Why Gun Control Loses, and Why Las Vegas Might Change That

After the recent mass shootings such as Las Vegas and Orlando, there have been complaints for more gun control laws in the U.S. According to The New York Times article, we need to have the debate about guns and mass murder that the Republicans and National Rifle Association (NRA) keep avoiding. Gun rights are one of the few issues where Republicans are actually in touch with what the Americans want. The article discusses why gun control is losing and how the recent events may change that. 

Guns are the Problem- An Affirmative View

After years of debate, gun control advocates have said that they are ready to take more aggressive action in trying to enforce stricter gun laws. The article, ‘Guns are the Problem’, discusses the activism behind pro-gun control groups. After the shooting in Las Vegas, activist groups have been becoming more vocal in the hopes that their messages will be heard. Following the investigation of Stephen Paddock, the perpetrator of the Las Vegas shooting, it was found that he had no serious criminal record and the local gun store claims he passed all background checks before purchasing the guns.

Even though background checks are required under current federal laws, the fact that Paddock passed is alarming. This proves that people with criminal motives can still purchase guns.  The background checks are not sufficient and are clearly ineffective in preventing crime. If we cannot control who obtains guns, it’s clear that the over distribution of guns is the problem. The founder of Guns Down, Igor Volsky, does not want to tread lightly on the topic anymore. He believes gun registration, licensing, and bans are vital to keeping our country safe.

As a Pro-Gun Control blog, we agree with Volsky’s point of view on gun licensing and bans. Military style weapons that have the power to kill hundreds of people in minutes is not an acceptable device to have on our streets. Of course, as citizen of the United States, we have the right to bear arms in cases of protection but owning a semi-automatic weapon should not be protected under our Constitution. When the sale of guns is used for harm, we must revoke or rewrite the 2nd Amendment. Let’s put it into perspective… If Stephen Paddock was only able to purchase a handgun, not any military style weapon, there would be astronomically less damage done by him. It is a fact that without that gun, he would not have been able to do what he did. It makes me wonder, did he kill all of those people, or did the gun?

As the article comes to an end, it talks about gun violence as an analogy to motor-vehicle fatalities. Cars present a danger to society as nearly 1.3 million people die from car related crashes each year. At no point did people try to ban cars, but rather make cars safer. We felt this was an insightful way to end this article. The author did not offer and unrealistic or radical claim that guns will be abolished but rather offered a unique take on the topic. In the United States, it would be hard to completely rid the nation of all guns immediately, but for now we can push for more regulations and safer devices.

America Used to Be Good at Gun Control. What Happened?

There has been another spark in the gun control debates in light of the recent events that occurred in Las Vegas. We found an article that discusses the changes of gun control and how it has evolved over time, maybe for the worse.

Dating back to the 1930’s, fully automatic weapons were banned or had extremely strict regulations in regards to obtaining them. Franklin D. Roosevelt wanted to keep these dangerous weapons under federal control. As time went on, gun laws have changed and now vary throughout states. There are different requirements to obtain and carry a gun in each state that diminishes the efforts of former presidents to keep guns federally controlled.

It can be argued that as a country, we cannot agree on sensible gun regulations, but what will change it? The article questions if anything will spark change for gun laws. There have been multiple mass shootings throughout the past couple of years, ranging from Sandy Hook to Orlando, to current day Las Vegas. When will it be enough for government to realize, enough is enough?