On October 1, 2015 the country awoke, unknowing of what tragedy the day would bring.
At 10:40 a.m.officers from the Douglas County Sheriff Department responded to the campus of Umpqua Community College in Roseburg, Oregon after dispatchers got a call that a gunman was on the loose and one female had already been shot. The shooter, Chris Harper-Mercer, 26, of a surrounding town brought to the school six legally owned guns, multiple magazines as well as a bulletproof vest. Anastasia Boylan, a student at the community college told family as Mercer loaded his handgun, he demanded all Christian students to take a stand. Shortly following, Mercer told those standing, "You're going to see God in just about one second." As he open fired.
By the end of the day, 10 people were reported to be dead and 7 more were injured.
President Obama responded to the tragedy saying, "We've become numb to this."
The shooting in Oregon was apart of the 296 mass shootings that have taken place in the United States in 2015 alone, according to a mass tracker. (Source) The large amount of mass shootings have sparked controversy throughout the nation all revolving around weaponry.
If we go back in time to the 1700's when the Amendments were created, the Second Amendment reads as, "A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed."
The Amendments states, without question, that guns cannot be taken away from American's, so why are gun control laws being proposed?
The Gun Control Act of 1968 was one of the first gun control proposals in the United Sates. It was enacted in order to keep firearms out of the hands of those who were incompetent, under the legal owning age or those who obtained a criminal background. The act was put in place after the assassination of President John F. Kennedy through mail order firearms to control the interstate shipment. The act was made to regulate imported guns, expand gun-dealer licencing, record gun-keeping requirements, and to place limitations on the sale of handguns.
Since then, presidents and government officials have tried to pass bills and legislation to ban, control and better regulate guns in the United States. President Obama, may have created the most controversial proposal for gun control yet. From the National Conference of State Legislatures website, President Obama's proposed gun laws are as follows:
- Require background checks to any American in the process of obtaining a weapon, as well as life the barrier of the health insurance and portability act so mental health can be considered.
- Create stricter laws to those who legally buy guns, then sell or distribute guns to those prohibited to own. Such as American's who are underage, not in proper mental health or those with a criminal background.
- Create harsher punishments for those who abuse or refuse to follow the law of obtaining a background check before getting a gun.
- Hire and provide additional tools to law enforcement who can patrol streets for illegal gun knowledge as well as provide training for active shooting emergencies.
- Ban military assault weapons and confine magazines to 10 rounds each.
- Help all schools invest in safety by hiring resource officers and counselors as well as calling for an emergency plan.
Surely there are part's of Obama's proposal that we can all agree with, such as creating an open entry for background checks to include mental health information as well as employing 14,000 new police officers and resource officers. I'm sure no one can argue that stricter punishments should be in place for those illegally obtaining and owning a gun, However, Obama's plan has many holes in it that American's and gun owners alike cannot agree to.
As he should, Obama has addressed every incident in which an American was killed unlawfully by a police officer. However, nor Obama or his administration have yet to address the uncalled for murders of police officers by citizens. Washington Post reports that many law enforcement officers believe this could be the cause of the recent violence against officers. Ronald T. Hosko, president of the Law Enforcement Legal Defense Fund told Washington Post, "Who is going to be the adult in the room to pull these groups together? Somebody needs to do it. I don’t see and hear from the president when a cop gets shot and killed.” (Source) It seems as though law enforcement isn't apart of Obama's agenda until he needs them.
Earlier I stated word for word the Second Amendment as it says, "A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed." Yet, government officials seem to be the only group of American's who read, "A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed, unless it is a military assault weapon or is a magazine carrying more than ten rounds." Banning what Obama categorizes as a military assault weapon or more then ten rounds infringes on the American gun owners rights. In terms of recent mass shootings, hand guns have proven over and over to be the choice of weapon, so why ban what is considered a military assault weapon when they are not concealable in the first place. Instead of banning a powerless gun, lets work on creating a safer gun environment by only allowing the mentally healthy become the power behind the trigger. Infringing on the rights of the citizens who have legally bought and passed a background check before obtaining their military assault weapon, will only cause an uproar across the nation.
The controversy surrounding weapons will forever remain a topic of discussion among the American people and among government officials. However, small changes could be made in order to keep the American citizens who legally own a weapon and pass a background check, content. Banning guns altogether will only work as well as anything else made illegal in America. Criminals will find a way to obtain their weapon while law abiding citizens will be left empty handed. In my opinion, every American should undergo a mental health screening before obtaining a weapon., as well as any mental illness being listed clearly on their background check, just as a criminal act would. Last but not least, it remains obvious that a law abiding citizen will go to any length to legally obtain a weapon. By not punishing them or infringing on their rights, government officials should create a nation wide punishment much harsher than what has ever been put in place to deter those from illegally obtaining a gun. It cannot be promised that doing this would turn America around completely, however it is a start.
Earlier I stated word for word the Second Amendment as it says, "A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed." Yet, government officials seem to be the only group of American's who read, "A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed, unless it is a military assault weapon or is a magazine carrying more than ten rounds." Banning what Obama categorizes as a military assault weapon or more then ten rounds infringes on the American gun owners rights. In terms of recent mass shootings, hand guns have proven over and over to be the choice of weapon, so why ban what is considered a military assault weapon when they are not concealable in the first place. Instead of banning a powerless gun, lets work on creating a safer gun environment by only allowing the mentally healthy become the power behind the trigger. Infringing on the rights of the citizens who have legally bought and passed a background check before obtaining their military assault weapon, will only cause an uproar across the nation.
The controversy surrounding weapons will forever remain a topic of discussion among the American people and among government officials. However, small changes could be made in order to keep the American citizens who legally own a weapon and pass a background check, content. Banning guns altogether will only work as well as anything else made illegal in America. Criminals will find a way to obtain their weapon while law abiding citizens will be left empty handed. In my opinion, every American should undergo a mental health screening before obtaining a weapon., as well as any mental illness being listed clearly on their background check, just as a criminal act would. Last but not least, it remains obvious that a law abiding citizen will go to any length to legally obtain a weapon. By not punishing them or infringing on their rights, government officials should create a nation wide punishment much harsher than what has ever been put in place to deter those from illegally obtaining a gun. It cannot be promised that doing this would turn America around completely, however it is a start.
Political cartoon by Wilham Warren, 2013
For American's for limited government
Sources:
http://www.ncsl.org/research/civil-and-criminal-justice/summary-president-obama-gun-proposals.aspx
http://usgovinfo.about.com/library/weekly/aa092699.htm
http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonkblog/wp/2015/10/01/2015-274-days-294-mass-shootings-hundreds-dead/
http://gun.laws.com/gun-laws
http://www.cnn.com/2015/10/01/us/oregon-college-shooting/index.html
https://www.cga.ct.gov/2012/rpt/2012-R-0345.htm
