...For years Colorado has been known for its beautiful landscape, ski resorts and even its relaxed gun laws. Recently however lawmakers in Colorado passed laws for stricter gun control. The laws include limiting magazines to a 15 round capacity and background checks before every gun purchase including private sales. These laws are ineffective, despite good intentions, they are very difficult to enforce and are too vague to support. Police officers serve and protect, and if these laws effect anyone more than the public that have to abide the laws its police officers who have to abide them and try to enforce them. “55 of the 62 sheriffs that serve in Colorado have outright refused to enforce the state’s new gun laws”. That’s nearly 89% of the sheriff’s in Colorado. Sheriffs serve and protect the residents of Colorado and the fact that so many have problems with these laws there must be something wrong. I doubt they would try to repeal the laws if they thought the laws would better the community in some way. They like many others believe the laws are too difficult to enforce and many believe that the laws go against the second amendment. I believe that the 15 round magazine capacity is over doing it a little. There is no way to effectively enforce it since larger magazines owned before the law passed are “grandfathered in” meaning they are exempt from the new laws. With stores right across the Colorado border selling the larger and illegal magazines for people that reside in Colorado...
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...a grand festival for Batman fans, unfortunately, the tragedy happened. In the cinema of Aurora, Colorado, a man named James Holmes, who wore a gas mask and dressed up as the super villain in the movie, threw tear gas into the theater and shot at people during the showing of the film. Twelve people were killed and fifty-eight people were injured in the incident. As one of the most serious shooting cases in the U.S., the issue of gun control has once again attracted public attention, rushing people into pro and con camps. The controversy around the issue is whether it is better to strengthen the laws for gun control or not. Major media around the world have made extensive covers and reports of the Denver shooting case; they also joined the discussion of gun control because it has significant effects for people’s lives and safety. There are three articles from different media responses to the hot topic. The article titled “Gun-control, gun-rights groups’ ready for renewed debate after Colorado shooting” by Michael Martinez was published on CNN.COM. CNN is one of the most influential global media and authoritative news sites, which can be seen or read by over 100 million U.S households and viewers in over 212 countries. This article notes that both sides were engaged in a renewed debate about the issue of gun control in the aftermath of the shooting tragedy that happened at a Colorado movie theater. In this debate, an appeal is being continually made for placing strict restrictions...
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...In 2012, there were a number of mass shootings in the United States including the theater shooting in Aurora, Colorado and the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in Newtown, Connecticut. Between these two mass shootings, thirty-nine individuals were killed but the whole country was affected (Ehrenfreund). Many feared for their lives and questioned their safety in public places, especially in schools. Following the shooting in Newtown, a nationwide debate took place about the possibility of stricter gun control laws (“U.S. Mass Shootings”). Gun control activists believe that removing or radically altering the 2nd amendment will solve America’s issue of gun violence, but doing so is not the answer. Citizens have the right to own guns, most...
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...Enforcement of Gun Control It seems to never fail when one turn on the news there is going to be some gruesome scene involving the inappropriate use of firearms and the mass murdering of innocent civilians. There are laws implemented to give Americans the right to bear arms; however, does that right also give the power to murder? A mass murderer has been created who gives himself the power to control the fate of our American society. The question still remains; what happens after the crime has been committed? As history shows not much has happened and that needs to change. There has been an uncanny abundance of crime and mass murder as a result of firearms in the United States; therefore, there is a strong need to implement laws that enforce...
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...Gun Violence: A Public Threat Question At Issue: Should the prevention of gun violence be considered a public health issue? Argument Sentence: Prevention of gun violence should be considered a public health issue because preventing gun violence will stop thousands of deaths every year. Premise: Any preventative measures that stops thousands of deaths every year should be considered a public health issue. Every year we get reminded of the gun issue whenever we hear about a horrifying new shooting and every year we seem to forget until we hear about the new one. As long as it doesn’t involve people that we know personally it is easy to get desensitized to the reports on the news. The image of a deranged psycho mass murderer makes for...
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...That’s why I am running for US Congress. I’m calling on Congress to stop talking past each other and try something new. Empower schools and teachers with non-lethal self-defense tools, like this can of pepper spray.” He then picked up a small canister of pepper spray and held it up to the camera. “Pepper spray doesn’t cost much, and it can be safely stored in a 'break-glass-in-case-of-emergency' cabinet, but it’s powerful and it won’t accidentally kill a kid,” he added, noting, “trust me, this will stop anyone in their tracks.” To support his ludicrous assertion that pepper spray will keep children safer than firearms during a school shooting, the democratic candidate then had someone use the can of pepper spray on the face for several seconds. Upon doing so, a disclaimer, which stated, “this is dangerous, do not attempt,” appeared at the bottom of the video as if he were one of the lunatics from Jackass. After having his eyes doused in pepper spray, he then rushed over to a tank of soapy water and dunked his end in. “It’s incredibly painful and now I just can’t see anything!” exclaimed Tillemann. “Wow. That’s intense. It’s just unbearable. It’s like lava in your eyes,” added the democratic candidate before using more water to try and flush out his...
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...School Shootings When I think of school shootings my mind immediately goes back to the Columbine High school shooting. This was the first school shooting that I was actually old enough to remember and understand. I still remember having a moment of silence for all of those involved. The New world encyclopedia states “Columbine High School shooting was one of the deadliest mass shootings in United States history. On April 20, 1999, two teenagers killed 13 people and wounded more than 20 at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado. The incident drew worldwide attention. It led to widespread discussion over gun control and the prevention of school violence.” (Funk & Wagnalls) According to Wikipedia from 2011 to 2015 there has been 99 school shootings including grade schools, high schools, and colleges. This is a problem that needs more national attention in my opinion in order for there to be some form of change. The killers in school shootings (mass shootings) are what we call mass murderers, they typically want to send a message. It was stated the two students in Columbine sought revenge on bullies; this shooting/bombing was meant to send the message to them. According to a few articles I read they define their personalities as, “pseudocommando” these individuals kill in public during the daytime, plan their offense well in advance, and come prepared with arsenal of weapons, very similar to that of the school shooting killers. (Knoll) According to Warnick, the children...
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...suicide, and some argue that certain regulations may violate individual liberties. Most people will agree that the gun law in the United States does not really decrease the number of gun related incidents that have occurred. Such incidents includes the 2012 Aurora Shooting. On July 20, 2012, a mass shooting occurred inside of a Century movie theater in Aurora, Colorado, during a midnight screening of the film The Dark Knight Rises. A gunman, dressed in tactical clothing, set off tear gas grenades and shot into the audience with multiple firearms, killing 12 people and injuring 70 others. After this unfortunate event Colorado’s gun sales spiked after the shooting, with the number of background checks for people seeking to purchase a firearm in the state increasing to 2,887 about reaching 43%. Another incident was the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting. This occurred on December 14, 2012, in the village of Sandy Hook in Newtown, Connecticut. The gunman, 20-year-old Adam Lanza, fatally shot 20 children and 6 adult staff members at Sandy Hook Elementary School. It was considered the most deadly mass shooting at a grade school in U.S. history and the second- deadliest mass shooting by a single person in U.S. history, with the first being the Virginia tech massacre. This incident was so serious that it prompted a renewed...
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...Gun control in America Some gun control laws should stay the same because gun related deaths have dropped, it is our Second Amendment right, but some state laws should change to keep guns out of schools. Barrett (2013) discusses that gun violence is declining in the U.S. Figures from the United States Bureau of Justice and that gun related deaths have dropped 39% since 1993 (Truman, P.H.D & Planty, Ph.D., 2013). The author also states that handguns are mostly responsible gun related deaths and injuries, which raises questions on the emphasis of assault weapons of some gun control supporters. According to Barrett (2013), he states the government says nonfatal gun crime has dropped in the last twenty years by 69%. It is good that the rates have dropped that much. Singh (1998) focuses on an essay written by Jeremy Putley in January 1997, which criticized the American system of government and the assumed deficiencies of its constitution, highlighting gun control in the United States. The topics include the amount of Americans who have died from gun-related deaths yearly during the 1990s, identification of the two gun control measures which were padded by the Democratic 103rd United States Congress, and explanation of the gun crisis in the United States. The United States Bill of Rights (Madison) states, “A well-regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.” The Bill of Rights is...
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...There were more than seventy mass shootings in the last thirty years. To clarify, a mass shooting is an incident involving multiple victims of gun violence(“Gun Control Pros and Cons”). The Columbine Massacre was one of these mass shootings. It occurred on April 20, 1999 in Littleton, Colorado by two high school boys. They chose to do this because they were bullied in high school. This incident left fifteen people dead and twenty-four people injured. The guns used during the shooting were illegally acquired. This is just one significant example of a mass shooting in the United States. Gun laws for possession, carrying, acquiring, buying, selling, and distributing will vary from state to state, some may be broader or more limited to existing Federal Gun Laws. Firearm Licensees are subject to the Gun Laws of the state where they are in rather than the state where the firearm permit was issued. In Pennsylvania there is no permit or registration to buy or own a gun. Known as the "gun show loophole,"...
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...Persuasive Research Paper Dominique Harris ENG/215 September 30, 2013 Bill Morgan Persuasive Research Paper Restrictions on Guns for the Sake of Life Volsky (2012), "I support the Second Amendment” (para. 2) Governor Rick Scott (R) stated December 2012 when questioned by anchor Soledad O’Brien about which reforms, if any, he would support. Gun control is one of the leading controversial issues society faces in America to date. The government is faced with the issue of limiting assault rifles with a trite and establishing tougher gun laws vs. the second amendment. President Obama said it best “the country’s background check system for gun buyers is so weak it makes the United States vulnerable to mass shootings” (Rucker, 2013, para. 2). That statement alone should end any controversy on the issue of gun control. Regulating individual’s right to bear arms certainly would bring a since of safety to our society. In order for that to happen, government will have to do more than just prohibited sales of guns. In everyone’s community someone knows an individual who owns gun e.g., for protection or hunting. To regulate the rights to bear arms authorities would have to confiscate everyone’s guns to make America safer. I personally would like that to happen because guns kill, accidentally and on purpose. Take a look at the bigger picture “every day in the U.S., an average of 289 people are shot. Eight-six of them die: 30 are murdered, 53 kill themselves, two die accidentally...
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...Running head: SERIAL KILLER PAPER Serial Killer Paper: The Columbine Tragedy Carsyn Ehlinger DMACC Abstract The Columbine Massacre was a school shooting that took place on April 20th, 1999, in Littleton, Colorado. Shooters Eric Harris, and Dylan Klebold killed 13 in what was then the biggest school shooting. The Columbine massacre is a topic of interest because it was one of the first heavily reported mass shootings, and had been handled poorly by law enforcement. Today Columbine stands as an example for law enforcement, and is one of the most popular copy-cat murders. On April 20th, 1999, only seventeen days before senior graduation, students Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold entered Columbine High School and killing twelve students, one teacher, and injuring many more before taking their own lives....
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...classroom, or in their possession, would there be less deaths? “Colorado school district will allow teachers to carry guns (nypost.com/2016/12/15).” If someone walked into a school with a gun, how many people will die before the cops arrive? The answer is one to many. If teachers had guns, they can protect their class, and themselves. “In Colorado Springs it takes law enforcement an average of 20 minutes to get to the school (nypost.com/2016/12/15).” Twenty minutes that is a long time to wait for the cops. Some school even have cops in the school at all times, but should teachers have guns on them? Yes, how is one cop going to protect the whole school? In the past, there have been many school shooting, and even more deaths. So how are the schools going to learn from the past, and look into the future. “In 2016 there were 35 school shooting that resulted in death(abc15.com/news/state).” So how are the...
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...Also, becoming mass shooters' weapons of choice. As well as a main component to multiple massacres and mass shootings. Such as, the Orlando Nightclub massacre where the shooter managed to kill 50 people and wounded 53 other in a crowded nightclub. Another incident where an assault weapon was also used, was the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting. In this shooting twenty students ages 6 and 7, and six adults were killed. Or, the Colorado theatre shooting, which left 12 dead and 70 wounded. However, there have been plenty of unfortunate massacres where the shooters have used assault rifles to take away the lives of innocent...
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...Republicans are eager to shut down this Colorado gun bill. Here’s why their dream could backfire big time. Will police support of the red flag bill in Colorado increase the odds of it passing? Maybe, but Republican leaders won’t approach the topic. Assistant minority house leader Cole Wist, among others, is wanted by liberals to stop talking about taking guns and changing gun laws in Colorado. Conservatives fear that any threats to change gun laws will boost strict gun regulations later down the road - not with Democrats, as some hope, but with Republicans. Everett tweeted recently: “Another vote in defense of our civil liberties. No on HB 18-1436. Twitter will only let me tag 10 of my colleagues, but many more joined me in defense of your...
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