Americans use guns as if they’re not a big deal. But are they not? One reason is because America as a whole will not admit it has a serious problem with guns and gun violence. But as well as that, lawmakers still act like the solutions are some sort of mystery and as if there hasn’t been years of research plus experiences in other countries that show restrictions on firearms can save lives.
The regular defence of current gun laws is “The right to keep and bear arms” from the Second Amendment of the US Constitution. This right is inherited from the militaries who rebelled against the British during the American Revolution of 1776, and it allows Americans to own and use a firearm to this day.
The US is distinctive in two key, and related ways when it comes to guns: It has way more gun deaths than other urbanised nations, and it has far more guns than any other country in the world.
The Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in Parkland, Florida killed at least 17 people but there are signs that there could have been a different outcome. There have been protests already planned: the National School Walkout, the March for Our Lives, and more to come. Students with favourably sympathetic stories are speaking up and the consciousness of outrage seems to be continuous in the week after the shooting.
Reflecting on President Donald Trump’s speech responding to the Florida shooting, his only citation of guns was a nebulous reference to “gunfire” as he labelled what happened. He did not even raise the topic of gun control or anything connected to that debate, in its place vaguely promising to work “with state and local leaders to help secure our schools and tackle the difficult issue of mental health.”
The US has nearly 16 times the gun homicide rate of Canada which is more than seven times that of Sweden and nearly 16 times that of Germany, according to United Nations data compiled by the Guardian. These gun deaths are a vast reason America has a higher homicide rate overall, which includes non-gun deaths, than other developed nations. Violence hasn’t only been caused by guns but also from poverty, urbanisation and alcohol consumption. However researchers did control for other baffling variables and found repeatedly that America’s high levels of gun ownership are a key reason that the US is much worse in terms of gun violence than its developed peers.
Many people would argue that guns should be banned, as they would make the community safer since the criminals would have to turn them in and would have nothing to shoot each other with. They could also say that only the police should be allowed to have guns because they work for the government and the government would never abuse it's power. On the other hand people would argue to not ban guns for many reasons. If guns were to be banned, criminals would just switch to knives, baseball bats, deadly drugs, hit and runs with cars, gasoline and matches, and even their own hands. Additionally they believe guns are a mean of survival and protection and always will be.
I asked a student Raheela Butt, at Farringtons School in Chislehurst of her opinion on guns and whether they should be banned. This is what she had to say: “I think guns are a very dangerous weapon, and over recent years there have been increased problems related to guns and mistreating the use of them. I don’t think guns should be banned for safety but I also think guns shouldn’t be available for people to buy and the use of them should only be in extreme cases.”
Rhea Patel, Farringtons School
