Gun Control Editorial
Autor: Nathaniel Flowers • February 29, 2016 • Essay • 625 Words (3 Pages) • 1,030 Views
Gun Control Editorial Article
Learning team ‘C’
PHL/458
February 22, 2016
Xochitl Vallejo, Instructor
Stronger gun control laws
Think back to the last time you watched the news, was there any stories related to improper or illegal use of guns? Across the United States, there is crimes involving guns on a daily if now hourly basis. With gun violence becoming such a common crime, why are there not stronger gun laws being put into place? Why is it easy not only for criminals, but anyone to get their hands on guns?
Most people would assume that the majority of criminals receive guns from stealing them from licensed owners but it’s not so. Others assume that criminals receive guns mostly from licensed stores who don’t do background checks but this is also not the case. Most criminals receive the guns from a gun owner gifting or selling a weapon that they purchase legally to a person who could not get it legally or would not want to wait to get it legally.
In April of 1999, the deadliest school shooting occurred, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold killed 12 students, 1 teacher, injured 21 students before turning the gun on themselves. Surprising enough, these guns were not stolen, they were purchased through acquaintances who had recently visited a local gun show.
Even if gun control laws are tightened, in reality, will this really force criminals to obey the law? Criminals are already criminals because they broke the law. Criminals will find a way to get what they want, they will still continue to purchase them underground illegally, they will still steal them, and they will still trade for them. Just because it is made a law, doesn’t mean the law will be obeyed.
The argument that criminals break laws and would likely not follow any new law on gun control is a sound argument. However most of the laws we create are not based on whether or not someone would continue to do something if it were against the law or not. The law would be there to punish those who break the law. Law makers aren’t sitting around saying to themselves “Kids drink beer and drive anyway, let’s make it legal!!” Drinking and driving is illegal so that when you do catch a person breaking the law you can enforce the law and stop them from breaking it. The same can be said about a number of laws against smoking, marijuana, and drug use etc.
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