“A well-regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a Free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.”
— Second Amendment to U.S. Constitution
Tragedies in Aurora, Colo. and Sandy Hook, Conn. have stirred controversy over the issue of the Second Amendment. The amendment has always been as controversial as it is unclear. Does the amendment mean that citizens have the right to have weapons? Or does it simply mean that our men and women in the army are the only ones allowed to have weapons?
Every day in the United States an average of 289 people are shot. Eighty-six of them die: 30 are murdered, 53 kill themselves, two die accidentally, and one is shot in a police intervention, according to The Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence.
There hasn’t been a catastrophe that can be compared to the Newtown tragedy that jolted national debate on gun control, only your average shootings that make the United States a leader of gun crime in the world.
We cannot forget the importance of the Second Amendment, but think of the whole issue this way: Are criminals really going to be stopped or even slowed down from getting weapons if our nation takes action? No way.
According to the National Institute of Justice, many juveniles and young adults can easily obtain guns illegally; most claim to carry them for self-defense. If we stop letting citizens have the right to own a gun, we will only be hurting them in the sense that they will not be able to protect themselves.
The majority of people who own a gun legally use it for protection. Criminals will find ways to obtain guns illegally. That is what criminals do, they commit crime. Do you really think you can stop a person who breaks the law on a consistent basis by passing a law?
There does have to be a way to monitor how these guns can be used, and how these guns are ultimately stored. Too, many mistakes have been made by people who own guns. Such as, not locking their weapons up in a safe. There are countless stories of children who may be playing hide and seek, and they hide in their parent’s closet and stumble across a gun. Next thing you know, the children are playing with the gun, and little Johnny ends up getting killed.
Another element that should be considered with this constant battle of gun control is mental health. Too many times people with emotional problems end up with guns.
James Eagan Holmes, the admitted perpetrator of the mass shooting that killed 12 in Aurora is said to suffer from a mental illness making him dangerous. CBS News reported Holmes had met with at least three mental health professionals at the University of Colorado prior to the horrific shooting.
A month before the massacre, Dr. Lynne Fenton reported to the campus police that Holmes made homicidal statements making him a threat to society. Obviously, mental health is not being taken seriously enough. The nation as a whole needs to come together over this issue and put more money toward mental health.
The real problem with the Second Amendment is the lack of control our nation has over the issue. If our nation regulated how guns are stored and monitored who in the nation has guns more efficiently, we wouldn’t be talking about this problem.
A real issue is mental health in America. According to easterseals.com, one in five individuals are affected by some form of mental illness. More time needs to be spent on this issue than on gun control. Guns are already part of our society, we need to be able to protect ourselves when the moment arises.