Congressman Westmoreland Case Study

Dear Congressman Westmoreland, I am writing this letter to you to stress the need to address a specific issue. It is an issue that is negatively affecting our day-to-day lives. It is the issue of gun ownership. Specifically, automatic guns are available throughout the country for people to buy. Although one has to show proper licensing to buy an automatic rifle, it does not take away the fact that these automatic weapons are available to people, who plan on using them against the citizens of the U.S. My intent in this letter is to inform you of the effects of these events. Citizens have to think twice before going into public places. Always in fear of a massacre, citizens are scared to exercise their most basic rights because of these events.

The shooter, James Eagan Holmes, was equipped with multiple firearms, and grenades. He killed 12 innocent people and injured 70 others. Although Holmes was sentenced to life in prison, the victims and their families were permanently scarred. On December 14, 2012, Adam Lanza forced his way into Sandy Hook Elementary School and fatally shot 26 people, 20 of them were children. Earlier that day, he shot and killed his mother. He then used her automatic rifle to kill these 26 innocent people. Many other events followed as the citizens tried to ban automatic weapons. The Federal Assault Weapons Ban (AWB) was passed in 1994. It was a subsection of the Public Safety and Recreational Firearms Use Protection Act, which banned civilian use of semi-automatic firearms. This ban expired in 2004. These events are calling for it to be reinstated. in 2013, there were efforts to do so. But unfortunately, the events at Sandy Hook Elementary School were not enough to boost this ban back into place. What makes this matter even more conspicuous is that the original ban in 1994 was prompted by a school shooting. So why cant Congress pass the act now if they were able to pass back in