Gun control is a crucial subject to discuss as many people have previously been killed in the public institutions due to insufficient laws to control guns. Currently, there is a heated debate in the United States on how to manage firearms and other related rifles due to the recent mass shooting of people in Parklands, Florida. Currently, most of the people in Parklands and more so the students have started to advocate for adequate changes in the rules and regulations that control guns. The students and other activists are using social media and other forms of communication to persuade the legislators to establish and administer stringent laws pertaining the selling and ownership of guns. They are also planning for protests and demonstrations in various cities such as Washington D.C. to express their fight against the misuse of firearms and thus promoting safety and security of the people’s lives especially in the public institutions such as schools (Farber, 2018).
The provision of a Second Amendment in the United States Constitution provides the citizens with the right to hold and bear firearms. Second Amendment seems to support the tradition of Americans to own guns, and it is regarded as an individual right. This law has always received diverse views from the legislators and the citizens by extension. The original proponents of the Second Amendment argued that this law is essential to the individuals and is as vital as other fundamental rights such as freedom of religion and the right to speech. They asserted that infringement of the Second Amendment is against the right to liberty of the citizens. The Amendment was initially meant to promote individual security through different mechanisms such as self-defense from criminals in the streets and homes, though some people are misusing their freedom (Corso, 2017).
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In 1994, Bill Clinton had signed a bill from the Congress to ban the manufacturing and selling of specific assault weapons and restrict the issuance of high capacity magazines to the civilians. However, the National Rifle Association (NRA) rallied against the ban in 2004, and the ban ended at that point. The ban was restricting the use of assault rifles such as the one that was used by the Florida shooter. Therefore, there is an urgent need to amend the federal and state laws that govern issuance and ownership of guns among the citizens. The Congress must emphasize the need for local states to establish their own rules of control guns to compliment the federal laws and minimize the current loopholes existing in the current policies. The policy-makers must adequately administer the existing regulations and introduce new systems to ensure efficiency and effectiveness in the control of firearms (Robinson, 2017).
The political and cultural ideologies tend to be more significant influencers of the gun control legislatures. The advancement of technology has facilitated more straightforward access to movies and gaming platforms that exhibit violence in the society. Such platforms are tampering with the traditional cultural beliefs and may steer misuse of firearms in the real-life situations. Also, the gun control dilemma tends to be political-based. For instance, in the US, the Republicans are the vast opponents of the gun control policies while the Democrats exhibit different views amongst themselves based on the conservatism of the people they represent. However, the leadership of Democrats and the Republicans in the US have joined hands to suggest that the primary cause of gun violence in the country is the mental health of gun owners. Therefore, they are recommending for frequent psychological screening especially to the people who are found to misbehave when having firearms. It is believed that testing of the mental status of an individual will be a great stride towards a reduction of violence related to weapons in the country (McDaniel, Korth & Boehm, 2014).
There is a massive call from the activists, general citizens and the political leadership to improve the background check procedures and systems. The FBI and the validated firearms dealers must cooperate to ensure that guns and other firearms are sold to accountable and responsible citizens who do not pose any threat to the innocent individuals. These US policy agencies must also work closely with National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) to ensure they have the necessary details about certain people who should not possess firearms due to different circumstances such mental challenges. The local authorities and the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) must work closely to ensure that such misconduct is earlier detected and the involved person is taken under a mental health check-up or screening while temporarily suspending his or her privilege to purchase firearms (Robinson, 2017).
- Corso, P. G. (2017). Gun Control to Major Tom: An Analysis of Failed Gun Regulations and the Terrorist Watchlist. University of Massachusetts Law Review, 12(2), 3.
- Farber, M. (2018). ‘March for Our Lives’ gun control rally to draw thousands across US: Everything you need to know. Fox News.
- McDaniel, J., Korth R. & Boehm, J. (2014). In states, a legislative rush to nullify federal gun laws. The Washington Post.
- Robinson, J. L. (2017). Gunning for Gun Control: A State by State Analysis of the Effects of Gun Control Policies on Firearm Mortality Rates.
