrong.” Medium, Medium, 16 Feb. 2018, medium.com/@dbrezenoff/ten-arguments-against-gun-control-and-facts-that-prove-them-wrong-ce20eb33633d.