A Single Most Important Issue - Gun Control - Essay Example

Sur Supervisor A Single Most Important Issue – Gun Control Twenty small kids in SandyHook Elementary School were massacred at Connecticut a few months back in the US. Only recently in Wisconsin, gunmen killed several people in a mad shootout in a Sikh temple. In July last year, a man entered into a movie theater in Aurora, Colorado with the gun and killed 12 persons on the spot and gravely injured several others. And all this happened because people were allowed to keep arms and guns without any restriction. This is certainly a single most important issue in the current times puzzling our nation. Time has now arrived for our politicians to sit together and change the law banning possession of gun and arms at large for the sake of people and society. Currently, the issue is widely debated in the public and political arena in the US that how appropriate it is to allow civilians to keep arms with them. Follman argues that there is no rationale in the belief that when more people are armed, there are better chances of stopping these tragic events. In fact, facts prove otherwise. In none of the cases any civilian ever intervened to stop the mass killing. Even if in a particular case any civilian did intervene, either they failed miserably to stop the killing or they themselves were harmed or killed. The fact remains that mass shooting has increased several fold in the US because it has been easier than ever before for anyone to carry guns in public places such as movie theaters, parks, schools (Follman). The following chart speaks about the numbers of gun-killings across the US in last 30 years. Source: http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2012/09/mass-shootings-investigation It can be noticed that casualty score is much higher in 2012, especially due to Sandy Hook and Aurora theater incidents. It is a fact that American society has been heavily armed since its inception and private arms have been increasing at a rapid pace. Sales data reveal that in 1995, 200 million guns were in possession of the people in the US. In a rough estimate, its number is now close to the total US population that means, on average, each citizen is in possession of some kind of a gun under the excuse of self-defense (Follman). Source: http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2012/09/mass-shootings-investigation National Rifle Association (NRA) is known in the US as a formidable pro-gun lobby and spends a lot in support of politicians for its cause. NRA also organizes for firearms safety training and tournaments across all parts of the US. Most states also recognize the NRA trained instructors by law. While NRA proposes in the defense of law-abiding citizens and against the crime makers, it takes a hardliner view whenever a debate spurs about enacting any gun control measures. As Kucinich reports, NRA has been mounting pressure on lawmakers through gun owners and members to oppose background check legislation; however, the organization such as Americans for Responsible Solutions — founded by former Arizona congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, Mayors against Illegal Guns and Organizing for Action are some of the groups that will be participating in a March 28 "action day" to mount pressures on senators to vote in favor of the bill to empower federal gun laws for the betterment of society (Kucinich). In a nationwide survey carried out by Mayors Against Illegal Guns, the average support for background check was overwhelming – 89 percent in 41 congressional district polled (Mayors against Illegal Action). After the incident of Sandy Hook, the US President emotionally uttered that the nation was unable to tolerate this kind of tragedy anymore and the time had come to take some remedial measures. On the Presidents plea, the Vice President Biden took initiatives and framed some policy proposals. According to these proposals, the Plan is aimed at combining executive and legislative actions banning high-capacity magazines and assault guns making schools safer. It also proposed that those who commit acts of violence would not be allowed access to guns. It also proposed that Congress needed to pass legislation that would necessitate background checks for all sales pertaining to firearms (The White House). On President and Vice President’s initiatives, the senate Judiciary committee proposed three major bills on the issue as per the following (The New York Times). 1. A bill that is aimed at banning assault weapons and ammunition magazines. 10 Democrats were in favor while 8 Republicans opposed the bill. 2. A bill on background checks that covers all buyers including those bought from private sellers: While eight Republicans opposed the bill, 10 Democrats were in its favor. 3. A bill that is aimed at stopping illegal trafficking of firearms. Ten Democrats and one Republican were in favor while 7 Republicans voted against it. There is a big political divide between Republicans and Democrats in the matter pertaining to the gun bills. The Constitution Party and the Libertarian Party are in full support of gun rights. Republicans often cite the Supreme Courts verdict on the case of District of Columbia v. Heller in 2008 upholding the right of people to own a weapon under the Second Amendment of Constitution. It should not be forgotten that when the Second Amendment was written, then the weapons were simple – muzzle-loaded, single shot long guns, muskets were simple and not that deadly when compared with the current much sophisticated guns. One could never conduct mass homicides through them. Circumstances have changed and there is enough space for regulation such as age restrictions, banning possession of guns by insane and convicted persons, background checks and completely banning special kinds of guns. While Republicans agree for the background check, they also demand that no records be kept and that makes enforcement feeble and ineffective (The New York Times). It is not only a political divide but geographical divide exist too. States have their own constitution and laws regulating guns. Some states provide rights to firearms while some do not. Each state is thus divided in legal aspects to regulate guns and in providing citizens rights to guns. For example, states such as New Jersey, New York, and California are in support of restrictions on guns but at the same time states such as Alabama, Florida, Montana, Wyoming support gun rights (Ciyou). Steinhauer argues that this time, lawmakers are determined to take-on the pro-gun lobby, which has always stifled all attempts banning guns in the past. It is a big feat that these bills are being considered by a Senate committee. It will be interesting to see its fate when it comes to full Senate for consideration. It is worth noting that in 2004 the promulgation of such bills was out rightly rejected by the full Congress even when the President Bush then provided his tacit support (Steinhauer). Humans tend to act on impulse and that is how handgun or for that matter any other arms can work during outrage or weak moments, especially when they are easily accessible. It is correct to state that the mass proliferation of handguns has not strengthened human beings but rather weakened them; otherwise, how one can explain the reckless and insane killings that the nation has seen in last few years. It is incorrect to think that guns can protect us; in reality, arms have never protected anyone. A true protection will come when the society gets completely rid of all kinds of guns and arms and the state needs to act on this expeditiously and judiciously. Works-Cited Ciyou, Bryan. Gun Laws by State. Web. 23 Mar. 2013. Follman, Mark. More Guns, More Mass Shootings—Coincidence? Web. 23 Mar. 2013. Kucinich, Jackie. Gun arguments await lawmakers back home. Web. 23 Mar. 2013. Mayors against Illegal Gun. Demand Action to End Gun Violence. Web. 23 Mar. 2013. The New York Times. Partisan Politics and Gun Violence. Web. 23 Mar. 2013. Steinhauer, Jennifer. Party- Line Vote in Senate Panel for Ban on Assault Weapons. nytimes.com. Web. 23 Mar. 2013. The White House. Now is the time to do something about gun violence. whitehouse.gov. Web. 23 Mar. 2013. Read More