As the world progresses, and makes technological advancements, we become more attached and dependent on these seemingly harmless products, without realizing the effects they have on our society. Ray Bradbury, a brilliant science fiction author, dedicated much of his life to illustrating the effects of technology, and the treacherous path it may be leading us down.
One of the most prevalent issues in politics today is gun control. In our Constitution, the Second Amendment gives citizens the right to bear arms. What is more important though, the right to bear arms, or our unalienable rights? Each citizen is born with the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. These rights are put in jeopardy when sociopathic killers go on a rampage, often using rifles and handguns as their weapons of choice. I am not suggesting a full force ban on all firearms, like we have seen in Britain. Instead, a ban on all assault rifles and high capacity clips is a realistic solution to a very real problem.
The widespread statement, “guns don’t kill people, people kill people,” is very true. Guns, however, are the catalyst in thousands of deaths each year. Until we can figure out how to solve the mental health aspect of the issue, assault weapons need to be outlawed. Today, most people have to jump through fewer hoops to buy a gun than a pet cat. James Holmes, who was seeing a university psychiatrist, was able to purchase thousands of rounds of ammunition, and multiple semi automatic weapons. He used these weapons to terrorize a theatre in Aurora, killing 12 people and injuring dozens more.
A simple solution to this is running a universal background check, which could check for any criminal history, and pulls up records of any mental illnesses. In many cases, mental disorders are found in shooters, including Adam Lanza, who killed 20 children at Sandy Hook Elementary School. Anyone with a criminal record, or history of mental disorders should not be able to own a gun. People have the right to own guns, but assault rifles, which are meant for military use, are turning healthy learning environments into graveyards.
In recent years, schools have become a target for many deranged shooters. In the last 10 years, the United States has seen massacres at Virginia Tech, Sandy Hook, and many high schools across our nation. The National Rifle Association, or NRA, has suggested hiring armed guards to protect all of our schools. Putting more guns into a child’s life is never a good idea. Arming teachers was another suggestion, but very few know how to properly handle a gun. What is to stop these teachers from snapping? Some of them suffer from undetected mental disorders as well. When a killer enters a school with an AR-15, holding a hundred bullet clip, a guard armed with a handgun stands very little chance of stopping him.
Whether you agree with strengthening gun restrictions or not, everyone agrees that gun violence is an enormous issue. When children are fearful of attending school, something needs to be changed. We are required by law to attend school, so our safety should be ensured. Until we put more funding into researching mental disorders, assault weapons, and high capacity clips need to be outlawed. Since guns are not the only issue, background checks need to be implemented into every purchase, and gun shows should be shut down. It may be a long road to halting gun violence, but we need to start somewhere.
