The United States of America is facing an unprecedented wave of gun violence, never before witnessed and with no end in the foreseeable future. This is what we are expected to believe, right? This is, by the way, what the media espouses any time there is a “Breaking News Alert” and somewhere, someone mentioned a weapon. But is this true? Is our nation truly facing an epidemic of violence, perpetrated through the use of weapons the likes of which we have never seen, nor will be able to control? Can we truly be under attack by scary looking, “military type”, “assault rifles” that are capable of relentless killing? If there is such an epidemic, how do we go about confronting it, and ensuring that the issues at hand are taken care of?
Our nation was founded upon the ideas that every man is created equal, and imbued with certain inalienable rights. This is not conjecture; this is fact from numerous documents detailing our nation’s establishment. One of these rights, detailed in the Second Amendment to the Constitution, speaks to everyone’s right to own firearms. “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.” However, some question whether or not this applies to contemporary society. Is this merely wording from a bygone era, unfit for modern weaponry and issues of the day? Let’s say, for arguments sake, that this is the case in contemporary U.S. society. What verbiage then becomes acceptable to replace one of the bastions of our country? Moreover, what is then considered authorized weaponry for citizens to own/use and who gets to call those shots? Pun intended. Moving forward…
Background checks, mandatory waiting periods, national criminal registry, submission of DNA samples to a national repository, forced mental health evaluation, electronic tracking implants, increased and debilitating taxes for ownership/use, routine home evaluations…. Where do we the people draw the line at what is acceptable control policy, and what is blatant infringement upon our constitutionally provided liberties? Where do we, the nation that leads nations, truly stand amongst others when it comes to the (im)proper use, ownership, legalization, and responsibilities associated with “guns”? Bring on the statistics, research, and proposed/draft legislation to answer this and all the ensuing questions.
Counterpoint 