After recent events in Sutherland Springs, TX, there needs to be some sort of action taken in our country regarding gun violence. In fact, as of Thursday, November 16th, 2017, we can gladly say that something has been done. According to NBC News, a bipartisan group of senators unveiled legislation to improve background-checks for gun sales. Although 
this action is rather narrow, it is a huge step in the right direction. This bill was drafted by Texas Republican Senator John Cornyn, pictured above, and Connecticut Democratic Senator Chris Murphy. According to Cornyn, “This bill aims to help fix what’s become a nationwide, systemic problem so we can better prevent criminals and domestic abusers from obtaining firearms”. Essentially, this bill was created by two Senators who are deeply impacted by this issue and will do everything in their power to fix it. This is what our country needs, more Senators like Cornyn and Murphy who want to get things done and improve the issue of gun control our country is facing.
Tag: Nation
A Mass Shooting in Texas and False Arguments Against Gun Control
In the light of recent events that occurred in Sutherland Spring, Texas, it is important now more than ever to discuss the topic of gun control. In particular I would like to discuss not just the topic of gun control, but the idea of hope when it pertains to these horrific events. Hope is a thing that can be looked at in a variety of ways, depending on a person’s outlook in life. For instance, when referring to one of the greatest movies of all time, Shawshank Redemption, the two main characters, Andy and Red, have different 
views on this idea of hope. On one hand, you have Red who states, “hope is a dangerous thing my friend, it can kill a man”. However, on the other hand, you have Andy stating, “Remember Red, hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things, and no good thing ever dies”. That is what I am arguing here today, that hope is good thing. Hope can be the best of things when it comes to dealing with events such as Texas or Las Vegas.
According to a recent article published in The New Yorker, “There is never a time to give away to hopelessness”. Adam Gopnik is able to use this concept of hope to express to his readers the importance of not giving up. He stresses the importance of always believing there is light at the end of the tunnel. In other words, Gopnik wants to assure his readers and anyone else for that matter that although we have seen numerous mass shootings over the past several years, each one helps us get closer to our end goal. Gopnik states, “with every public crisis, the truth matters and clarifies and brings light, even when the light can’t immediately show a better path forward”.
In addition, Gopnik goes more into depth regarding the difficulty of defeating the gun lobby. However, he proposes a series of myths that are used by the lobby to help its 
cause. These myths range from opinions such as if military style weapons are banned, there would be no effect to the science regarding gun violence being inconclusive. However, Gopnik uses this article to refute those opinions and affirm the beliefs regarding gun control in our nation. For instance, if military style weapons are banned, there would be an effect. It would act as a step forward and every step forward clears the way for more steps to be taken. In other words, the banning of these military style weapons would act as one step and would lead to other steps being taken to control gun violence. In terms of the social science being inconclusive, Gopnik argues against that particular opinion, stating, “The results are in. We really do know. Now we only have to do”. This is a central idea of Gopnik’s article.
This idea of ‘do’ is very relatable to the concept of hope. In fact, in my opinion, they work together. They build off one another. If a person is more hopeful that a particular issue will get resolved, they are going to be more active to help the process reach its end result. In other words, individuals, such as myself, who care about this issue of gun control and are hopeful about the future of our country, will do more things to make sure our current situation is improved. For instance, referring to a quote by the past President Barack Obama, “Hope is that thing inside us that insists, despite all evidence to the contrary, that something better awaits us if we have the courage to reach for it, and to work for it, and to fight for it”. This is what more of our country needs to believe in. We need to spread the word that every individual should not just be hopeful about our nation’s future, but to take that hope and turn it into action.
80 Percent of Guns Used in Mass Shootings are Obtained Legally
After a shooting in San Bernardino, California in 2015 authorities investigated the origin of the weapon used. It was found that the caliber assault-style rifles and two semi-automatic handguns were purchases legally by the shooters. This raises the question of how preventable gun violence is under the current fire arm laws in the United States.
As you can see from the graphic above, 77% of the firearms used in mass shootings from 1982-2015 have come from legal sources. This not only shows how large scale this problem is but also for how long it has been a problem in our country. This data dates back around 30 years. The regulations on the sale of firearms to citizens must be changed. There are background checks and 72 hour hold periods before a person can obtain a gun but unfortunately other U.S. laws allow for the purchase to go through legally before the wait period and background check have been completed.
There are currently gun violence groups that are pushing for stricter rules regarding the sale of firearms. Such policies include, universal background checks or even personal petitions to stop a specific individual from having a gun. With the current state of gun violence in the United States, it is important to create laws that protect citizens nationwide.
The Importance of Gun Control 