Editorial: Gun Violence Is Preventable

These days, shootings and massacres have become an immense issue in the United States of America. Seeing such violence on the news has become practically commonplace; so, why is it that America’s gun laws are so rarely talked about?

Firearm, Revolver, Bullet, Gun, Weapon, Handgun, Crime
The root of the issue can be attributed to a thought—an ideology—that has progressively integrated itself into American culture. This outlook encompasses “the right of the people to keep and bear Arms”, per the Second Amendment in the United States Constitution. This right assisted the American civilians of 1791 in protecting themselves during such turbulent times. However, this entitlement of theirs to have firearms in today’s American households, clinging on to a document written more than 200 years ago that is incomparable to modern day standards, is simply ludicrous. To make the situation all the more nonsensical, in 1996, the NRA (National Rifle Association) swayed Congress to ban the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) from spending funds on anything promoting gun control, which further lead to the banning of gun violence research altogether. If the NRA is prohibiting the CDC from something so little as research for fear that it will strip them of their rights, there is a clear issue they are trying to shield from the public.

This leads us to 21 years later, where there is still an immense loss of life due to gun related incidents in the United States. According to a study by the Congressional Research Service in 2012, Americans own 48% of civilian-owned guns in the world while they represent less than 5% of the global population. Once again, the ideology prevails, even after tragedies such as the Las Vegas and Texas church shootings of this year. The media rarely presents the actual issue. Masses blame it on terrorism or take the initiative to sue gun companies, while they continue to neglect the clear way of preventing such horrible incidents from occurring in the first place. Even when presented by influential people such as Hillary Clinton, their points are rarely heard and even more rarely talked about.

Looking at it from a different angle however, guns all depend on the users. According to a study by the Pew Research Center, two-thirds of American gun owners own guns for personal protection. If people demand the right to protect themselves, then they are welcome to do so granted they have the proper permit. The problem is, to get a gun in many places, you don’t even need one. If someone with a criminal record wanted to obtain such a weapon, they could easily do so—legally. For anybody who plans to use their gun responsibly, whether for sporting or self-defense reasons, there would be no issue with intensifying the regulations. It would only prevent such dangerous weaponry from landing in the wrong hands.

Though a sensitive topic, we should not shy away from discussing the effects of gun violence, considering the amount of devastation it causes in families and communities everywhere
around the world. Gun control does not signify taking away people’s guns altogether, but it does signify having a better grasp on the situation. Only when it affects them directly will people choose to act, and it will be too late by then. Therefore, I implore everybody to act now, in order to prevent future gun violence from destroying more families and communities. If even one life can be saved in the future by having better control of guns around the United States, is it not worth it?

By Evelyn Chan

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

2018 Graduates working hard for CEGEP applications

Do LaurenHill Academy Students Hold the Power to Influence Decisions?

Editorial: Yes, Climate Change is a Real Thing