Gun Control Laws

Jackie Faugno

Tonishia Signore

Michael Flanagan

Michael Mauriello

 

Group Blog Post #2

 

Our group thinks that the individual interests in gun ownership could be for safety, to protect yourself as well as your family and other personal property. Some people shoot for sport and hunting, your job may require you to hold one if you are a security guard or a police officer. Other gun owners simply have guns because they like to collect old and rare weapons. One of the social costs of guns could be deaths of innocent people. There is also the chance of someone who is mentally unstable gaining access to a weapon that was not stored properly, and using it to harm others. Someone who was raised in a negative environment that included a lot of violence and guns would become desensitized to violence and would be more likely to use a gun and resort to violence. Our groups view about gun control is that there should definitely be more restrictions as to who can and cannot buy guns. Background checks should be required for everyone who purchases a gun whether it is at a gun show, at a store, or online. Any signs of mental instability should raise red flags, as well as any prior convictions. Employment status should also be a deciding factor as to whether an individual can purchase a gun or not. It should be required that an individual should be at least 18 years old and a complete citizen of the United States. They should then have to go through proper gun training every few years, and they should have to also renew their gun license every few years. There should also be limits as to how many guns a single person can own, as well as what type of gun it is, and how many rounds of ammunition they can buy throughout the year. Our group believes that there needs to be a longer waiting period from when you apply to get your gun license to when you actually receive it; at least 2-3 months. Our arguments for stricter gun laws would include national tragedies. Since the tragic incidents at Columbine in 1999, there have been 31 U.S. school shootings alone (thinkprogress.org). This excludes other public locations such as, malls and movie theatres. Accidental deaths are also an argument for gun control, which goes without saying, as well as the deaths of innocent people. On a positive note, gun control would be an easy way to lower crime rates. People argue that there would be no other way to protect their families and property, but there are Tasers available and pepper spray and mace are easily available and easy to conceal. These are just as effective at subduing an assailant as a gun. Our final argument for gun control is that the 2^nd Amendment, which gives us the right to bear arms, was written in 1791. At this time the guns that were available were single shot weapons, they were not automatic. You would have to physically load each individual bullet into the gun. It was also a time when self-protection was in your own hands, and your life depended on it. There was no way for you to call for help if you were in trouble. With today’s advancements in technology and weaponry, our laws need to be modified and changed accordingly.