"A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed." -- Second Amendment, the United States Constitution
The United States Constitution was the first of its kind -- a document made for the people, approved by the people and written by the people (or the Framers to be specific). Our young nation’s historic document inspired revolutions and has stood as a leading framework for the creation of new republics. I love the Constitution, from the rights it guarantees me as an American citizen to the well-crafted language on the parchment. But my ardor for this slice of history does not make me blind to change.
The U.S. Constitution is coming upon its 228th birthday. It is an old document, written by property-owning white men that didn’t have Facebook or a trade relationship with China. Our beloved Constitution has seen necessary reform throughout our nation’s history; the abolition of slavery, the right to vote extended to all citizens above the age of 18, the passing and banning of Prohibition, the implementation of an income tax to increase federal revenue, etc. I think it is high time our lawmakers took a cursory glance at the Second Amendment and the legislation that creates its parameters.
In America, it is extremely easy to obtain military-style assault weapons. For a brief 10-year period (1994-2004), the sale of semiautomatic assault rifles and large capacity ammunition magazines were illegal at the federal and state level. Since the ending of this ban, the sale of AR-15 rifles and similar assault weapons have soared. And they soar even higher when politicians talk of banning them.
In the “secondary market” of gun and rifle sales, private-sellers are not legally required to perform background checks on patrons. Anyone attending a gun show in the U.S. can perform multiple purchases without a glance at their legal history (unless the gun show requires background checks of their own volition, which is awesome). Additionally, America has no legal limit on the amount of guns that can be registered under your name. You can have enough guns for a small army, or enough to completely fill your basement, and nobody bats an eye.
In defense of lawmakers, many individual states have their own laws regarding firearm regulation. California, New Jersey, Connecticut, Hawaii, Maryland, Massachusetts, and New York all have state bans on the sale of assault weapons. In addition to Colorado, these same seven states also have restrictions on high-capacity magazine purchases. But a few state laws are not enough to help solve our gun control problem.
Let’s be clear, I am not advocating for the disappearance of all guns from every American household. Nor do I believe that gun regulation alone will eradicate violent mass shootings in America. I am well aware of my state’s strong hunting culture and I respect the patriotic nature of our right to bear arms. I value my right to hunt with my own weapons if I wish, to carry a small pistol for personal protection, and I recognize the enjoyment others have in their firearms hobby. However, I believe some common sense legislation is in order.
Do you really need to own 18 different guns?
Do you really need to stockpile 10,000 primers?
Do we really need easy access to weapons of war?
Sadly, it appears that the recent tragedy in Orlando isn’t enough to galvanize a bipartisan movement toward common sense gun control. My heart goes out to the victims and their families- now is a time of grief. Americans are resilient, always recovering from tragedy with strength and grace. The outpouring of love and support our nation has shared with the Orlando community is beautiful and makes me proud to be an American.
But America loves guns. This is the 29th mass shooting the U.S. has experienced since 2004. There has been no landmark gun legislation at the federal level in some time. And I am terrified to witness the tragedy that finally instigates a needed change in the way our nation handle guns.
