Droits & libertés Gun Control: a Struggle Between Safety and Freedom

J'ai écris cet essay ya un petit bout de temps et sa parle des armes a feu au U.S. (où je vis)

Enjoy =)

On January 8th, 2011, at a Safeway, Tucson Arizona, 1st District Congresswoman, Gabrielle Gifford met and greeted with supporter of her. This normal moment turned into a bloodbath. “15 seconds to fire the Glock, 31 bullets in one clip, 19 victims, 6 killed, 1 madman with a gun” (Von Drehle 26). The result of this equation is normal folks caught in a moment of horror. The congresswoman took a bullet into her brain but survived. Not everyone was this lucky. The murderer, Jared Loughner, a 20 years old mentally ill student does not have a clear mobile for this shooting. It happened 4 years after the Virginia Tech massacre where 33 people died under the fire of another mentally ill student. The questions we should ask our self are: “Aren’t we tired of all those shooting”, “How could gun so easily get into the hands of these men?” This issue is dividing our nation; it is not the time to think with our patriotism but with our heart and our brain, the future of this country depends on it.
Something goes wrong in this country, probably the “Ignorance of values shared by millions of American […] for reasons that have nothing to do with economic insecurity, and resent gun restriction for reasons that have nothing to do with paranoia.” (Grunwald 38) Many American supporter of the right to bear arms will quote the Second Amendment as a justification of every crime. “A well regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free state, the right to keep and bear arms shall not being infringed.” If the right of having a gun seems so “vital” for some American, the right of living without the fear of getting shot at anytime is far more important to every human being in the world. 31,224 people every years did not have this right in the U.S. 3,067 of them were children and teens. Every day, 86 persons lost their life, 8 of them were children and teens. This essay is in the loving memory of all of those who died because the government is not doing anything! “In a study of 23 high incomes countries, the U.S. had 80% of the gun deaths along with homicide rate nearly 20 times higher than the rest of the sample” (Grunwald 38). Yes, definitely, somethimg is wrong here.
All this debate came with the Second Amendment which was created with the America’s birth. The Revolutionary War, in 1774 opposing the British and the American, is the cause of this. During the 13 years of the conflict, thousands of people died. The American were victorious but feared another invasion by the British. At the same time, this ex-colony did not have any official army but small armed group made of citizen, such as farmers and hunters, the States Militia. They decided to create an Amendment allowing them to keep their firearm so they could defend themselves. In September 1789, the Congress passed 12 new Amendment, and “by December 1791, three fourth of the States agreed with ten of the Amendment, those are known as the Bill of Right” (Danzer 149). “The first eight amendment spell out the personal liberties the states had requested. The ninth and tenth amendments impose general limits to federal government.” (Danzer 149) ‘Many scholars argue that the right to bear arms is actually not really for the individual, but for a “well organized Militia”’ (Grunwald 39). With the growth of America, the constitution became the Law of the Land.
After the Revolutionary War, the United States began to grow, to expand. New territories were created. At the time a pioneer could own a land very easily. However, there were great issues sometime, such as hostile environment. Indian tribes, for example, fought very hard to keep their land free of any invader. For the pioneer, a firearm was essential to survive. From those territories, States were created, and with them new issues appeared. One of the greatest was slavery, is eventually led to a war between the South, who wanted to keep slavery, and North, that believed that every men deserved to be free. In 1861, South Carolina led secession from the union with 13b other Southern States known as the Confederate States of America. This war was called the Civil War; it began in 1861 and ended with the North victory in 1865. President Abraham Lincoln wanted to heal the country. “In December 1863, President Lincoln announced his proclamation of Amnesty and Reconstruction, also known as the Ten Percent Plan. The government would pardon all confederates – except high ranking officials and these accused of crime against prisoners of war – who would swear allegiance to the Union. After ten percent of those on 1860 voting list took his oath of allegiance, Confederate states could form a new states government and gain representation in Congress” (Danzer 377). Unfortunately, there were many loyalists, in the Southern States, who disagreed with this plan. President Lincoln was shot. Radical Republican wanted to punish the South; therefore, they made new laws such as the Reconstruction Act of 1867. This acts “abolished government formed by in the former Confederate states, divided those states into five military districts, set up requirement for readmission to the Union” (Danzer 378). Basically, the Southern states suffered a lot because of this act. There were no states right, a high poverty level, and destruction. Almost all of the southern hated the federal government and many young people, who fought for the South, moved to the Far West hoping for a better life.
The end of the 19th Century and the 20th century are made of freedom of firearm and gun violence. The history of that violence began with massive migration to the West. In these territories, the climate was balanced between very little rules and total anarchy, this area was called the Wild West. These territories became states and the last state came in 1959. The 60’s was a time of revolution, civil right movement, riots, violent warfare, and assassination. President John F. Kennedy in 1963, Martin Luther King Jr, and presidential candidate Robert Kennedy in 1968 paid the price of their belief. Due to those murders, congress passed an act in 1968 that restricted sale of firearms to people “convicted of a crime, committed to a mental institution, or confirmed addict or substance abuser.” This act is called Gun Control Act; it “permitted states to determine how to enforce the law. In 1981, President Ronald Reagan was attempted to be killed, but he survived. With him was his press secretary James Brady who was shot in the head. He recovered and led a campaign for national gun control, the Brady Campaign. “In 1993, congress passed the Brady Bill requiring licensed gun dealer to perform background checks to keep guns away from would-be buyers with felony records or histories of dangerous mental illness” (Grunwald 38). One year later, “in 1994, Clinton’s crime bill included a 10 year ban on many assault weapons and huge magazines, which seem to be designed more for gangbanger that sport men”(Grunwald 38). However, “President George W. Bush allowed the ban to expire in 2004 after shifting his focus to the GOP base” (Grunwald 38).
The U.S. needs to change; we need to pass the Brady Bill as a law, add more gun control for a better life. The Brady Bill require a wait period of five days, a background check through a national database called National Instant Criminal Background Check System, and restrictions on handgun sales along with magazine clip as the 1994 law (Brady Campaign). The main purpose of it is save life and protects people from violence by not letting dangerous people have fire and explosives arms. The goal of this law would be: “No background check, no gun, no excuse” (Brady Campaign). Furthermore,, according to the Time Magazine in January 14, 2011, after the shooting of U.S. Congresswoman Gabrielle Gifford, “ Americans supports at least some gun restrictions – requiring background checks for all gun sale requiring a waiting period and limiting sales of assault weapons” (Grunwald 39). The events of this year prove us that laws are needed. On the other hand, the National Rifle Association (NRA) says that most states have a wait period and works within the laws of Gun Control Act of 1968 and Brady Bill of 1993 (NRA). Some other NRA supporter argues that National Database of gun owner would allow the big federal government to violate their personal liberties. I would answer to this, that preventing dangerous people from having firearm is not a violation of liberties but a protection to many people. Each year, 31,224 people would tell you that they would be alive if we did something. Many say that federal government is against the Founding Fathers’ purpose, but I don’t think that the Founding Fathers would agree with all those gun violence. NRA supporters believe that more gun control do not always mean more safety. For example, “Congresswoman Trent Franks, a republican and gun owner, points out that Arizona has much lower gun-violence rate that Washington D.C. which has much more restrictive gun laws” (Grunwald 39). Well, Miss Franks you are probably right but what you seem to forget is that there’s far more people in a smaller area in Washington D.C. than in Arizona. There’s far more gangs in Washington D.C. because gangs always preferred the big cities than the country side. It is the same no matter where. For example, Paris has far more gun violence than the country side; it would be the same with London and Britain, Moscow and Russia. The gang makes more money in big cities than in little town in the middle of nowhere.
To prevent other tragedy as Tucson, Columbine High School, Columbia Tech, we should increase gun control, it should never happen again. Nobody hunts with an AK 47, a M16, or a UZI, Those assault weapon are only used by the military, the SWAT, or the gangs. They are more dangerous than a simple and basic handgun, because they are full automatic. By the time the Second Amendment was wrote, the fire arms were little range single shot rifle with a very low precision, and it took a long time to reload it. The actual weapons have nothing to do with the 1770’s rifles. And more than ever we need law to control the new wave of firearms. If a ban for assault weapons and large magazine “had been in place January 8th, Loughner might have gotten off 20 fewer shots” (Grunwald 38). According to Paul Helmke, “Brady Campaign president, a former Republican mayor of Fort Wayne, Indiana” (Grunwald 38) the Brady Campaign “hopes the attack on one of their own will finally galvanize member of congress into action, if for nothing else than to reinstates the ban on magazines with over ten rounds” (Grunwald 39). We don’t want the American to give up their gun; we want more control for a safer country; we want them to be reasonable. Helmke says that Gabrielle Giffords “believe in the Second Amendment, […] but she also believe in being reasonable, maybe it is personal, Congress will as well” (Grunwald 39).

Works Cited​

Danzer, Gerald A. The Americans. Evanston, IL: McDougal Littell, 2005. 149-19. 24 Apr. 2011. Web. 4 May 2011.

Folse, Keith S., April Muchmore-Vokoun, and Elena Vestri. Solomon. Great Writing 4: Great Essays. Boston: Heinle Cenage Learning, 2010. 116. Print.

Grunwald, Michael. "Fire Away." Time 24 Jan. 2011: 37+. Print.
"History of the Brady Campaign."

Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence : Home. Web. 27 May 2011. <http://www.bradycampaign.org/about/history>.

NRA. Web. 27 May 2011. <http://home.nra.org/#/home>.

Rose, Jaimee. "Gabrielle Giffords' Doctors, Husband Share Details on Her Progress." Arizona Local News - Phoenix Arizona News - Phoenix Breaking News - Azcentral.com. 24 Apr. 2011. Web. 04 May 2011. <http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2011/04/24/20110424gabrielle-giffords-medical-condition.html>.

Von Drehle, David. "The Real Lesson of the Tuscon Tragedy." Time 24 Jan. 2011: 26. Print.