If at some point reading this you feel angry, frustrated, or unsettled, then it means I am doing something right, and you are listening.
We are back to the same debate. Two words are currently ringing throughout America: gun control. With the recent school shooting on Feb. 14 in Parkland, Florida, members on both sides of the debate are back to the same heated argument about what we should or should not do. After having to watch and listen to these asinine excuses time and time again, I have to admit that I am tired. I am tired of seeing innocent people killed because our government cannot seem to act in any impactful way to help people. So today, I hope to break apart some misconceptions about gun control and gun violence, and offer my thoughts on the potential actions we should take as a people.
First and foremost, guns are meant to kill. There is no way to circumvent this or to undermine this. The fact remains: the original intent of guns is to kill. Trying to sell your AR-15 as a “sporting rifle” shows a lack of understanding and responsibility on your behalf. The second misconception is the purpose of gun control. No, the government is not coming to take your guns. That would violate the second amendment. Even if it technically did not, it would be a near impossible task to enforce taking away firearms from the American population. But while gun control does not mean that the government is going to take your guns, it does mean you that you do not need a 30-plus bullet capacity clip.
The excuse that “I need it to protect myself from the government” is a lame excuse, and one that bares very little logical standing. If the government decided to overrun the mass population, do you really think your modified AR-15 would protect you from the military? It makes no sense whatsoever. The other argument of “well, I need it for home defense” barely stands either. In terms of home defense, you should only need 8-10 rounds to defend yourself, this being the average clip size for a civilian class handgun.
The final point is more of a critique of politicians in terms of gun control, namely Republicans. I speak from a conservative point of view, and I must fully admit my frustration with my party’s inept ability to act upon the actions of the Sandy Hook and Parkland shootings. As a conservative, one of the largest values is the idea to conserve. This manifests itself in multiple forms, one of the most important being the conservation of life. With this in mind, why has it taken this long to come up with any effective actions? I recognize that gun control is a complex issue, but I am astounded by the Republican lack of action, and their narrative consisting of “thoughts and prayers.”
I cannot offer any quick fix solutions. The problem with systemic gun violence is that it has deep roots in our history. But I do have some ideas for change. I believe we should invest in registration of firearms. This is simple logic. If you have to register to have a car, then you should definitely have to register to have a gun. Unfortunately, not all states require this, and while I agree with less federal government handling in certain issues, I feel strongly that this is an issue that warrants federal concern and action.
The second action is the ban of large clips, preferably capping the maximum clip size at 15 shots. This has the potential to prevent mass shooters from unloading mass amounts of ammo onto a population. This would require any attempted killer to reload, thus allowing time for law enforcement to react quickly and precisely.
The final change is an attack on the black market. Unfortunately, this is harder than it sounds, but I do believe it is possible. Many of the weapons used in mass shootings were obtained illegally, with an exemption being the Oct. 1, 2017 Las Vegas shooting, which affected the Route 91 Harvest Music festival. These are not quick solutions, nor the only actions that could be taken. But it hurts my heart to see innocent people, innocent children die because our politicians are too worried about public image or funding from groups such as the NRA to take action against these atrocities. I have had enough death and gun violence in the United States. Have you?
