The 2nd amendment of the United States states that “the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.” But is that truly the way that the United States should be governed under? The United States has the one of the highest amount of deaths related to gun violence in the entire world, 31st in the world exactly, but the fact that is baffling is that for such a developed and country with a strong infrastructure, why are these rates so high? From mass shooting in schools, clubs, gatherings, and neighborhoods all across America, there is certainly something else behind these mass shootings. Gun violence is an aching issue on the hands of the hands of the United States government as well, as congress is finding it difficult to …show more content…
But what should be done about assault weapons? There should be no reason for homeowners and everyday citizens to own such things as an AR-15 or a Machine Gun. Assault weapons should not be permitted in the US. The majority of assault weapons that are used for these shootings are acquired legally by shooters. In some of the most recent major attacks, “killers in Las Vegas and Orlando attacks… walk into gun shops and legally purchase assault weapons” (Ingraham). United States Senator Dianne Feinstein has proposed a bill that would ban assault weapons. This bill would prevent “horrific mass shooting incidents” and ban the purchase of “military-style assault weapons”. This is very effective because that way, the shooters who usually use assault weapons won’t have as large of a magazine, making them easier to stop. This shows that while we cannot entirely ban any weapons, one of the most effective things that can be done is to ban these weapons that shooters can get their hands on so easily. This ban on assault weapons and semi-auto weapons as well is largely supported by the public, and public support usually leads to the passing of laws. During the assault weapons ban of 1994, gun deaths were significantly low, as shown in a graph in the Washington Post. This shows that another ban on assault weapons, and possibly a permanent one, could largely impact the force leading to gun violence and
Sandy Hook: December 14, 2012; 28 deaths. Pulse Nightclub: June 12, 2016; 50 deaths. Las Vegas Shooting: October 1, 2017; 59 deaths. Texas Church Shooting: November 5, 2017; 26 deaths. They all have one thing that links them all together: gun violence.
Extreme anti-gun hardliners issue cries exclaiming weapons are to blame and banning assault rifles would eliminate mass shootings entirely. The predicament is America is extremely well-armed with the assault rifle, so more would need to be done in conjunction with the ban to combat the issue such as a
Banning the assault weapons is just a waste of time because society will continue to do what they do best. It is pleasant to say, the banning of assault weapons will most definitely reduce crime rates. Numbers might not make a drastic difference, but you will be able to see the difference in society. After all of our information we gathered, we can infer assault weapons are very harmful.
The federal law made assault rifles legal, yet state and local counties are able to ban assault weapons. Laws to ban assault rifles should be enforced to protect civilians such as the Sandy Hook shooting. This law needs better enforcement so high powered firearms are not in the hands of irresponsible criminals. Any weapon, especially assault rifles that are capable of shooting one hundred rounds of ammunition with one magazine should be banned. Events in which assault weapons were used resulted in 135% more people shot and 57% more killed than incidents when a handgun or long gun is being used (For Lives and Liberty.)
The second amendment is being abused and misused on how this is supposed to benefit us. Mass shooters will use this right to justify their actions. Eugene Robinson, an opinion writer of The Washington Post wrote “When the framers wrote of “arms,” they were thinking about muskets and single-shot pistols. They could not have foreseen modern rifles or high capacity magazine.”
It was 1.24 in 1997, when the Firearms Act went into effect, and 1.43 in 1998. The rate rose to a peak of 2.1 in 2002 and has fallen since to 1.23 as of 2010” (10 arguments against gun control 2013). Researchers say that the best way to prevent mass shootings is to have background checks before buying a firearm and ban high capacity magazines and assault rifles. Guns should not be taken away completely but high capacity magazines and certain firearms should be limited to the public.
Tashfeen Malik and Syed Rizwan Farook killed fourteen and wounded twenty in San Bernardino; Adam Lanza killed twenty-seven and wounded two in Newtown; and Omar Mir Seddique Mateen killed forty-nine and wounded fifty-three in Orlando. These mass shooters all have one thing in common: the use of assault weapons in their crimes. (Ingraham, 2016). Despite the loss of life, there remains little restriction on who can own assault weapons and buy ammunition in America. There is also no set definition of assault weapons, however for the sake of this argument I will use the definition provided by “Assault Weapons” from the info base: “considered to be a semiautomatic weapon with a detachable ammunition magazine and some type of advanced feature typically used in military-grade weapons.
‘In the late 1980s, gun control groups realized that they had failed in their original goal—getting handguns banned—and began campaigning against semi-automatic firearms they called "assault weapons," most of which are rifles’(“A ban on assault weapons would not reduce crime”). From 1994 to 2004, the Federal Assault Weapons (F.D.A) banned semi automatic weapons from having more than 10 rounds. The easiest way to define gun control is by saying it a government regulation sale of any type of handgun, or assault rifle. It’s just a certain style the government sales firearms, if you have a criminal background or criminal history you are not allowed to purchase a firearm due to gun control. I personally think gun control doesn’t cause any harm to today’s society, considering the fact that i’m constantly around guns and I have no violent urge to put anyone in danger.
Considering their lethality and the sheer amount of heavy weapons such as assault rifles in just the United States, they should not be available to Americans. Although assault rifles are not particularly the most common type of weapon, out of the over 300 million in the United States, they do make up a good percent of them (Everitt and Pratt). However, when you look at the percentage of gun violence
Gun Control Omar Mateen shook the world on the night of June 12, when he executed one of the worst mass shootings in the History of the United States; leaving 49 dead and 53 injured at the Pulse Nightclub in Orlando, Florida. The tragic incident took place three and a half years after the Sandy Hook Elementary shooting which is often seen as an important mark in the United State’s effort to reform gun control laws - seeing as how 20 elementary school children were among those fatally shot. According to Gun Violence Archive, there have been 998 mass shootings since then. And those statistics are just mass shootings.
Gun Control: Assault Weapons Should be Banned in America In the past decade there have been many mass shootings which sparked a nationwide debate on the ban on assault weapons. Assault weapons are Semiautomatic weapons that are usually used in the military due to their advanced features. The difference between a Semiautomatic weapon and a regular pistol is that semiautomatic guns reload automatically and can fire consistently (Assault Weapons). Majority of Americans argue that Assault Weapons should be banned nationwide because of the amount of mass shootings caused by Assault weapons.
Even Senator of California Dianne Feinstein, one of the many senators who wanted a ban on assault weapons said that “The 1994 Assault Weapons Ban was effective at reducing crime and getting these military-style weapons off our streets,” (Assault Weapons). If the government once banned assault weapons and only good effects came, the government should do the ban
Assault Weapons: Should assault weapons be banned in the US? Have you ever seen or experienced a serious crime? One that had innocents brutally murdered? The crime most likely involved an assault weapon. Different mass murder shootings involved assault weapons, so the outlawing of the weapons in the U.S. should take place.
Everyday in the United States, ninety families are changed forever; guns claim an average of ninety lives every day in the United States, 33,000 lives in a single year. Gun control has been a debate in the United States for many years and is constantly thrusted back into the public’s attention by horrific shootings. These shootings constantly cause individuals to petition the government to place stricter and stricter regulations of guns. However, these policies cannot be the solution to this problem. To determine a solution that will be both effective and constitutional, we must look at statistics and research that has been conducted to determine the best course of action.
The number of incidents of gun violence last year in the United States was about 60,000. In recent years, the number of mass shooting has risen to about one mass shooting per day in the United States. The country is divided with some wanting to reevaluate our gun control laws and either ban or add additional regulations to the purchase of guns. Others say it is our right for Americans to own guns and something the founding fathers considered important to put in the Bill of Rights. The number of firearm sales has risen with the number of mass shooting many Americans question if banning guns or certain guns could help decrease the number of gun violence deaths.