Monday, January 14, 2013

Issue 2013: Gun Control


by Rachel Gross

On December 14, 2012, 26 people were fatally shot at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut.  20 out of those 28 victims were innocent first grade children.  With gun violence consistently rising, there needs to be stricter enforcement of the gun laws that are currently in place.  The closest way to avoid these human calamities would be to confiscate all private weapons, which, however, would be almost impossible considering there are more than 300 million guns in the United States.  There should be stricter enforcement of the gun laws that we now have in place, which includes more extensive background checks.  Proper training for everyone should be required.  Owning a gun used to not only be common, but was a form of protection.  Nowadays, the use of guns as weapons is much more prominent than using them for protection.  This issue needs to be addressed in Congress so that tragedies like the one at Sandy Hook, can be better avoided in the future.

1 comment:

  1. I don't agree with your idea that all private weapons should be confiscated, first because it isn't plausible, and second, because I believe we have the right to protect ourselves. I do agree with your statement that there should be more extensive background checks though, as there is no harm done in making sure someone is a suitable owner of a killing machine.

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