Jose Cruz

Background
It was Tuesday, April 20, 1999 at 11:19 AM when the dreadful violence began. Beginning with shooting Rachael Scott in the back, the students and staff of Columbine High School suffered 49 minutes of terror and death. A total of 12 killed and 22 injured because of the violence two students had unleashed on the society they wanted to destroy. These two perpetrators were Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, two high school students with prior psychological problems and juvenile detention. These two armed themselves with two 9mm pistols, two shotguns, and a rifle. These two minors purchased these weapons and successfully achieved the massacre.
Another grave incident occurred recently. In 2007, a student named Seung-Hui Cho arrived at Virginia Tech early. He would be allowed into West Amber Johnston Hall(a coed residence hall) after 7:30 AM. He was able to enter the building before 7:15. The carnage began to unfold from here. Two student were shot and killed when Cho arrived to the dormitory. From there he went to his room, and proceeded to delete his email and any information he had and took out the hard drive. Two hours later he mailed a package to NBC news headquarters. Then grabbed his bag, which contained chains locks, a hammer, a knife and ammunition and left to his next targeted area. When he arrived, Cho chained the three main doors of the Norris Hall shut. He also placed a note on one of them stating that if the chains were tampered with, a bomb would be set off. Then he checked various rooms and let the second stage of his assault begin. A total of 32 people, college students and professors, died and many were injured. This incident similar to Columbine because of symptoms of mental disorders and distress.
Through the history of the United States of America, these were two of the most violent massacres also noted with The Bath School Disaster and The University of Texas Massacre. Gun control could seemingly have affected the course of these events significantly.
Gun control is a topic which has been debated for many years. Both sides of the argument fight for the right to have gun control or not. This gun control being the act controlling the distribution of firearms so that they do not fall into the hands of people that may use them incorrectly. The government and organizations such as the NRA dispute the validity of gun control and the right to have it. With this lives can be saved without it many cannot be so sure.
Opposition
Organizations like the NRA fight for the lessening of gun control here you are, driving late at night through a rain storm and you pass over a slick strip of the road and you lose control of your vehicle. Things may fly through your mind about your family. What if I told you there might be a way to either avoid a collision or at least survive to see your family. There is a way to survive. Defensive driving can save your life in many situations, such as hydroplaning, driving through snow, or driving through dirt or soft sand. The information that follows can save your life. Hydroplaning occurs when one drives over road that has a layer of water on it. The water doesn't allow friction between the tires and the road to occur. Immediately the car will lose traction with the road and begin slide and sometimes spin in a direction based on the direction of the cars momentum. Many people will immediately step on the brake. Currently with many cars having anti lock brakes, this is not a serious problem. Still, a many cars still have brakes that lock up. If someone happens to step on the brakes and they lock up while hydroplaning, There is no way to stop the car. This means that the only way to stop is by colliding with another object. This object may be a building or another car, leading to injury and sometimes death. It also makes the vehicle more difficult to handle. One must always remember that hitting the brakes is a terrible idea. Keep your foot away from it. One must immediately counter steer the car or turn the wheel in the same direction as the rear wheels are traveling. This will eventually cause the sliding to stop. Crisis averted. Driving in snow may be difficult for many people, especially those who live in southern states. Snow builds up on roads, and with sub-freezing temperatures, the ice will not melt and will remain on the roads. Because of this build up there is little friction on the roads. Losing control of your vehicle is highly likely in these conditions. Quite similar to hydroplaning, one must not place one's foot on the brake. As stated before, it makes the vehicle even more difficult to control. Counter steering is helpful in this situation as well. The vehicle will hopefully begin to slow down. Due to the situation and probable large amount of ice build up on the roads, it will take much more time to gain traction with the tires and stop the car but following the steps above will give one a higher chance for survival. Another key part of surviving is remaining calm. With two other situations, the final is driving through dirt. Many roads in America are still not paved. Driving through these places may be tricky. Some cars have 4 wheel driving which allows an easier experience on these roads. Still many cars to not have this. On soft sand, cars can get stuck or one may even collide with a tree. One must constantly be ready to hit the brake here. By pulsating the gas slightly, one can safely get through sand. One must make sure not to hit the gas too much or too hard because it may make the car move sideways leaving one with little control of the vehicles movements. This will make it very difficult to not collide with something, costing you great deals of money in repairs and possibly injuries as well. In conclusion, defensive driving can help you as you drive in difficult situations. In the paragraphs above, there are three particular situations that many people with face during their lives. The most common that many will face will be hydroplaning. This is because it rains everywhere on the planet. The second one stated in this article is driving through ice and snow. This is the most difficult situation in this article due to the far greater lack of control than the other two situations stated. Still, driving through ice and snow is similar to hydroplaning and follows similar instructions. The final situation is driving through dirt. This can lead to costly repairs due to collisions if not handled with caution. IF one follows the steps above, One can survive these situations without injury and repair.