27. That is the horrific number of victims from the brutal attacks that could have been prevented if it weren’t for the Second Amendment that America’s forefathers thought was necessary to include within the Bill of Rights.
After the events that occurred on Dec. 14, a change within the United States constitution must be put into place and it must be put into place soon.
“They [shooters] have mental issues and have something lingering inside them,” paraprofessional Donna Beaman said. “You can’t really stop it, they need to make the gun laws stricter.”
For some reason, the law has stuck around for over two centuries, but according to an ABC statistic, roughly three people get killed per minute and 83 a day due to the use of guns. This is truly ridiculous and the problem is getting larger. Over the years, people with mental disabilities have been capable of accessing firearms in the easiest of ways. All it takes is passing a few tests in order to buy a gun, if not more.
In the case of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting which took place in Newtown, CT (just an hour and a half away from Whitestone and Flushing), the man that shot all of the innocent children owned three assault rifles which had several magazines that could have killed well more than the amount of people that are sadly deceased. The problem is increasing as people in the United States are 20 times as likely to be killed by guns than citizens in other developed countries, according to an article in the Washington Post.
20 children being killed is just unbelievable. The President of the United States, the Commander in Chief, who has dealt with all types of horrific situations was tearing up on national television for pete’s sake. That just shows the severity of the problem. The solution is simple: place a ban on firearms.
“I think it’s a step in the right direction, but outright banning them would be too difficult,” English teacher Mr. Cross said.
The ban has the possibility of causing a situation similar to what happened with the prohibition laws in the early 1900’s with alcohol, but with modern-day security, that will be less likely to happen. Though thousands of jobs will probably be lost due to events such as this one, it would be worth it. If not, then Americans will continue to witness such events which devastate even those not affected by it on a personal standpoint.
But, instead of banning these weapons altogether and avoiding the loss of thousands of jobs, giving people a psychiatric test before they maintain a weapon of such sort should be mandated immediately. According to the Journalist Resource, homicides are the cause of at least 15,000 lost lives a year.
“The National Instant Criminal Background Check System, or NICS, is all about saving lives and protecting people from harm—by not letting guns and explosives fall into the wrong hands. It also ensures the timely transfer of firearms to eligible gun buyers,” according to the FBI website as the statement can be considered to be hypocritical with the events that have occurred over the past few decades.
The way guns are controlled throughout the country is truly unbearable. Groups across the nation, as well as politicians, are attempting to change the ways which guns are purchased. It is simply too easy for citizens to buy armed weapons throughout the nation as there are over 80 million gun owners across the country, according to the NRA. The number is by far too large. All it takes is one person to purchase a gun, and a few missiles to ruin a life. Gaining access of these weapons is rather easy especially at gun shows where private owners don’t even request for a tax or paperwork once they buy the weapons. It’s just truly amazing how congress allows this to occur.
Young people getting killed by guns is just unbelievable. With the events that occurred in Newtown, CT, parents are worried just to enable their children to go to school. This isn’t how Americans should live and it needs to come to an end. If the world ends, maybe it would be a good thing. Getting killed by nature is better than being shot by a psychopath.
