Americans love their guns or at least that is what our laws would have you and I and the rest of the world believe. Gun violence has reached a fever pitch and it seems like the situation is getting worse before it will get any better.
On one of his many gun-related violence speeches, Obama confessed that he didn’t want to have to give another one of these speeches, alluding to the need for comprehensive gun control legislation. However, the NRA’s very real grasp founded on fallacious claims is strong and their lobbying and influence even stronger. Their fanatic and fascist upholding of the Second Amendment doesn’t bring the freedom that they so fervently and boisterously claim that it does. It actually endangers the lives of so many people and violates the famous quote from the Declaration of Independence, the “pursuit of happiness”.
One of the NRA and its supporters’ main claims is that guns don’t kill people, bad people do. That’s true, but the case against gun violence is not about the guns themselves, its not about ridding the US of guns. It’s about keeping our Constitutionally-sanctioned arms away from the bad people. That seems simple enough, right? All we need to do is find the bad people and keep the guns out of their reach. The question then emerges: “How do we determine who is bad?”. That is the million dollar question and one that is not simple to answer. However, just because our generation is posed with a difficult question doesn’t mean that we should just skip it and go on to the easier questions; which is simply what the NRA and their supporters seems to be doing.
We can start determining who is “bad” by doing thorough background checks à la credit checks or credit card transactions. If you have bad credit or not enough funds, you’re immediately flagged and you cannot make the purchase. Bad people should be flagged and never allowed to own guns. Too harsh? Well, guess what? If you’re a convicted murderer, rapist, known terrorist, have history of mental illness or violence you don’t get to use a gun. Period. If the US government doesn’t allow you to fly on an airplane, then you probably shouldn’t be allowed to own a gun. Possession and ownership of a gun is technically a right, but the fundamental right to freely pursue joy and live life in a way that makes you happy, as long as you don’t do anything illegal or violate the rights of others is greater. In other words, gun laws will limit the way guns are distributed in this country, but it will ultimately make our citizens safer and happier.
To be quite honest, I think that the burden of responsibility of drafting comprehensive gun laws should fall on the States and not solely on the Federal government. There are states where guns are treated as tools, for hunting or sport. However, if you live in a major city or a town where the police can reach you within a 10 minute window of time, I don’t think you need a gun. Cops are already too trigger happy as it is. Last time I checked, the only thing you can shoot in a city or town is another person. With that said, most people purchase guns to kill other people. That thought alone shakes me to my very core.
Jose Oseguera 