Gun Control

With the most recent tragedy in Arizona, there has been an increased amount of talk in the media and the general population for stricter gun laws. What amazes me, is how many people are against having stricter laws that prevent people from owning a weapon that could result in the mass shootings we have recently seen in Arizona and instances as the Virginia Tech shootings. It truly baffles me that people are screaming that their constitutional rights will be violated if stricter laws are enacted. The Consitution is a sound document in many aspects, but also very outdated as pertaining to the America we live in today.

When America was being born, owning a gun or the “right to bear arms” was pretty much essential as Americans needed guns literally to survive. Hunting for food and with very few laws in place for criminal behavior the right to bear arms was logical. I am pretty sure our founding fathers had no clue what America would be like today and the dire consequences of right to bear arms with no control. The drafters of the Constitution did not consider mental health issues, people with violent criminal and mental histories, nor did they consider gang warfare as none of these issues were in the forefront of their America.

Today, however, all of those issues are in our America and we see it constantly in the media of gun violence in our country. I have heard this quote over and over that “people kill people guns don’t kill people.” Well in some aspects that quote is true but stricter gun laws would prevent people from killing people. Gun control should be a Federal mandate and not one left to the states. All people wanting to bear arms should have a thorough criminal background check and mental health examination. If the young man in Arizona had a mental health examination, chances are he would not have been able to walk into the store he did and purchase a gun. If you have no violent criminal record and are mentally sane, I do not understand why anyone would be opposed to stricter gun laws? In the end it protects you as much as it protects everyone living in this country. Honestly ask yourself that if someone is bi-polar and not taking medications wants to buy a gun just because he has the right too under the Constitution you would feel comfortable with that? I for one am not.

There is no question that stricter gun laws is a total political issue and the chances that our country will get stricter laws won’t happen any time soon. The NRA (National Rifle Association) lines the Republicans pockets with donations and most recently came out in supporting the Tea Party movement. The scary part of all of this is, that as more and more people become more distressed with the government whether it be Republicans or Democrats in Washington, we see more and more militant groups popping up and rogue people like the young man in Arizona taking the law in their own hands and killing people.

I am not saying that Americans should lose their right to bear arms; what I am saying is that we have to have stricter laws mandating owning a gun. As I stated before criminal background checks, mental health examinations and even training classes on how to use a gun before one can be purchased. Keeping guns out of the mentally ills’ hands is a win win situation for all of us and really could have prevented many deaths that our country has seen over the years.