Excellent stuff going on here folks. Keep up the good work. Here is some further fodder born from our conversation in class yesterday. And thanks to Ben for finding that article that amazingly parallels our discussion!!
Gun control: http://www.npr.org/2011/01/11/132826365/Rep-McCarthy-To-Propose-Ban-On-High-Capacity-Ammo
Rhetoric is good: http://www.npr.org/blogs/itsallpolitics/2011/01/11/132815566/in-praise-of-heated-political-rhetoric
To start, I want to fully admit that I am completely and utterly biased when it comes to gun control. Let's use what Rep. McCarthy would like to do: ban high capacity ammo. The problem with gun control is that if guns are illegal, only criminals will have guns. It's illegal to shoot someone so all of these shooters (like Loughner the shooter in Tuscan last weekend, like the man that killed Rep. McCarthy's husband) are already breaking the law. Clearly, they do not fear the law. So, they will not fear getting the gun illegally. If they can break the law enough to kill someone, they sure can break the law to get high-capacity ammo from a black market. Additionally, probation did not stop alcohol, we have drug laws now and just look at all of the illegal drugs! increasing gun laws will not stop harmful gun ownership, it will stop gun ownership from the law abiding citizens who can handle owning a gun.
ReplyDeleteObama is making a speech on the shootings right now! I'm watching him on NBC (in case anyone sees this before it's over).
ReplyDeleteFor anyone who missed the speech, I found a video and transcript.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2011/01/obamas-arizona-speech-transcript-video/69467/
Martha,
ReplyDeleteI can see what you are trying to say, but I slightly disagree.
Drugs and alcohol are good comparisons, but they are actually nothing like what banning guns would be like. Things like drugs and alcohol can be grown or chemically made in some weirdo's basement, but a gun can really only be manufactured by the factories who make them. Look at England. England banned guns and there were seven murders last year... only a few of which involved guns. Clearly, if only three or four people are being shot when guns are banned, it would make a difference. I think there are about 9,000 shootings/murders a year in the US, maybe more.
The issue regarding guns does not only have to do with homicides. I remember reading somewhere (I don't remember exact percentages) that suidicide rates are actually higher than homicide rates in America and that people who own guns are more likely to kill themselves, since it's an easy access (and if someone shoots himself in the head, then he is instantly dead). So, I see how with gun control, criminals can get them illegally, but without it, both suicide and homicide rates may go up.
ReplyDeleteI agree with the point that maybe suicide and/or homicide rates would go down but there are so many other layers to this issue besides just that. And Annie that is actually very interesting I didn't even think of that! However, I don't think suicide rates would actually drop if guns were banned because people can still commit suicide in so many other easy access ways (i.e. overdose of over the counter drugs, etc.). Additionally, those two examples only account for some people in America. Others, the majority, can certainly handle the responsibility of owning a gun. Think about this issue from a different point of view: power. If guns were banned who would the two groups of people to have guns be: the government and criminals. There is a black market for guns and this would just increase. When guns are illegal, only criminals will have guns. However, let's take the government into consideration. Banning guns gives the government EXTREME power and control over all of the other citizens. As seen in history, when a government has too much power it becomes corrupt and can even fall. It takes away citizen's self defense from criminals or any others who would be a threat. What if the government did become corrupt (my apologies for sounding a little over the top) and decided that everyone over 6 feet should be sent to internment camps for whatever reason (this happened during world war II to people of Japanese descent). Well, not only would the government be overstepping its boundaries and breaching civil rights but they would have also taken away any of these citizens self defense. This is a crazy, way over the top example but for the purposes of this discussion it gets the point across. Now, on a whole new level, we have the second amendment! It is there for a reason and would be unconstitutional to change.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I would seriously like to point out that the Japanese internment argument takes this very far and upon re reading I realize that this makes it difficult to take my argument seriously and it makes me sound, well, crazy. I apologize for taking it a bit too far.
ReplyDeleteI think another benefit of gun control comes from reducing rates of accidental deaths caused by guns. For instance, a gun owner's child has access to the gun. If said child finds the gun, he/she may accidentally shoot him/herself because they are too young to know how to use one appropiately and are naturally curious. Plus, children may accidentally shoot their parents. Events like this have occurred in the past, unfortunately.
ReplyDeleteI would also like to further my suicide argument regarding gun control. I would like to point out, psychologically speaking, that suicide considerations are an impulsive thought. The most time anyone thinks about committing suicide is about a week, according to a psychology book I read, "The Hidden Brain" by Shankar Vedantam. I do acknowledge that guns are not the only instruments used for suicide. People sometimes hang themselves or overdose on over-the-counter drugs. Guns are guaranteed to kill someone trying to commit suicide the first time, as that person would most likely aim for the head. Using substances, such as drugs, doesn't always work, and takes longer to be effective, so others may find the suicide attempter and try to stop him/her,or take him/her to the hospital in an attempt to save his/her life (if found unconscious). It's hard to save someone when he/she is trying to shoot him/herself (one shot to the brain and that person is dead). Since suicide is an impulse thought, it is actually not likely that someone will consider suicide again (again, I use "The Hidden Brain" as verification to this claim), if their first attempt did not work (and again, guns pretty much work the first time). So, Martha, I do think suicide rates would go down with gun control in place.