Based on the recent events that occurred in a public school in Florida, I strongly believe that gun control is one of the most important things our nation is deprived of. Across the country, there have been walkouts, protests, and confrontation of Congressmen in an effort to seek change. During the two months of 2018 alone, there have been 18 school shootings. Yet we still see Congressmen only claiming to, for instance, raise the age to 21 instead of 18 in order to purchase a gun. I, for one, do not see this as progressive as some may hope.
(Photo by xandtor on Unsplash)
Yes, this claim could drastically impact our nation’s gun-related death statistic if this is put into action. But that’s just the thing IF it’s put into action. We know politicians have a history of running their mouths for votes. How do we not know Rubio is doing the same?
Let’s take our current president for example. One of his largest campaign promises was to build a wall between the United States and Mexico and have Mexico pay for it. Granted, Mexico laughed in Trump’s face upon hearing this, but Donald Trump has yet to go through with, or even mention, one of his largest promises. Who’s to say this wasn’t a tactic to get votes?
I can say with confidence that I believe gun control is something essential to this nation’s well being based on the events that have taken place over the past 3 years in this country. Limiting someone’s ability to receive guns legally could save hundreds of lives.
Something else that would save hundreds of lives from gun-related deaths would be to require background checks when purchasing a gun and applying for a license. To obtain a firearms license in the state of Georgia, you must be 21 or older and you only need to provide an ID, payment, and a self-addressed envelope if you want your license mailed to you. There is no process that determines whether or not you’re even capable of handling a gun! The media continuously makes claims about the shooters being “mentally ill”, and if this is genuinely something that is a problem amongst shooters, they need to undergo some psychiatric examination to rule those people out.
(Photo by David Levêque on Unsplash)
Something else that would greatly impact the number of gun-related deaths would be to take a gun-handling class before being able to purchase a gun or obtain a firearms license. Obtaining your driver’s license is something that requires driver’s ed, to ensure that you have a good understanding of how to drive because car accidents kill just as many people as gun-related incidents do each year. If we were required to take a gun-handling education class before purchasing a firearm or obtaining a license, this would help to eliminate the possibility of accidents, since people are more educated about how to use their gun.
Hundreds of people have lost their lives due to gun-related incidents, and something needs to be done to change this. The government has idly stood by and watched people die and still has done nothing. Anything to limit the accessibility of guns would be a progressive step in the right direction.