“The freedom to bear arms may be righteously rejected to encourage the preservation of all corporeal forms of life.” ― Kevin Alan Lee
School shootings have become the violence America condones.
People have overly abused the phrase “guns don’t kill people, people kill people.”
Wrong.
People with guns kill people. Attributing deaths to guns rather than the people shooting does not lessen the impact that families across the country feel when their loved ones lives are lost.
America stands in silence and mourns the losses when a shooting occurs. Columbine, Virginia Tech, Newtown and countless others have brought a nation to tears, shock and disbelief.
With all this raw emotion and pain, though, we have failed to address the issue.
Politicians and NRA officials defend gun rights with a fire and urgency that should be applied to defending our rights to be safe. When someone has the courage to speak out against the machine they are shot down by gun rights activists who scream that it is “too soon.” Too soon to talk about it, too soon to fix this.
Nonsense. The time to talk is now. America has allowed this problem to escalate while young bodies pile up. An organization called Everytown published a study in June that reported there had been 74 school shootings since the December 2012 Sandy Hook shooting. This number will only continue to grow if guns are not regulated.
Shootings go beyond the schoolyard. Homicide has this country in a chokehold.
It is difficult to remedy when one side yells that we need to ban guns and the other refutes that they are a constitutional right that should not be regulated.
They both are incorrect.
While the right to bear arms seems to be protected under the constitution, it does not give every yahoo the right to own guns. The 2nd amendment calls for a well-regulated militia, not an unrestricted one. The right to have a gun has less standing when it infringes on someone’s right to life.
Banning guns would be nearly impossible. The U.S. tried to outlaw alcohol during the prohibition and that failed. Alcohol is legal, but there are restrictions. America needs gun regulations that are airtight.
Banning guns would not prevent criminals from getting them. Instead of trying to eliminate them, we need to regulate them and educate people on gun safety. Education is a preventative solution that would be more effective than banning them or having useless legislation. An educated population makes educated decisions. High gun violence rates are seen in low-income and underprivileged neighborhoods. Changing a culture means changing a lifestyle. This is done through giving people outlets and opportunities through education.
Having a driver’s license is a privilege, not a right. Gun ownership should be the same.
Admitting that there is problem is the first step. It is past time for America’s leaders to take that stride.