Anyone who has watched the news within the last year is most likely familiar with the wave of violence the nation has endured. Between the Aurora, Colorado movie theater massacre, the Sikh temple shooting, and the recent Sandy Hook events, mass violence has become all too common.
As the nation attempts to move on in the wake of these tragedies, the focus is beginning to shift away from the actual event to what can legally be done to prevent it from happening again. Between heated opinions, statements from the National Rifle Association (NRA), and constant conversation about it, the country has become enthralled in the pending debate about gun control.
“ The only way to stop a bad guy with a gun is with a good guy with a gun.”
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During a speech made one week after the Newtown shooting, NRA Executive Vice President Wayne LaPierre stated this as one way to prevent future outbreaks of violence. Though some believed his speech as a whole was effective, as with any other debate, many disagreed with the NRA, who strive to protect the second amendment’s right to keep and bear arms, and are calling to President Obama to make a change.
It seems as if the conversation is at a standstill as both sides of the debate push to either keep or change the current gun legislation. However, one University of Maryland student has formed a solution that works as a happy medium amongst both sides of the controversial gun control debate.
Freshman theater major Rachel Grandizio explained, “ I’m a firm believer in our second amendment, however I think that if more restrictions are added, such as the type of guns that are accessible to the public or how long someone has to wait to be approved to get guns and etc. are fine. Restrictions are fine as long as people can still have access to them for protection. So kind of a happy medium.”
Though Grandizio’s plan for gun legislation would begin to accommodate both sides of the gun control debate, the government may have trouble applying such laws throughout the country. Most states are inconsistent with how strict their gun laws are. While some allow citizens to freely purchase weapons, others require permits and registration for almost every weapon that can be purchased. For example, New York and Massachusetts are hand-in-hand as the two states with strictest gun control laws. In both states, a permit is needed to own a hand- gun.
Though New York and Massachusetts are strict in their gun laws, other states sing a different tune. For example, in Alaska, Arizona, Vermont, and Wyoming, it is legal to carry a concealed weapon without a permit. In Florida and Georgia, licenses are not required to purchase both long guns and hand guns.
In a world of impending violence where mass shootings are becoming the new normal in the news world, the gun control debate is becoming more relevant than ever. As the battle continues over whether or not new legislation will be made, the nation will wait to see what the country has in store next.
Photo Credit: DavidKDonovan