By Elizaeth Stapleton
In the wake of yet another tragic, mass shooting, it seems like the nation is divided into two groups, those who want gun control reform, and those who don’t.
It’s said that 60 percent of gun owners stated they own firearms for self protection, but from what? Other citizens with guns? Giving more people the availability to firearms isn’t going to solve the rising problem of gun violence in this country.
It seems the response from Republicans has always been, “It’s too soon to discuss gun control.” It’s been days since the Baptist church shooting in Texas, two months since the Vegas shooting, over a year since Orlando, five years since Sandy Hook, and 10 years since Virginia Tech. So when is the right time to truly start the discussion of gun control reform? When does it stop being too soon? These victims and their families, with all do respect, do not want you to pray for them, they want change, they want something like this to be prevented from ever happening again.
During his presidency, Obama had to make statements in response to mass shootings a total of 14 times. That is too many times. This past mass shooting should serve as an all too familiar wake up call for the rest of this country who can’t seem to grasp what the rest of us are getting at. Republicans continue to argue that more gun control isn’t the answer, they claim that there is no way we can stop “lone wolf shootings,” but why is it that every other developed country does such a better job of preventing mass shooting/any shootings at all, yet we still can’t seem to figure it out? This kind of stuff just doesn’t happen in other places with this frequency.
Take notice of the places in which these massacres occurred: a church, a concert, a night club, a school. These are some of the most common places people congregate as a group whether it be to worship, listen to music, or to learn. These locations are supposed to be some of the safest places for you and/or your children, but what can you do when you’re up against a semi automatic assault rifle?
The average gun owner owns eight firearms, for what reason? Lets face it, the average person does not need an assault rifle for any reason, I don’t even understand the need for a handgun, unless you’re a cop. Gun buyers don’t have to go through a background check when they make purchases at a gun show. Obama tried eliminating the gun show loophole in 2013 with a bill that would have expanded background checks, but congress didn’t pass it. He said, “At some point, we as a country have to reckon with the fact that this kind of mass violence does not happen in other advanced countries… it is in our power to do something about it.” So let’s do something about it! Further expand background checks, cease making it so easy to buy guns at places such as gun shows, Walmart, etc.
How many innocent people need to die in order for people to understand that something needs to change? These tragedies must end, and to end them we must change.
I’ve had enough of people preaching about their right to the second amendment simply because it’s in the constitution. It was once stated that black people were three-fifths of a person, just because it’s written in the constitution doesn’t mean it’s set in stone and never to be changed again.
At the time the constitution was written, guns could only fire three bullets a minute. The average musket took a minimum of 20 seconds to reload, while it takes only three seconds to reload a semi-automatic handgun. Guns have changed, so shouldn’t our gun laws?