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To Ban or Not to Ban

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Submitted By dawncbranscombe
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Dawn Branscombe
21st Century Skills: Critical Thinking and Problem Solving
March 20, 2016
Chip Hellman
To Ban or Not to Ban
With gun violence on the rise, some lawmakers have decided to argue for the banning of guns. (Vizzard, 2015) Over the years, there have been many arguments between citizens and lawmakers whether to ban guns or not. With mass shootings in Virginia, Colorado, Connecticut, and Arizona in recent years, the argument has been brought back to the surface. However, still no gun control legislation has been passed (Vizzard, 2015). The second amendment states individuals have the right to bear arms (Sipf, 2015) protecting themselves from harm. The right to bear arms is a constitutional right; legally protecting oneself should be the right of every living person, and should not be taken away.
The second amendment was set in a time very different from current days. There were no school shootings, no gang activity, and there were no movie theaters for a person to walk into and start shooting. The gun policy has not changed in decades, with that, does the second amendment still apply. In 1993, both the Brady Handgun Prevention Act (commonly termed the Brady Law) which had expired in 2004 and federal assault weapon restrictions laws were passed, since then little impact has been seen. (Vizzard, 2015) After a group of mass shootings happened around the United States, a few of the states have “placed additional restrictions on magazine capacities of semi-automatic firearms” (Vizzard, 2015) in attempt to hinder the ability to cause the inevitable carnage. Many unsuccessful bills have been through congress throughout the years. However, no significant new legislation has made it through, setting the stage for pro-gun organizations to increase (Vizzard, 2015)
The feeling of fear and vulnerability having a gun pointed right at you, and not being able to defend yourself, having a bad person with a gun pointing that gun right in your face. For example, in August 2012 a person carrying three different types of guns walked into a movie theater injuring 58 and killing 3 people. (Kim, 2013) With your own gun, you would be able to protect yourself, without your own gun there is a higher chance you could get hurt or even die. Walter Kim also states “horror and panic themselves are forms of violence, and diminishing them, restricting their dimensions is itself a civilizing act.” (Kim, 2013) With stricter gun laws or even the banning of guns, how would one protect themselves? Following the law as it is now, obtaining the proper license, filing the background check, and waiting the mandatory waiting period for the purchase of a gun should be enough. Although, there are people who do not follow the proper steps buying and selling guns, using guns in crimes and causes the problems for the people who have followed the proper steps. Those people are the criminals; it is not the gun, which is the criminal.
Being able to protect one’s self and their family should be the right of every living human. Protecting and harming are two different things entirely, being prepared, understanding how to use a gun, when to use a gun, those are things one needs to understand before owning a gun. Subtle changes in a gun owner’s reflexes and neural pathways happen over time like a heightened awareness. (Kim, 2013) Guns like the Bushmaster and similar military designed guns should be banned; however, guns similar to shotguns, and handguns should be allowed. Most people with the proper training and understanding would be able to handle a gun. There are those with mental issues. The people with mental issues are the people that are responsible for the tragedies like Sandy Hook, and Columbine, along with illegally obtaining the weapons. Fighting to find the illegally guns rather than banning the legal ones, should be the priority.
Banning guns may not be the right answer, but what is? A state senate committee voted in February to allow gun owners to open carry. Other bills on the table are to allow concealed permit on college campus. (Etter, 2015) The second amendment does say we have the right to bear arms, however that also gives the criminals the right to bear arm. Is the answer more in-depth background checks or is it just with better understanding and proper training a gun owner will be able to protect them self and the people around them. It is the person, who stood behind the gun, and fired it; the gun did not walk into the situation by itself. We as humans have the right to legally protect ourselves, and that right should not be taken away.

References
Etter, L. (2015). An Open War Over Gun Rights Erupts in Texas. Business Week, (4416), 27-28. https://lopes.idm.oclc.org/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=bth&AN=101092159&site=eds-live&scope=site Kirn, W. (2013). I’ve Owned Six Guns I’ve Drawn Them on Bad Guys I Want to be Understood. New Republic, 244(1), 30-35. https://lopes.idm.oclc.org/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=edb&AN=85150628&site=eds-live&scope=site Sipf, M. (2015). Constitution Law—Second Amendment Right to Bear Arms—Valid Constitutional Restrictions on the Right to Bear Arms. Tennessee Law Review, 82(3), 715-744. https://lopes.idm.oclc.org/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ofs&AN=110916414&site=eds-live&scope=site
Vizzard, W. J. (2015). The Current and Future State of Gun Policy in the United States. Journal Of Criminal Law & Criminology, 104(4), 879-904
https://lopes.idm.oclc.org/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ofs&AN=110668173&site=eds-live&scope=site

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