Gun Regulation the Need for Gun Control

Gun Regulation

The Need for Gun Control to Stop the Violence

Sandy Hook Elementary was a sad scene, one which hit at the heart of most Americans. It is a scene that we all wish to have never repeated. With so many outburst of violence around the United States using heavy machinery and advanced firearms, Congress needs to instill greater regulation of guns, especially more dangerous weapons like automatic weapons and riffles. This does not mean that Congress should ban such guns, as such would be a violation of the Second Amendment, but it is clear that these dangerous weapons need to be regulated in order to make sure they do not continue to end up in the wrong hands and continue to cause tragedies across the United States.

Despite a strong connotation that Americans should have free range in regards to their weapons under the Second Amendment, recent tragedies have encouraged enough public outcries to bring gun control legislation into debate on the floors of both houses of Congress. After such tragedies like Sandy Hook Elementary School, which occurred late last year, many are demanding greater federal restrictions on certain types of weapons. Congress is currently working on passing a number of gun regulations that would make it difficult and open to heavy fines to illegally purchase and use weapons, including more dangerous weapons like fully automatic guns. One article in Time Magazine highlights how two measures specifically are important here: the concept of making illegal position of fully automatic weapons and assault riffles a felony and the increase in required federal background checks for the initial sale of such guns (Calabresi 1). The idea here is for Congress to instill enough regulations to deter dangerous criminals from getting such powerful weaponry in the first place. Stricter punishments might scare people off from illegally purchasing and using such weapons, as the punishments may help take some hardened criminals off of America's streets. Moreover, with greater background checks, many of these dangerous weapons will not even be available to those in the population who may stand to abuse their ability to purchase and own weapons. Many states already have their own background check ordinances, yet there is a lack of a federal requirement that would force all states to have a background system in place to avoid selling dangerous weapons to those who might use them to instill unnecessary and gratuitous violence in America's communities. Still, despite the clear benefits of such regulatory measures, Congress still shows clear signs of a showdown among bipartisan lines (Calabresi 1). Republicans are fighting Democrats' initiatives on gun control every step of the way, which is making it difficult for any regulatory measures to pass. Congress needs to push aside its party differences and understand that these current regulations are not taking such guns off the market completely, but rather just making it harder for criminals to purchase and use them in violent attacks against America's communities.