By snoadmin
There are so many factors that come into play when it comes to tragedies like the Newtown massacre. It is tough for most of us to stomach, the agonizing pain these families must be going through a month after so many young lives were taken from a once quiet community.
The massacres that have taken place throughout the past few decades have always sparked debate on what can be done to fix the problem of unnecessary loss of life. The debate of whether stricter gun control laws will change things always bubbles up in heated conversations.
President Barack Obama and his administration are taking steps to boost America’s gun control policy in the wake of the Newtown shootings. Stricter background checks and a ban on assault weapons are just a few proposals Obama would like to have discussed in Congress in an attempt to curb the loss of American lives.
Like the rest of our country, the Daily 49er editorial board is split on what needs to be done about guns in our country. Well, it is not even really a split, it’s more of a mixture of thoughts.
Some of us believe the second amendment is outdated and that we should ban all guns in the U.S. Others say there should be stationed armed guards in our schools. However, most of us believe guns are just a part of the problem.
There used to be a ban on assault weapons, but it was lifted years ago. The Obama administration would like to reenact that ban, with even stricter laws. There is no practical reason to carry military-grade assault rifles in today’s society. There should also be a limit on the number of guns people can own.
But the problem does not stop there. We can put a number of laws in place to limit the kind of guns out there, but what can we do to make sure those guns are in safe hands? According to the state’s Firearms Prohibiting Categories, a person who has been found by a court to be a danger to himself or others due to a mental illness is prohibited from purchasing a gun. The problem with this, is, mental illness may not be detected by a court until after said person has purchased a gun and killed with it.
Deeper background checks are necessary, perhaps checks that include a current mental capability assessment of the buyer. This assessment should have to be paid for by the gun buyer. If we’re going to allow the purchase of guns in our country, we should do everything we can to ensure that those guns are placed only in safe and capable hands.
In the case of the Newtown shootings, however, the damage was done by someone who did not purchase the guns but instead simply had them in the house. In this case, it is tough to combat such an incident from happening. The only answer is better gun and mental health education. Parents and teachers need to let their children know the consequences that are associated with guns. Parent need to be counseled to look for signs of mental illness in their children and to act upon it, no matter how difficult it maybe.
In the months after such a horrific tragedy, we are all so quick to scream and argue with each other over what is right to do. But this only leads to a stalemate that ends in more lost lives.
What America has in place now is not working. Everyone should welcome change at this point because there is no guarantee that it will not be you or a loved one involved in the next massacre. Maybe we should take a page out of Chris Rock’s book and charge $5,000 for a bullet.
Guns are inanimate objects. They cannot ‘do’ anything without someone pulling the trigger. A six shot revolver can cause a ‘massacre’ too, you know. The fact of the matter is, these so called ‘assault rifles’ use centuries old technologies and there are MILLIONS of them in the country right now. Nearly all of these are owned by LAW-ABIDING US CITIZENS with no records.
These rifles cause less than 1% of all homicides in the U.S.
You’re talking about ‘saving the children’ from these assault rifles?? Its cheap, small handguns that account for most of the fatalities. And MOST of those fatalities are from drug or gang related violence! Are you going to take EVERYONE’S pistols away from them? You going to take my 90 lb, 78-year old grandmother’s rifle and pistol from her because punks and mental midgets misuse them? You’re going to take her defense against the 190 lb felon who’s spent the last 5 years in prison for assault or rape, who’s done nothing but work out and who the JUSTICE SYSTEM just released?
Hippocrates. You talk about saving lives when drunk drivers kill more people yearly. More children die from abortions and you think you’re ‘doing good.’ “But no one needs assault rifles!” Know what? No one needs alcohol either. No one needs cars that have 500 horsepower.
I, for one, am glad we have a Bill of Rights, and not a Bill of Needs. Fact of the matter is, I, my grandmother, my friends, all have AR15’s and similar weapons because they are the most effective way to fight any aggressors (whether ONE or TEN!) who would come into our homes and do us harm. You want ‘compromise’ and change? Stop trying to punish lawful citizens and you might get more cooperation from us.
Guns are inanimate objects. They cannot ‘do’ anything without someone pulling the trigger. A six shot revolver can cause a ‘massacre’ too, you know. The fact of the matter is, these so called ‘assault rifles’ use centuries old technologies and there are MILLIONS of them in the country right now. Nearly all of these are owned by LAW-ABIDING US CITIZENS with no records.
These rifles cause less than 1% of all homicides in the U.S.
You’re talking about ‘saving the children’ from these assault rifles?? Its cheap, small handguns that account for most of the fatalities. And MOST of those fatalities are from drug or gang related violence! Are you going to take EVERYONE’S pistols away from them? You going to take my 90 lb, 78-year old grandmother’s rifle and pistol from her because punks and mental midgets misuse them? You’re going to take her defense against the 190 lb felon who’s spent the last 5 years in prison for assault or rape, who’s done nothing but work out and who the JUSTICE SYSTEM just released?
Hippocrates. You talk about saving lives when drunk drivers kill more people yearly. More children die from abortions and you think you’re ‘doing good.’ “But no one needs assault rifles!” Know what? No one needs alcohol either. No one needs cars that have 500 horsepower.
I, for one, am glad we have a Bill of Rights, and not a Bill of Needs. Fact of the matter is, I, my grandmother, my friends, all have AR15’s and similar weapons because they are the most effective way to fight any aggressors (whether ONE or TEN!) who would come into our homes and do us harm. You want ‘compromise’ and change? Stop trying to punish lawful citizens and you might get more cooperation from us.