Gun. Twenty years ago, this word conjured up the picture of war to mind. Now, when someone hears that word, everyone drops to the floor in an attempt to save their lives. People cannot walk out of their house without having the frightening thought; is this going to be the day that I die? It is a scary time to live in the United States. It will continue to become even more terrifying if we don’t do something about the rising violence.
Four of the largest mass shootings in the U.S. occurred in the last ten years. This includes the most recent, and largest, in U.S. history that took place on October 2, 2017. Massacres, like the ones in Las Vegas, Pulse Night Club, Sandy Hook Elementary School, and so many others should NOT be occurring, yet they continue to pop up every couple of years. The questions people should be asking are 1.) How are these people getting these weapons? 2.) How has security not caught these individuals before the madness started? 3.) Is there any way to prevent acts of violence like this from happening again?
Personally, I think guns should be left to the professionals because they have gone through years of intense training and numerous background checks. They know how to responsibly use guns in the proper situations.
I understand where people are coming from when they say that all citizens have the right to bear arms. The question is, how do we keep the wrong people from getting guns? How can we develop more thorough background checks to make sure guns do not end up in the wrong hands? There are so many questions and not enough answers. I came up with a short list of pros and cons to evaluate if having guns in everyday life is really in the best interest of the average American.
Pro: Guns are a form of self-defense.
While pepper spray and karate skills can be used in minor cases, a person needs to be able to defend themselves if an armed criminal comes after them or the people that they love. Even if you don’t kill the enemy, it will give you time to escape and find help.
Con: Irresponsible gun usage.
The government does the best that they can to ensure only responsible, law-abiding citizens receive guns. However, the system is not always successful. For example, the shooter in the Las Vegas massacre was said to have no criminal record. He is someone who probably passed the background check with no problem. On October 1st, with his clean record, he managed to kill almost 60 people and injured more than 520 others. What I am trying to say is: you never truly know what people are capable of.
Pro: Security will be improved.
While criminals may get their hands on weapons, trained officers and military officials will always have more. These men and women are certified to use weapons in order to protect United States citizens. This protection can be expanded, if necessary, should the threats to Americans increase.
Con: People are constantly nervous.
You can never be sure which gun owners have and have not passed a background check. They may have stolen the gun, bought it illegally, or even built it themselves. In the city setting, people are consistently on edge because shootings are so common.
There are far too many pros and cons to list in this forum, My main goal of this article was to show that stricter gun control may be warranted given the environment that exists currently in the united States. I know people want to be able to protect themselves against physical threats. However, think about a world with no guns and how relaxed the atmosphere would be that we live in. What are your thouhts on guns and stricter control?
