Today the United States Senate passed a procedural bill that
will allow the Senate to start the process to consider additional gun control
laws. While it is a long way from
approving any measures, it was a great step towards passing laws expanding background
checks on gun purchases.
The issue of gun control took on a national priority in wake
to the tragedy in Connecticut in December.
Government representatives and citizens from regions across America were
horrified by the crazed actions of a man with a gun and his assault on innocent
school children. As with any inexplicable
situation, people look for answers and action.
Amongst other checks, the law under consideration would
require background checks to be conducted in private sales of weapons including
the transfer of weapons between family members.
Current law only requires background checks to be completed when a gun
is bought from a Federal Firearms Dealer, this does not include private transactions. According to CNN 80-90% of criminals obtained
their weapon from a family member, acquaintance or from a street
transaction.
While many are in favor of tighter gun control and
additional background checks, there are also many concerned additional background
checks may lead to requirements that are too expansive and infringe on our
constitutional right to bear arms provided by the second amendment. They are also not convinced additional
background checks would have prevented the tragedy at Sandy Hook. The National Rifle Association last week
proposed options they believe would make our schools safer. In addition to other security checks and
education, they were proposing the arming and training of teachers and other
school personnel.
What are your thoughts about gun control in the United
States? Even though schools have proven
to be some of the safest places for children, when something like Sandy Hook
happens, we evaluate potential changes, such as arming teachers. Of the two proposals presented, which do you
think would be more effective in reducing gun violence?
Matea- I think that it is a very serious situation in our country.I don't like the idea of having armed and professional teachers in schools, that would be dangerous for the whole school. It will also show children that people that they trust have guns. When something as terrible as Sandy Hook happened we should do somthing. But adding guns is not the solution. If we had guns in schools then the weapons of the bad people will go up to. So if we bring up our weapons then they will too. Then something even worse might happen and I don't want that to happen. I think out of the two proposals, I think that having background checks is the best one. If some people sell their guns to their friends,then each city should ckeck the people with guns for a background check every year or less. That is just my idea.
ReplyDeleteKatie H.- I think that the idea of gun control in the United States is a great step in moving towards non- violence. I think arming teachers is a little too extreme and dangerous. I think that having more guns in the class room is sending kids the wrong message and could lead to more gun violence in schools. I think the door bell at our school is a safer way to go. Out of the two proposals, I think the background checks on people before letting people guns is the better option.
ReplyDeleteNatalia- I like the idea of gun control in the U.S. because i think we need to change policies of buying guns. Too many bad things have happened with guns and it needs to change. I dont really like the idea of arming teachers. I think arming teachers might lead to more pronlems with guns. Arming teachers could be dangerous at schools if they arent careful. I dont think this proposal would help at all with gun control. It also shows the kids at schools that its ok to own guns and its pretty much showing them you can use weapons to hurt others and that its ok. I think having background checks is much better. This is a safe way to reduce gun violence.
ReplyDeleteJacob_I think that gun control in the United States is a necessary thing. A lot of horrible shootings have occurred in the U.S. and rigorous history checks and gun control can decrease them or stop them entirely. I don't really understand why people can even buy automatic and semi-automatic guns. If they are hunters they can buy hunting guns and if they want a gun as protection at home can't people but smaller hand guns. I just don't see the need of very large and very dangerous guns capable of massive destruction. I think that more in depth background checks is the better option. Arming teachers just doesn't sound right and there is always the chance of a teacher turning on staff and students. Plus, we shouldn't live our lives in fear of what might happen. We should provide solutions to the problems and then continue with life.
ReplyDeleteSena- I think that there needs to be control over guns in the United States. Some people say they want to completly wipe out any and all gun use. However, I don't think that would solve anything. I do not think that we should arm teachers. Adding more guns into this problem would most likely not solve anything. We need to be careful, I do think it would be a good idea to increase back ground checks. But if teachers begin to arm themselves what exactly is that teaching kids???
ReplyDeleteDillon - I think that gun control in the U.S. is against the constitution of the U.S.A. In the second amendment it says that all U.S. citizens have the right to bare arms. The president or any politician does not have the right to take someone's guns away. I think it is a great idea to have an armed guard in the schools. They say the only thing that can stop a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun. It is not the gun that kills the people it is the person with the gun that kills them. Also cars kill more kids than guns. So why don't we just out law cars. I think that the best thing to do is back ground checks. The criminals that have killed people said they did not buy the guns they either stole them or got them from a family member.
ReplyDeleteNIKO
ReplyDeleteI think that the US has gotten themselve into something that they didnt think about, and couldve easily prevented it. They stated in the second amendment that all US citizens have the right to bare arms, but it kinda "BACKFIRED" on them. I think that having a guard in all schools is a good idea, butI have a better idea. My idea is for there to be a city limit on all guns, so they can only be fired inside of the designated zone. Also all guns should have an electronic lock on them that can only be taken of when you ask the "gun control office" for permission to use it. Also that office should hold all of the ammo, that can be supplemented to the arms barer when they ask for permission, and tell the office what they plan to do with the gun, while under oath.
Caleigh- I think we more gun control honestly if we don't want anymore shootings but also have more background checks because honestly if they are saying its more of a mental thing then why not have both to make sure we can be as secure as we can be.I think having the teachers more armed is not safe at all because they could get really unstable teachers that will get mad at the students and might open fire. So i think tighter background checks and maybe a age limit for guns might help.
ReplyDeleteDan-
ReplyDeleteI think gun control has the right to be changed if it is hurting our country. It will be hard stop thing like Sandy since 80 to 90% criminals get there guns from family members. I do not think we should arm teachers because it can lead to bad things that our country does not want to worry about. The most effective one is the tighter gun control and the background checks.
Peter-I think that we should have tighter laws on gun control. The should only sell guns for hunting not assult rifles. I think the most effective one would be to arm teachers because then the person would think twice about going into a scholl and being a terorist.
ReplyDeletekordell Seidler
ReplyDeleteI think we should have stronger law for gun control. My family is a hunting family. i think they should sell hunting rifles not assault rifles. Assault rifles should only be for military only. But i think teachers should have a secret place to hide a gun.
Ryan- I think gun control is one way to approach this serious probably in the United States. I don't think this the best way to do it though. You could make the laws around guns tighter but if you really want a gun you can get one. I think that people should pay more attention to mental disease. The both idea brought up have good and bad side. The one that has more positive things that could happen is the background check but theres still a way to get around it.
ReplyDeleteConor - I think that gun violence is a huge problem in not only the US but in the world. I think gun control would be a good way to minimize it. If our governments were monitering what kinds of guns and what people are getting them I think gun violence would go down. This would be really good because kids and parents could feel safe about schools. I don't think it would be smart to arm teachers. Yes, it would scare some people away, but it would also set an example to kids that guns are ok to have around. I also think that one kid who is a jackwagon might steal the teachers gun be funny or they might steal it to try and hurt someone. I think background checks would be a good way to cut back on gun violence. If someone has a criminal record or has a mental illness we wouldn't give them a gun. If we did this I think gun violence would go down a ton.
ReplyDeletebelle- i think gun control is a big issue but we can't be afraid of everything and run away from everything worring that something bad is going to happen. i think that the government should defiantly talk it over and see what they can do about it. i think that background checks are a good idea to help with gun safety. because guns can't kill someone they can't get up and walk up to someone and pull their own trigger. its the person with the gun in their hand that has that power. so our problem isn't the guns it the people we give the guns to and i think thats what we need to try to fix.
ReplyDeleteGabi- I think that the US does need gun control. It might not be able to completely stop things like Sandy Hook but it can help prevent it. Most criminals do get guns from family or friends but background checks can help prevent some criminals from getting ahold of guns. Terrible things do happen in our world and we can't prevent all of them but I think that tighter gun control and background checks can help prevent some if these terrible things.
ReplyDeleteCatie- I think that people should be able to bear arms and not have their privacy intruded upon. But I also believe that gun sellers should be wise in their dealings of guns. I think that the proposal most likely to reduce gun violence is the background checks one. Why would people be worried about it if they have nothing to hide?
ReplyDeleteJackie- I think that evaluation of gun laws is in need of reform. No one should be able to possess a gun without a thorough background check and license. I know a lot of that is already being done, but I think that all people should have to check in once a month and get their license re evaluated and registration of all of their guns should be looked at too. I know that schools are an extremely safe place, but I believe that by arming teachers that it could be an incident waiting to happen. Not that I doubt all teachers, I'm just saying why are we handing out more guns when we are trying to reduce gun violence? I think much tighter gun control is needed and enforced. I also think that in every school a safe hut/ rooms should be made around the school that people in go in a lock down. I'm very interested to see how this is resolved.
ReplyDeleteAbby: i think gun control in the U.S. should be band because it is to dangerous because for what happened to the Sandy Hook school and other school shootings. i also think that backpacks should be evaluated every day to make sure that there are no weapons in there backpacks because we dont want another thing like that to happen again. i dont think we shouldnt arm teachers because accidents can happen and people could get seriously hurt! i think that the elvatuations would be more effective then arming teachers because it showed people that it is dangerous to have a gun in your bag or in you desk!
ReplyDeleteRobert- Gun control in the United states is a very serious topic. I believe both proposals should be discussed even though one... arming teachers is a little over the top. I'm completely ok with increasing the rules and back ground checks on gun buying and licensing. Back ground checks all the way. And I can't believe that buying and licensing a gun is that easy. It is sickening to think that +80% of guns for gun involved criminal activity is from a relative, friend, or neighbor, etc... No background check on those transactions... -_-
ReplyDeleteRaphie-I believe that a new area of gun and weapons control is going to be ushered into the United States. After 911 the TSA was formed and after all of these shootings and violent crimes this year I would not at all be surprised if that level of action was taken again. I think that arming teachers is a little over the top because I think that we have all had a bad day some worse then others. And even though teachers are the ones protecting the children the children would be in a classroom with possible access to a gun and with todays variety of crazy people I feel like the risk would be much much higher. I do agree with background checks but not everything can be stopped the background checks could limit the amount of horrific occurrences but we will never be able to control it all.
ReplyDeleteOzzy Worrell- Gun Control is on the rise once again. After the Combine High School and Virginia Tech shootings gun control was re-evaluated and after 9/11 saftey measures rose to keep others safe. After the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting the gun control topic rose once more. I don,t think teachers need to carry any weapon of any sorts around students but a resours officer would help. Backround checks and medical history should be enforced when buying a gun. If someone is buying a gun mental health is the first thing people should check because we don't want any one who is mentally unstable with a gun at hand. I would go with the proposal that includes backround checks and regestering guns. It would be best for all of us.
ReplyDeleteStephanie-I honestly dont think we need gun control. I think if someone wanted to hurt a bunch of people with a gun, they wouldnt stop untill they found one. I think bad people would end up rebelling against the government. I dont think people should be putting guns in the arms of teachers. Teachers can become crazy just like anyone else and shoot someone. It is also a dager hazard because a student could get their hands on it and start hurring people. I think the schools are already as safe as can be.
ReplyDeleteAmaia- I think the government should be able to regulate guns in the U.S. on problem. I don't understand why people would care because if they don't plan on doing anything wrong with them, why do they care if someone knows they have them? I like regulating gun control better because I don;t really understand how arming more people would solve the problem. To me that's like saying 'lets fight fire with fire." I think that will just add to the problem. I know how teachers get frusterated and irritated with their kids, what happen when something crazy happens like a student pushes a teacher over the edge and the teacher uses their weapon on them, or a student gets ahold of the gun and either accidently or purposfully kill or injures someone?
ReplyDeleteAaron-I think that gun control should be more harsh then what it is now. If it was, then i believe there would be less terrorist attacks and such in the United States. I believe the ease of the right to bear arms is one of the main problems of this country. I think that we should definitely be more strict with the purchasing and trading of arms. I think probably the best idea to lessen gun violence would be to do background checks. I think this would be the best idea because you could tell whether people could have done past crimes or anything of the sorts.
ReplyDeleteEmma Sabala- I think that the government does need to limit the amount of gun control people have. From all of the incidents that have occurred in the past I think that it would most definitely be right. To think of having a gun scares me but I can see why people think it is safe to have around if something scary/bad were to happen. I only think it would be right to have a gun if I placed it somewhere locked up so no one but me knew how to reach it and where it was. I dont think that it would be a good idea for teachers to be armed because kids could easily find those guns and do who knows what with them. Guns are very serious objects that in my opinion shouldn't be laying around in classrooms, especially younger grade classrooms. I think that schools have done everything possible to make it a safe environment and it isnt anyones fault when tragedies such as Sandy Hooke happen except for the person who committed the crime. I think that the best way to prevent this is for the government to keep close attention to gun control and for background checks to happen occasionally.
ReplyDeleteEmma g- I really don't think that guns should be okay. What happened at sandy hook was a tragic but that doesn't mean that guns should be ok. People are crazy and I don't think that guns should even be ok even by children. I think if people just lock the doors at school more people would be safe. I think that guns aren't ok
ReplyDeleteTaylor- I think gun control is a very serious topic that some people aren't paying enough attention to. I think the only way to stop violence from guns is to get rid of all of them. There's always going to be someone who gets a gun then goes crazy and hurts or kills somebody else. I don't think arming teachers is a safe solution at all. If that ever happens, somebody could plan to become a teacher just to get the gun in front of all of the kids and they could very easily shoot all of them. Even if you think someone is really trustworthy, that person could change overnight. I think background checks are better than arming teachers. But, even if someone hasn't done something in the past, it doesn't mean they won't do it in the future.
ReplyDelete~Alli~ I don't think that gun control will do anything to really help us. Even if they passed the law there would still be people with guns, and I think the amount of gun violence could potentially increase. I think that background checks would be the better solution of the two, because if we arm teachers then if a student or anyone really gets the gun then it would be unpredictable of what they would do.At least with background checks you know who has the gun and if they seem suspicious.
ReplyDeleteVincent~ Sorry I haven't posted my computer has been not letting me. I think that that idea of gun control differs throughout the United States. I think that in some parts of the country people think that there should be no guns and that they should be controlled. In other parts I think that people think that teachers should be armed with guns and other sorts of security. I also think that some people don't even know what they want and just want whatever is going to keep them and there kids safe. I also think that because of Sandy Hook that people are leaning toward arming teachers but at the same time thinking that they don't even want guns in the schools just because it is a risk. I think that increasing background checks is a good idea because then you will know if they have had a history of something bad or maybe if they are wanted for something. I also think that maybe people might figure a way to get around this so I think that they should maybe do a little bit more just to be safe.
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