UNSURE AT THE MOMENT

The Second Amendment: Gun Law and School shooting

[Name of the Writer]

[Name of the Institution]

Abstract

This paper is a reflection of the second amendment which is regarding the legalization of the ownership of guns. The second amendment has always been surrounded by much debate due to its nature. One of the biggest reasons why it started to get more attention in the 21st century is the unfortunate occurrence of school shootings. There is no doubt in the fact that any issue which involves children is bound to get massive media attention. However, regardless of the recent school shooting tragedies, schools still remain the safest place for children to be. Regardless of certain issues, the people who are in favor of the law have their own reasons and experiences which have made them stick to the school of thought. They are in favor of it based on the reduction of the street crime over the past years. Regardless, there is still no conclusion amongst individuals to whether the ownership of guns should be banned or legalized.

The Second Amendment: Gun Law and School shooting

Introduction

For starters, what exactly does the Second Amendment of the United States Constitution state? It states that "A well-regulated Militia being necessary to the security of Free State, the rights of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed." This amendment protects and gives the right to the individuals to bear and keep arms in their custody. This amendment officially became the part of the constitution as the Bill of rights on the 15th of December 1791. The reason why this bill was passed on the first place was so people can self-defend themselves in the time of dire need. However, the right is not unlimited and has certain restrictions on it. For instance, an individual who is mentally ill or a person who is a felon will not be prohibited to bear firearms (Rajan, Branas, Hargarten & Allegrante, 2018). They are specifically for protection purposes for the civilians so they can protect themselves amid a risky situation where their life is in danger and the police cannot be reached. Further, there is also a restriction on carrying dubious, unusual and dangerous weaponry. Recent times has brought upon various unfortunate events like school shooting which have made a group of people question the law. This paper will help shed light on the views of different schools of thoughts when it comes to the gun law and how it has impacted school shootings.

Discussion

The second amendment has always been surrounded by great debate. There are mainly two schools of thoughts when it comes to the gun law, there is one which is in favor of it and the other denounces it. On one hand, there is a belief of the fact that the right of owning firearms makes an individual constitution right for the citizens of America. In regards to the individual right theory, the constitution of the United States prohibits the legislative bodies from owning weaponry. On the contrary, there are scholars who point out the "well-regulated Militia" part of the law to aid them in arguing about the fact that the framers' main intention was to prohibit Congress from enacting away the right of the state to defend themselves (Rajan, Branas, Hargarten & Allegrante, 2018). What needs to be kept in mind is that recent times have caused a lot of speculation when it comes to having a gun in possession. There are people who think that it should be legal to own a gun, then there is a school of thought that the owning of weaponry should be made illegal.

One of the main concerns that a lot of individuals associated with gun laws is school shootings. In accordance with research, a fraction of deaths is caused due to mass shootings in the United States. However, the media attention that these shootings bring with them are massive and cause great concern amongst people. subsequently, the 21st century is all about social media, and the attention these unfortunate happenings cause on the social media platform prompts the public to ask for better gun control violence (Hevia, 2018). That is one side of the story, but then there are people who want to have firearms in their possession, so they can protect themselves in the time of need. In fact, research proves that there are more deaths caused due to robberies and roadside violence than mass shootings. At this point, it is all on the hand of the media that how it portrays a situation. So, it is safe to say that having a gun law is not just the problem, but it is the solution as well. Deaths caused by firearms in the United States are slowly decreasing as time is passing and the reason behind is all the bills that are being passed to make the streets safer.

There are many scholars who have looked into the school shootings and gun laws and have always been on the fence about the whole scenario. One of the main reasons behind that is that most of these shootings have been preplanned and the orchestrators of such a vile display have mainly been individuals who have had psychological or mental health-related issues. Additionally, there are some felons who do things out of revenge and vindication due to the bullying that they faced when they were younger (Hevia, 2018). So, it is not just the gun laws that are making the streets unsafe and instigating mass killings, it is the individuals themselves as well. However, someone who is not of a sane mind should never be given a weapon, to begin with, to avoid such a situation. The law, in fact, limits itself by also stating about the restrictions. A person who is not of a sane mind should never be given a weapon. Further, if a civilian notice a change in a person in the neighborhood, they are to tell the police immediately, so any future tragedy can be avoided.

Whether individual thinks that the ownership of guns should be made legal or legal, both the parties have a strong opinion. Then, there is a school of thought which believes in the fact that there should be gun control. By making this statement, they are trying to stay neutral and emphasizing on the fact that a gun can be used for protection but there should be a certain control and check on the individuals who have opted to keep a weapon for safety purposes (Anderson & Sabia, 2018). Either way, history has proven that there has always been a conflicting stance in regards to the second amendment. Throughout time there have been people who have been on the different side of the pole for their own reasons.

Research has also indicated that regardless of how recent times have seen many unfortunate events of a school shooting, they still remain to be extremely safe for children. There are certain researchers who are in believe of the fact that media and politicians at times use certain events to their own advantage. There is no doubt in the fact that parents can be vulnerable target audience when it comes to their children and they will believe any statement which leads to the safety of their children. One of the biggest reasons behind that is there are already set examples of school shootings which serve as a good instigator for wanting gun control or gun ban (Anderson & Sabia, 2018). However, studies have also shown the fact that there has been lesser street crime after the civilians have been given the authority to carry a gun. One of the main reasons behind that is that the felon would think twice before making an interaction with the civilian, as they are well aware of the fact that the tables can turn on them due to the presence of the second amendment.

There is always going to be a debate when it comes to the second amendment and one cannot possibly ignore the debate that both the parties have to give. There are certain things that are rather inevitable. Where there is the involvement of a weapon people are always going to associate it with a crime. A simple notion is that guns lead to war, war leads to death and death leads to fear. This fear that has been conditioned in the common man is always going to make them apprehensive of gun laws, but there are people out there who have had experiences which makes them need to be ready to defend themselves (Starbird, 2017). These people have looked past their fear of guns and looked at the weapon as a security to sleep at night. The main thing that needs to be kept in mind is the power that is associated with owning a weapon as impactful as a gun. That is why the people who are given the authority to own this weapon is based on their past records. However, control and regulation are required on all levels but there are always going to be uncertainties which can lead to tragic events like mass shootings (Sabia & Bass, 2017). So, one way or the other the entire debate around gun laws has some significance on both ends.

Conclusion

The changing times have certainly made one thing clear that all individuals are going to have a different opinion when it comes to pretty much everything. The argument surrounding gun laws is no different, any unfortunate event like a school shooting will ignite an argument among both sides of the party (Rajan, Branas, Hargarten & Allegrante, 2018). The people who are against the legalizing of gun ownership will always stay skeptic of the law, and the individuals who are in favor of the law are always going to support the notion that they believe. Both the parties have significant facts to prove their view and belief. The recent school shootings have only added to the argument which has been around since the beginning of the ratification of the second amendment. However, as awareness is created the debate has seen some neutral notions as well. There is always going to be national check prior to giving an individual a gun but certain events are inevitable, and no one can see them coming (Sabia & Bass, 2017). However, people believe that gun control can aid in avoiding that occurrence. Having said that, there are still people out there who are in fear of being the victim of street crime and want all the protection that they can get. In short, there is always going to be a person on the fence in regards to gun laws and it is a never-ending debate being structured based on individual experiences and media exposure.

References

Rajan, S., Branas, C. C., Hargarten, S., & Allegrante, J. P. (2018). Funding for gun violence research is key to the health and safety of the nation.

Hevia, J. D. (2018). Impediments to US Educational & Public Institutions Ameliorating the Mass Shooting Epidemic with Effective State-of-the-Art Security Solutions &. Amityville, NY: Napco Security Technologies, Inc.

Anderson, D. M., & Sabia, J. J. (2018). Child-Access-Prevention Laws, Youths’ Gun Carrying, and School Shootings. The Journal of Law and Economics, 61(3), 489-524.

Starbird, K. (2017, May). Examining the alternative media ecosystem through the production of alternative narratives of mass shooting events on Twitter. In Eleventh International AAAI Conference on Web and Social Media.

Sabia, J. J., & Bass, B. (2017). Do anti-bullying laws work? New evidence on school safety and youth violence. Journal of Population Economics, 30(2), 473-502.