Gun control means control. It meanscontrol for the government and the government starts with controlling thepeople. There are three different matters of gun control and why we should paymore attention to this issue. For instance, the problems guns cause, a few newways to enforce strict gun control, and how the new laws could help the safetyof our people. Guns aren’t necessarily the problem in America, but there are afew problems America does have and it needs to change.
Many deaths are caused by gunviolence. I am not one to speak up about my personal life. But, I wantedto express to you that any gun crime is as bad as any other. On August 7th of2002, one of my cousins was struck down in a senseless drive by shooting in LosAngeles, California. Just after 2 a.m, Shane Zotigh and a friend took a breakfrom their work to go to a convenience store.
It turned out that the shootershad a problem with the friend he was with. On that day he unknowingly, wasgoing to take a bullet for someone else. A man fired his weapon, with onebullet hitting him in the back and piercing an area near his heart. The gunmanand the people with him fled the scene, police said. Zotigh died about 3:05a.m. His slaying is one of six in Long Beach since Aug.
3 of the same year. Muchof the violence at that time seemed to be tied to rivalries between black andHispanic gangs, police said. Marander said the assailants were described asblack men who may have mistaken Zotigh for being Hispanic. The shooter’sverdict was not guilty.
My uncle, Ben Wolf said, “They’ve let a murdererloose, they want to make sure the criminal has all his rights protected,”Wolf said. “The system doesn’t work.” Years later, another tragedy happened. My cousin BenjaminZotigh, which was also Shane’s younger brother, lost his life.
I would have neverthought that I would be a victim of gun violence. The reason I am getting sopersonal, is because no one understands how awful these weapons can be untilyou witness something this terrible. On December 4th, of 2011, I had justgotten picked up from my friend’s house from around the corner by my father,and my cousin Benjamin. Afterwards, my father explained to me that we were onthe way to a family gathering, which was not an unusual thing at that time. Thehouse we were going to belonged to my cousin, Matt Dean. As I got there, a manthat I did not know arrived to the get together at the same time. His name wasJordan Heathcho, he carried himself well and no one had any complications withhim whatsoever.
In fact, my cousin Matt invited Heathco over as a friend. Inthe meantime, all the adults were sitting around the dinner table listening tomusic. As conversation went on, Jordan Heathco erratically pulled out asemi-automatic pistol and fired several times. Immediately, Matt Dean bravely gotthe gun from Heatcho’s hands.
It was truly unbelievable. The bullets from thegun sounded like fireworks being set off on the fourth of July. Benjamin KiethWagner Zotigh was shot multiple times. My brother and I were the first ones outof the house.
Soon after, I watched Heathco walk out of the house and driveaway. That same night he turned himself in saying, “I killed several people.” IfMatt Dean had not taken the gun away from Heathco, others could have lost theirlives as well. To beable to relate to the pain of gun violence is a terrible feeling.
Some peopleare able to say, “I could only imagine how the families that were involved inthe Las Vegas tragedy feel. Indeed, I know exactly how it feels to have afamily member snatched away. All gun tragedies feel the same. It all ends withthe same outcome. It is also possible to have fewer suicides if therewere stricter gun laws. Centers forDisease Control and Prevention data shows suicide with a gun is the most commonand by far the most deadly suicide method.
Just the availability and presenceof a gun in the home is a strong predictor of gun suicide. Limiting easy access to a gun for someone whoconsiders or even attempts suicide can literally be the difference between lifeand death. Moving forward,gun control laws need to be more advanced. TheUnited States actually have a good amount of laws already, but it could benefitus to really go into depth. We must take proactive steps to promote democracyand human rights abroad. To clarify, it is not to punish the responsible gunusers, but to provide safety for our people. Today we live in a world that isconsumed by the media. We have become ignorant to the fact of our secondamendment rights.
Many Americans do not realize their second amendment rights,the right to bear arms. In 1775, ourforefathers had a vision for our country, but the same thing applies today.Protect your family at all costs, and protect your government.It is in the best interest for our nationas a whole. Evil lurks when good people do nothing. We must have the right toprotect ourselves at any given moment.
It is a possibility to be invaded by anothercountry, it can happen as quickly as tomorrow. We must not lose that right. Whatwe discussed today is very important, not only to me, but to everyone in thiscountry. It is a fact and a right to our government. We must stand together anddefend our freedom our right of the 2nd amendment. Our forefathersestablished this amendment to JUST protect our homes, to protect our nation. Thesedecisions should not be made up by just a few people in Washington, DC. Thisdecision needs to be made by YOU and I.
We need to become involved. I know thatin my heart that you will make the right decision.Let’s create a legal system that can work. The first option is to reducethe threat. The problem is that we are too vulnerable to violence. Communitiesand homes should be places where people are safe. It is too easy for individuals to obtain weapons that are designed tokill many people in a short time.
The second option is to equip people to defend themselves. The problem is that most people are unableto defend themselves against sudden danger from violence. There will always be some people who are athreat to those around them. We cannot afford to rely on someone else to rescueus. The third option is to root outviolence in society. This is not modernwarfare 3, the video game.
We only get one life. The problem is that welive in a culture that perpetuates violence and numbs people to its effects.Violence and criminality are persistent in popular music, films, television,video games, and sports. Mass murderers are able to attract attention throughnonstop media. This results in a culture in which stories of mass shootingscirculate and gain momentum, increasing the likelihood of further shootings. ?Obama had stated, “If we need to gettested to drive, shouldn’t we get tested to use a gun?” In August, CNN/ORC poll askedrespondents whether they favor or oppose a number of specific policies torestrict gun ownership. And when you drill down to that level, many policies,including banning the manufacture and possession of semi-automatic rifles, arepopular ().
The newideas of stronger gun control laws can save lives. If guns really kept us safe,the United States would be the safest nation in the world. Banning guns can only set the law abidingcitizens up to be defenseless against a psychopath with a gun. Undoubtedly, weneed background checks, and psychological checkups yearly. The LegalCommunity Against Violence exclaimed, “To end the epidemic of gunviolence in this country, we need laws and policies that work.” We needto restrict the availability of dangerous weapons, identify potentiallydangerous people, and prevent them from carrying out their plans. We would givethe government extraordinary control over cherished freedoms. Also, we need tobe prepared for violence and have the means to defend against it.
The SecondAmendment to the US Constitution guarantees this right. The proliferation offirearms and armed guards in public places would create the atmosphere of apolice state and would significantly change US society. Last but not least, Weneed to root out and stop the glorification of violence to break this cycle.
Thiswould change our culture in significant ways, in many cases limiting what wecan appropriately say and do. Legislators nationwide have enacted laws toprotect public safety, despite the fact they may impose a small burden onlaw-abiding citizens. Regulating guns and gun owners protect the public,despite the fact that some may find them burdensome and others may ignore them. The realityis that most Americans support sensible gun laws because they realize thoselaws help reduce gun violence. Given theloopholes and unreasonable restrictions in our nation’s gun laws, it makes nosense to argue that we should merely “enforce the laws we alreadyhave.” We need to strengthen existing laws to give law enforcement thetools they need to keep guns out of the wrong hands, and to ensure thatfirearms do not endanger public safety. why guns are problematic, enforcingstrict gun control, and how the newlaws could help the safety of our people.
To the extent it is accurate tosay that banning guns doesn’t keep them out of the hands of violent criminals,but my dad once testified in court for a shooting and stated, “guns don’t killpeople, people kill people.” That is why we need to get things under control.
