Daniel R.
Professor Celeste B
ENG 102 - 37601
December 5, 2015
The Right to Bear Arms: Gun Control vs. Gun Right
It's not unusual for a family to turn on the six o'clock news to see another breaking story regarding a mass shooting or terrorism attack. Given the recent horrific incidents, the media reports that it's expected that a mass shooting will occur every two weeks. Many people argue that the mental capacity of the shooters is to blame for the incidents, while others believe that it's because of radicalized religious beliefs. As George Washington once said, "A free people ought not only be armed and disciplined, but they should have sufficient arms and ammunition to maintain a status of independence from any who might attempt to abuse them, which would include their own government" (qtd. In Mountvernon.org). The second amendment of the Constitution and the Bill or Rights guarantees the citizens of the United States of America to bear arms. A national survey found that, "65% of American adults think the purpose of the Second Amendment is to make sure that people are able to protect themselves from tyranny. Only 17% disagree, while another 18% are not sure." (65& See Gun Rights as Protection against Tyranny, Ramussenreports.com, 2013). The second amendment was put into place to ensure that the citizens of the United States were able to protect themselves, their families and their country. Gun control has become an active debate in the U.S. due to recent events of violence, making American's question the second amendment and their right to bear arms. Some American's believe that stricter gun laws would end mass shootings. The majority of this group also argues that guns are what kill people, not the actual shooters. The main argument for pro-gun advocates is that if you disarm law abiding citizens who carry a gun for the means of self-defense, it leaves the criminals who do not follow laws the advantage to attack, steal and even all citizens.
There's no question that me and my family are pro-guns. It's been a continuing tradition in our family that as kids we learn how to properly handle a gun as well as how to use it. My family and most families primarily own guns for hunting and recreational target shooting. It's also been a rite of passage for a father and son or a father and daughter to go hunting in order to teach them how to survive. These are valuable lessons that have been passed on for many generations. The values that are passed along from father to child are not always about hunting, it teaches the young to respect the weapon, the reasons to use it, and the value of life. Owning a gun is a matter of self-defense. I personally buy guns and keep them in my home so that god-forbid someone breaks into my home with the intentions to cause harm to my family, I am readily able to protect us if absolutely necessary. Police Officers are always armed while on the job so that they can protect and serve the public. I do not believe that this should be any different for citizens who want to protect themselves and their families. This is especially important for families who reside in areas that require longer response times for help. After watching the news report on the recent mass shooting events such as the Roseburg, Oregon incident 9 dead, San Bernardino, California 14 dead, and Charleston, South Caroline 9 dead it's no secret that people feel change needs to occur. (Deadliest U.S. mass shootings, 1984-2015, timelines.latimes.com, Los Angeles Times Staff). These are only a few of the recent mass shootings that have occurred so far in 2015. There is an outcry from both gun control and gun right activists to bring a stop to mass shootings of innocent defenseless people. The recent incidents have brought a large amount of anti-gun activists to center stage and have made gun control a main topic in the United States. Everyone wants answers, plans and changes made immediately in hopes that the killings of innocent people come to an end. While many believe that guns are the problem, experts say otherwise. "Oftentimes the person is socially isolated and not socially successful, and that creates a situation in which you are on your own and it's hard to get others to buy into your vision or anger" (qtd. J. Pete Blair, Texas University).
Pro-gun control activists believe there should be no reason to own guns because of our infrastructure of police force and military. It's apparent that the issue of gun control is nationally known, and pro-gun activists are turning to United Kingdom statistics regarding gun control in hopes that the United States might take similar actions. The United Kingdom banned civilians the possession and ownership of guns with the second firearms act of 1997. This act was passed because of a mass massacre of 16 children, that were six years of age or younger. The murder rate did not drop immediately, but "since 2010 the rate has fallen to 1.23 per 100,000 from where it was at in 2002 which was 2.1 per 100,000" (Flamehorse, 10 Arguments against Gun Control, listverse.com). Since the enactment of the second firearms act there has not been another Dunblane, also known as a mass shooting. Gun control activists argue that an assault rifle is overkill in any self-defense scenario. Between August 26th and 28th, 2015 the Huffington Post conducted a poll regarding gun control. The results showed that, "55% pf the 1,000 U.S. Adults surveyed believe that gun control laws should be made stricter than they are now. 27% of the poll believes that there should be no change, while 12% believe that the laws should be less strict" (Today.yougov). Pro-gun control activists are arguing that mass shootings don't happen in other countries, as previously quoted by the President of the United States. The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development reported that other countries such as Norway, Finland, Slovakia, Israel, and Switzerland are also experiencing mass shootings as well and they all have "restrictive" gun policies. (Top 10 Nations in the World for mass shootings, Kyle Becker, ijreview). Everyone is trying to point to one subject, the need for gun control, but as James Alan Fox reported, "if analysts added a single year, 2014 and looked at four-year intervals instead of five-year intervals, the average number of annual mass shootings actually declined slightly from 2011 to 2014, compared with the previous four-year period." (How often do mass shooting occur, James Alan Fox, NYTimes).
Society needs assurance that mass shootings will not occur when innocent people are out in public doing what they enjoy doing, and living their lives. Ask yourself; the last time you went to the movie theatre, did you notice any signs that read "no guns or weapons allowed" and wondered, "I hope we don't encounter a situation like the one that occurred at the Aurora movie theatre in 2012." Before the mass shootings started occurring, people were more likely to encounter a violent crime outside the movie theatre while walking to their car, etc. however the notion now is that people believe they have more of a chance of being involved in a mass shooting while being in the movie theatre. People are scared mostly because the attacks that have recently occurred have been completed by people who are mentally ill or people who are terrorists. Society is worried that potential shooters will copycat a mass shooting because they have watched others successfully terrorized and murdered civilians. Mass shootings have been occurring since forever, but the main issue for this subject now is that the shooter is considered a terrorist and the victims are innocent and usually located in what they call a "soft spot" location where people are the most vulnerable. Society is okay with mass shootings when it comes to violence against people involved with crime or domestic violence. As I previously mentioned, mass shootings are unfortunately becoming the everyday norm. The pro-gun control activists need to take a step back and understand that, "about 100 Americans, on average, are killed each year in mass shootings - out of a population of over 300 million" (James Alan Fox, You're not about to die in a mass shooting, USA Today). They also reported that it's likely that most people will continue living their entire lives without personally knowing one single person that was gunned down during a mass shooting. I completely agree with James Alan Fox, when he says that mass shooting incidents that we witness on television are tragedies, not real life. In terms of threat to the viewer, it might as well be a movie." (James Alan Fox).
It's apparent that the pro-gun community is being attacked by anti-gun activists because of society's fear of mass shootings. "Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch. Liberty is a well-armed lamb contesting the vote" (qtd. Benjamin Franklin, en.wikiquote.org). The two wolves voting on what to have for lunch can be compared to two criminals looking to terrorize or harm an unsuspecting citizen. The lamb looking to vote on what to have for lunch can be interpreted as anti-gun supporters naively believing they can control what two wolves aka criminals will do. The lamb in the quote that is well armed can be described as the pro-gun community that is prepared to contest against the two wolves. The reason for being pro-gun in today's society of frequent mass shootings is for self-defense against those that are there to cause harm. As previously mentioned, society is scared that they're going to become the next victim of a mass shooting, but the concept of removing gun owners' right to bear arms will inadvertently give criminals the advantage. The only way to deter or prevent gun violence and terrorism is by continuation of gun ownership and increased armament of law abiding citizens.
WORKS CITED
"10 Arguments Against Gun Control" Listverse. Listverse Ltd., 11 Dec. 2013. Web. 4 Dec. 2015.
"65% See Gun Rights As Protection Against Tyranny." - Rasmussen Reports™. 18 Jan. 2013. Web. 5 Dec. 2015.
Becker, Kyle. "If You Look at This Chart of Top 10 Nations in the World for Mass Shootings - One Thing Jumps Out." Independent Journal. 1 Dec. 2015. Web. 5 Dec. 2015
"Benjamin Franklin." - Wikiquote. WikiMedia. Web. 5 Dec. 2015.
"Deadliest U.S. Mass Shootings | 1984-2015." Latimes.com. Los Angeles Times, 2 Dec. 2015. Web. 5 Dec. 2015.
Fox, James. "You're Not about to Die in a Mass Shooting: James Alan Fox." USA Today. Gannett, 7 Dec. 2015. Web. 8 Dec. 2015.
Lafraniere, Sharon, Sarah Cohen, and Richard Oppel. "How Often Do Mass Shootings Occur? On Average, Every Day, Records Show." The New York Times. The New York Times, 2 Dec. 2015. Web. 6 Dec. 2015.
"Spurious Quotations." George Washington's Mount Vernon. The Mount Vernon Library, 20 Dec. 2013. Web. 5 Dec. 2015.
