Gun shootings seem to dominate news stories in America, every day more people get hurt and everyday people become more afraid, yet, the U.S government seem to be ignoring this deadly issue. The government has a duty to the people make the public feel secure, but with the election of Donald Trump, they seem to be doing the exact opposite.
The vast majority of ordinary Americans, about 9 in 10, support reasonable regulations on guns. Additionally, even National Rifle Association members seem to encourage some form of control, but lawmakers in Congress seems to blatantly disregard the facts and fail to pass any laws that aid in this desired protection. They even seem to reject even the mild, sensible laws- such as background checks, bans on ownership by domestic abusers, and bans on mentally ill individuals that would help reduce the country's staggering toll of gun violence.
The failure of gun control also undermines the core idea of democracy, the laws that are in place, or rather the laws that are not in place, are an ill representation of what the people want. Last September, Missouri legislators overrode the governor’s veto to allow people to carry concealed weapons in public without a background check, permit, or even training. By passing this law, it ignored 86% of the states' votes as well as the plea of law enforcement organizations. Previously, Missouri had loosened its gun laws in 2007, by eliminating the requirement that handgun purchasers get a permit by passing a background check. And as a result, in the following six years, the state’s gun homicide rate rose by 18 percent, almost 50 percent higher than the national average.
The failure of gun control also undermines the core idea of democracy, the laws that are in place, or rather the laws that are not in place, are an ill representation of what the people want. Last September, Missouri legislators overrode the governor’s veto to allow people to carry concealed weapons in public without a background check, permit, or even training. By passing this law, it ignored 86% of the states' votes as well as the plea of law enforcement organizations. Previously, Missouri had loosened its gun laws in 2007, by eliminating the requirement that handgun purchasers get a permit by passing a background check. And as a result, in the following six years, the state’s gun homicide rate rose by 18 percent, almost 50 percent higher than the national average.
Furthermore, President Donald Trump signed a bill earlier in 2017 that rolled back an Obama regulation that made it harder for people with mental illnesses to purchase a gun. The rule added people receiving Social Security checks for mental illnesses and people deemed unfit to handle their own financial affairs, to the national background check database. Had the rule fully taken effect, the Obama administration predicted it would have added about 75,000 names to that database, which in turn would have given Americans more security.Trump’s main argument for uncontrolled guns is the protection of the second amendment, which is the right to bear arms. In a speech given to the NRA, Trump proclaimed that the “8-year assault on the second amendment has come to a crashing end,” but the end of this “assault” means the beginning of a new and dangerous era. Many conservatives, as well as Trump himself, believe that guns are used in self-defense but many statistics prove otherwise. Research in the journal Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, stated that 87 percent of handgun owners report that self-defense is their principal reason to own a firearm , however, research has shown that having a gun in the home, regardless of the number, increases the risk of homicide or suicide. In 2014 alone, for every time a person used a gun to kill in a justifiable homicide (self-defense), 34 innocent lives were ended in criminal gun homicides.
All in all, gun control is an issue that if handled properly would help protect many Americans. Trump must realize that having restrictions does not mean the second amendment has to be eliminated, but rather restrictions would help make the country safer by reducing the number of individuals who are unfit to carry a firearm. Many states, such as Maine and Nevada, are already taking action by passing universal background checks, but this is not enough. Individuals in all states must encourage their representatives to understand the need for gun control. 
1 comment:
On August 3, 2017, an editorial was posted on "Pondering Politics", talking about gun control in the United States. The audience here would be the U.S. citizens because it is an issue that can affect someone's life. Having a gun can control people's lives. She first talks about how Trump's election isn't making citizens feel safe and secure. The majority of people, specifically 9 out of 10, support gun regulations. But lawmakers are not making enough laws to follow that. Apparently, they don't follow the mild laws such as background checks or banning mentally ill individuals from having guns. The author says that not having gun control, "undermines the core idea of democracy". In Missouri, legislators overrode the governor's veto which allowed citizens to carry weapons without any background such as a check, permit, or training. Missouri previously loosened their gun laws in 2007 when taking away the requirement for a permit by passing their check. Because of the changes in law, homicides with guns had risen by 18 percent. She then goes to talk about Trump and how he signed a bill which went against Obama's regulation for mental health patients getting guns. Conservatives usually view guns as self- defense but honestly, guns become a huge problem in causing homicides.
The author's claim overall would be how gun control is very important and is becoming a problem in the United States. I agree with this. Trump is not taking caution when signing these bills or coming up with new regulations. There should be more protection and requirements when getting a firearm. Having a gun is giving an individual the ability or chance to end someone's life. I believe that only those who are qualified or have a clean history should be allowed a gun. With that, there should also be training to properly teach someone about the weapon.
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