Justin Raver Mrs. Gallos English 3 Honors 29 March 2018 Gun Violence: Should there be Age Restrictions on Guns? The questions surrounding gun control and age restrictions have heated up in recent weeks, and have been asked for years. Should the age requirement for guns be raised? Will the increase create a safer society or just cause an uproar and conflict? Everyone wants a safer community to live in, and keeping guns out of the hands of dangerous people is the number one goal. The policies that have been proposed to accomplish this have been diverse and debated. Two sides have formed on a specific procedure to lower the gun violence: those who want age restrictions on guns to keep them out of the hands of the younger generation …show more content…
Supporters of the age restriction increases believe that the young people are not able to fully grasp the importance of the safety when handling guns. According to The Washington Post, “... there are both cognitive and physical limitations in children that make it more difficult for children to understand and apply rules they are taught…” (In 30 States). This shows that while young may be taught the correct procedures and safety of guns, they are not able to fully understand and use the safety instructions. With this information, people argue that this may be a source of the issue. Many accidental deaths happen each year by guns in the hands of people who do not know gun safety. People are concerned that the amount of guns available have allowed gun violence to run rampant throughout the United States. An estimation of the amount of people in the U.S. shot each year is staggering, “The Brady Campaign to Prevent Violence estimates that around 144,994 people are shot each year in the U.S.” (8 Facts). This data shows that thousands each year are shot in the United States, which includes the deaths of those killed each year. According to the supporters of more age restrictions, the new laws will take some of the guns off the streets and decrease the amount of gun …show more content…
Opponents of the age restrictions believe that by increasing the age required to purchase and own guns, it violated a basic right held by all Americans. A belief held by these people is, “On the other side of the debate, lawmakers… opposed the new law, saying it trampled on Second Amendment rights” (Mazzei, Patricia). The Second Amendment gives the right to all people in the United States to bear arms (guns) and by increasing the age to purchase and own guns, the law would not allow 18- to 20-years-olds to arm themselves. This would violate the basic right of all the legal and law abiding citizens that fall within this age category, who are adults in the United States. By preventing them from getting the weapons and guns they wanted, these people will not be able to protect themselves from criminals and murderers with
In order for citizens to buy guns, they must pass a background check, photo license I.D., and a gun safety test. All guns must have a mandatory child safety lock to prevent any injuries or death. In the U.S. alone, there are more than 10,00 gun homicides and more than 20,00 people are killed by firearms each year. My party finds that it is unlawful for kids age 3 to 10 to be given a handgun, whether it’s for hunting or protection. Children mostly in the age range of 5 to 14 are 17 times more likely to be murdered by firearms than children in other industrial nations.
How much more bloodshed will it take before we make a change? First of all, there must be more rules on who may purchase a gun. Those that are juvenile or mentally disabled may not have the capacity to realize the consequences of their actions. We are considered adults at age 18, but multiple sources agree that the brain is not fully mature until 25. We can’t always make good decisions with under-developed brains.
Gun violence is a constant problem in the United States of America. It has affected society and out youth negatively in the past and will continue to affect the country as a whole if nothing is done about it. The country is in mourning due to the recent influx of gun violence related crimes. There are common-sense reforms that either side can agree on. These include improvements to backgrounds checks, revisions of the Second Amendment that accommodate the modern innovations to firearms and reinstating the Center for Disease Control's research on gun violence.
Gun control has been a controversial issue for many years. Many citizens believe that if gun control is strictly enforced it would reduce the threat of crime. People have the right to bear arms for protection, or even just the pleasure of hunting and recreational activity. With the recent events involving firearms and mass shootings, people are skeptical whether to increase or decrease gun laws. Americans have a constitutional right to own handguns and stricter laws and licensing will not effectively save lives.
According to the CDC, “Guns are responsible for over thirty-three thousand deaths in the United States annually. Gun Control is a set of laws that controls the use of guns by civilians. The Gun Control Act was signed as October 22, 1968 but was updated in 1993. As of February 23, 2018 seventy percent of people favor stricter gun laws and twenty-seven oppose of them. I believe that the Gun Control Laws should be stricter here around the United States because almost everyday something bad is happening by the use of a gun.
On, February 14, 2018, a mass school shooting in Florida got the nation’s attention, however, gun violence has always been an issue, and it is only getting worse. Now people are saying there needs to be something done, and there are many that agree. Starting off there should be stricter gun laws, because in today’s world it is too easy to get handguns and assault rifles. With, the capabilities a firearm holds, such as taking people’s lives there must be stricter restrictions that could help cut down the gun violence and save lives. Increasing the age of purchasing a firearm would be one step.
Gun Laws in American have greatly evolved in recent years but unfortunately guns are still a colossal issue in today’s society. When the issues related to current gun laws are addressed, one common response from current gun law supporters is, Guns do not kill people, people would kill and hurt other people regardless of being able to easily access a firearm. Although everyone is responsible for their actions, easily accessible guns make it much more tempting for an already mentally unhealthy, violent person to be pushed further in a negative, harmful direction. Some of the major issues relating to guns being easily accessible due to insufficient gun laws include higher rates of homicide, suicide, as well as a negative effect on adolescence
Gun Control Debate Jake Novak, in an article for CNBC titled, “Gun control isn’t the answer. We already know how to stop the violence,” gives his opinion regarding the controversial issue of gun control. Novak argues that gun control is not the answer to rising gun violence but that proper enforcement of the law would go a long way in reducing the cases of gun violence in America. He states, “We actually solved the issue of rising gun violence in America in the mid-1990’s and again in the early 2000’s by doing something radical. We enforced the law” (Novak 28).
Alexis Clarke Professor Frank English 110 29 October 2015 Gun Control Will Not Eliminate Crime The big issue of gun control in the United States, is that many people believe that it takes away the 2nd Amendment rights, which is the right to bear arms. Citizens of the United States are promised the the right to bear arms in the Constitution, and by applying gun control laws takes away that same right. Crime is high enough in cities with very few laws pertaining to gun control, but taking guns away from people who are registered with license will not solve the problem either. Placing more limitations on gun owners, particularly responsible gun owners, will not reduce gun violence.
The use of and the owning of guns is a very hot and debated topic in society today. For many, this is a life and death debate due to the recent and numerous school shootings. These school shootings have caused an outcry for more gun control, specifically in relation to the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting. Despite these calls, increased gun control is not the answer. Most gun owners’ use their guns responsibly and for good purposes.
Gun Control in America Gun control in America is a highly debated subject. James Wilson speaks against gun control in his article “Gun Control Isn’t the Answer”. Gun laws need to be more restricted. Gun control reform is needed to safeguard children and prevent access to those with mental illness and a criminal background. Wilson talks about the shooting at Virginia Tech using it as a platform to talk about people not weapons being responsible for the tragedy.
Much of the violent activity that happens in young people are attributed to youth gangs from poor society and inner-city neighborhoods. Easy access to guns can cause violence and threat more common in drug dealing, and gang fights (Lane, 104). Thus, it is necessary to have greater restriction on gun ownership and use, which would lead to a peaceful environment and reduced gun deaths and crimes in the
This paper also provides an interesting solution to gun violence; instead of already proven ineffective gun control laws, these authors suggest looking at why these laws are ineffective. Planty, Michael, and Jennifer
Gun Control On February 14, 2018 seventeen innocent people were shot and killed at a school in Parkland Florida. The shooter being over the age of eighteen, legally purchased the gun that caused this massacre, back in February of 2017. The federal law states, anyone with a clean criminal record over the age of eighteen can legally purchase a gun. This brings people to wonder, is our gun control enough?
Everyday in the United States, ninety families are changed forever; guns claim an average of ninety lives every day in the United States, 33,000 lives in a single year. Gun control has been a debate in the United States for many years and is constantly thrusted back into the public’s attention by horrific shootings. These shootings constantly cause individuals to petition the government to place stricter and stricter regulations of guns. However, these policies cannot be the solution to this problem. To determine a solution that will be both effective and constitutional, we must look at statistics and research that has been conducted to determine the best course of action.