...Why Cannot The USA Have a Stricter Gun Control? The 44th president of the United States of America, Barack Obama, wants to apply more gun control in the states. He has on several occasions indicated his opinion against firearms and crimes committed with firearms. Obama said after the Sandy Hook Elementary School tragedy, “We won’t be able to stop every violent act, but if there is even one thing that we can do to prevent any of these events, we have a deep obligation, all of us, to try.” (McDonough 2012) Usually the American citizens agree with their president, but never before has one presidential opinion created so much outcry. In my research paper, I will look at why the American citizens cannot agree with their president. 47 American states have turned against their recently re-elected president’s opinion on gun control. How can the opinions of a democratically elected president offend so many American citizens? Eric Reed of Texas is encouraging Americans to rally against their president in the “Guns Across America” association. He felt offended by the president when Obama expressed his wish to ban assault rifles. He said to the New York Times: “He’s essentially restricting and punishing all law-abiding American citizens. He’s taking people who have never committed a crime in their lives and he’s trying to tell them that these guns are ‘assault weapons.’ Well, I’ve got guns in my home. If they’re ‘assault weapons,’ then mine must be defective because they haven’t assaulted...
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...article “Obama To Unveil Gun Control Reforms In Near Future” by Sam Stein depicts an African American president who decided to reform gun control. According to Sam, 6 months after the attempted assassination of Representative Gabrielle Gillfords left the Obama administration scrambling to reform the gun control laws. The Obama administration is drafting new legislation towards combating gun control. Nevertheless, the problem with guns was not apparent when the 2nd amendment was drafted. Hopefully, the new initiatives that are being drafted by the Department of Justice will inspire the Obama Administration to embrace tighter gun control and fight the gun lobbyist. Even though the 2nd amendment gives the right to bear arms, President Obama has an obligation to create a safer America. As insinuated by the stakeholders of the 2nd amendment successful arguments will make the new legislation tougher to pass with a Republican House. Therefore, any changes will be by way of an Executive Order, and not by an amendment change. The Executive Order will probably remain in limbo if a two-thirds vote is not achieved. Meanwhile, the law makers remained quite on the details of the changes. The Obama Administration authorized a core team to work through the complexities of the reform. The Attorney General and key stakeholders of the 2nd amendment are the core team. The team has a responsibility to establish common on the front end to seek out solutions on gun control without...
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...Historical Perspective: Immigration Reform and Gun Control Laws Leslie S. Purdy PAD510 Intro. Public Policy Analysis July 17, 2013 Dr. Phillip Neely Jr. Immigration is an issue at the heart of America. Today, with the exception of the few appropriately named Native Americans, every American is an immigrant or a descendent of an immigrant. In recent years the discussion of immigration policy in the United States has focused mainly around the regulation and selection of legal immigrants and the control and penalties regarding illegal immigrants. The historical perspectives of former President George H. W. Bush, and President Obama clearly shows how different the immigration issue is for republicans and democrats alike. Each party appears to be pro-immigration for varying reasons. President Bush found that during his time as governor of Texas that many immigrants entered the country through illegal means as a viable workforce. During his second term as President he also found that many Americans did not agree with giving undocumented immigrants a path to legal citizenship, and found it difficult to come up with a program for immigration reform. Some of former President Bush’s comprehensive immigration reform included: 1. Introduce a guest worker program, which would include a tamper-proof identification card 2. Enhance border security 3. Stricter immigration enforcement at businesses, which would reduce exploitation and help slow demand for illegal...
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...Newtown, Connecticut that took the lives of 26 students and teachers. Cases like these have prompted the Obama Administration as well as the entire nation to reconsider what laws and restrictions need to be placed with regard to gun access and control without interfering with the constitutional rights of citizens. It is a known fact that America was produced into a nation based on the ideologies of freedom and democracy; with the constitution as the heart of its central government. The basic rights of citizens stated in the amendments are not only unambiguous but also eminently conserved by the Judicial System and Supreme Courts, which makes it a crucial challenge to modify, despite having national catastrophes that leave the government questioning their responsibilities with regard to public safety. Guns are a huge presence on the American landscape, no doubt. With an estimated 300 million firearms privately owned in the U.S., we practically have a weapon for every citizen. In 1994, President Clinton signed a ten year assault weapons ban into law but industries continued to manufacture civilian versions of military rifles. According to author Paul Berrett, “The prohibition actually helped transform what had been a marginal product for most manufacturers into a gun-rights poster child, celebrated by the National Rifle Association and sought after by a much bigger share of the gun-buying public.” Since the ban’s expiration in 2004,...
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...Gun Control Efforts in the United States For many years gun control laws in the United States have been at a standstill causing many lives to be lost in mass shootings. At the federal level it has been over 20 years since any law has been changed (Vizzard 880). The state level is where the most effort has been enforced. There are only 9 states that don’t have conceal and carry regulations (Vizzard 881). President Obama has made many efforts to try and get supporter to help him enforce stricter gun control laws, but there has been a confusion on whether he wants to get rid of all guns. This accusation is false. In a New York Times news article Michael Shear wrote, “He (Obama) rejected accusations that he wants to confiscate guns, calling that a ridiculous idea” (Shear 1). The people in the United States need to educate themselves before taking action. Stricter gun control laws would help save lives. February 26, 2016, Cedric Larry Ford went on a 26 minute long killing spree at Excel Industries in Hesston, Kansas, which was his place of work. He shot 14 people, and 3 those people died. Ford does have a prior criminal record for burglary and concealed fire arms. He used an assault rifle in the shooting, but he also had a pistol on him which he didn’t use (Johnson, Calabrese, Smith, McCoy and Rudansky, “Cedric Larry Ford Kills 3, Injures 14 in Kansas Shooting Spree”). According to a news article wrote in The Kansan, Sarah Hopkins provided the guns to Ford, and they also claim...
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...ceremonial swearing-in at the U.S. Capitol was filled with traditional pomp and pageantry. Obama swore in January 21, 2013 for the public. He delivered a speech that previewed the priorities that he intends to pursue for his second-term (Tribune Newspaper, n.d.). His priorities include things like: gun rights, budget plans, and jobs for America. Obama is calling to give a fair shot to the middle class (Dorning, 2013). The Affordable Care Act is also in his plan for the next four years. Obama propose the “The Budget Plan”. Jobs for America, the middle class, and affordable care were discussed in this plan. Amy Goodman stated, “President Obama has unveiled a budget plan seeking to trim the federal deficit by cutting or eliminating over 200 federal programs, many dedicated to social services and education.” The Budget was a $3.7 trillion proposal that would cut funding in half for the IHEAP (Income Home Energy Assistance Program). This program subsidizes heating costs for low-income Americans. President Obama called for a freeze on annual domestic spending over the next few years. The Budget Plan also calls for cutting $300 million from community development block grants. Obama’s plan includes two modest tax hikes for banks and oil companies. However, the Budget does not only include those things. The Budget implements the tight discretionary spending caps that Obama signed into law in the Budget Control Act of 2011. Barack also wanted to limit an expansion of the Pell Grant Program for...
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...Gun control should be improved by taking away guns because every bullet counts and every bullet represent an innocent life which is taken away every day. If there was a stricter gun control policy in the United States, the United States would not have the highest gun related death rate than any other country and many innocent lives would be saved every year. It is more important to be safe than to allow the second amendment. Research shows there have already been 36,996 incidents related to gun violence, 9,275 total numbers of deaths and 845 incidents in self-defense use in just this year of 2015. Beginning way back to the assassination of Presidents John F. Kennedy in the year of 1963 and continuing to this present day. Gun-related...
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...Issues about America gun control Gun issue if one of the most serious issue in the nowaday society. As we all know, there are some difficulties that the government is facing on the process of gun control. So what are they? Why is the new gun control law never comes out? We will talk about these one by one below. There are 16 fatal mass shooting taken place since January 1. The tragedies took place at perfectly random places--at churches, movie theatres, soccer tournaments, and even an elementary school. President Barack Obama wipes his eye as he talks President Barack Obama wipes his eye as he talks about the Connecticut elementary school shooting, Friday, December 14, 2012, in the White House briefing room in Washington. At the very start of their lives, the schoolchildren are remembered for their love of horses, or for the games they couldn't get enough of, or for always saying grace at dinner. The adult victims found their life's work in sheltering little ones, teaching them, caring for them, treating them as their own. The gunfire at Sandy Hook Elementary School left a toll both unbearable and incalculable: 20 students and six adults at the school, the gunman's mother at home, and the gunman himself. As all of us can see, the overflow of guns in the US have led to a serious consequence, so why is the new, more strict gun control law never comes out? Why is President Obama hesitating? Let the author introduce you National Rifle Association. The National Rifle Association...
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...Gun control has always been something extremely controversial in society. But when events occur such as the shootings at columbine high school and sandy hook elementary, gun control becomes even more of an issue not just in government but in the eyes of citizens. April 20th 1999, for most people in Colorado I’m sure it started off as a normal day. By the end of the afternoon it stood out as one of the most tragic days in recent history. About twenty five people lost their lives during the shooting that day, not including the shooters who committed suicide. On December 14th 2012, an event occurred that left the whole country struck by sadness and tragedy. A mass murder occurred in sandy hook elementary school in newton Connecticut. A man named Adam Lanza killed twenty children and six staff members in the elementary school. After events like these, gun control laws become much more controversial and emotionally driven because people are still in devastation. Many parents and other family members of these events become so involved in gun control laws because of how emotional and close to home gun control becomes, after your own family is impacted. After the event at sandy hook, president Barrack Obama delivered one of the most touching and memorable speeches of his presidency. In honor of the deaths he expressed enormous sympathy for the families of the victims; he ordered flags to be flown half-staff in honor of the victims. Also Obama honored the six adults with the 2012...
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...Gun Control what’s The Point Sondra Miller Dr. Kimberly Stanley December 8, 2013 Gun control in America is a debate that is a constant concern about the 2nd Amendment or the right to bear arms. Having the freedom to carry a gun is a very controversial issue in society today. There are many people who feel that guns has been a problem and part of the reason there is so much crime. In 1994 a crime bill was passed by President Bill Clinton that would prohibit just anyone from owning a gun (Washington Times vol0). As long as guns are made readily available for Americans to own them, tragedies such as the 1999 columbine school killing that 13 people were killed and wounding countless of others (Cullens2000,p 439) will continue to happen. Gun control policies should be stricter for people who wants to own a gun and for the store owners who sale them. The Hoffman Gun Center and Indoor Range require that gun owners have pistol permits that want to buy assault rifles. According to the Department of Emergency Services and Public Safety the law requires that a person who wants to buy a gun be at least 21 years of age, no convicted felonies, background check, and take a safety and storage course (Hoffman, 2001, newspaper). In America at least 400 children will die...
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...Gun Control ENG 102 Andrew Hughes There are a lot of hot topics in our country and gun control is one that is a constantly popular one. People use guns for many different reasons and have to go through a background check to get them, which is done by contacting the state law enforcement to make sure that the purchaser of the gun has not committed any crimes that would exclude them from buying a gun. Lawmakers are trying to make it harder and even not possible for Americans to purchase and own guns, even though places with carry laws are statistically much safer places to live, like in Florida where the murder rate has gone down since it was implemented. America would be a much safer place to live if every law abiding citizen were allowed to purchase and carry a gun on them at all times. People use guns for a variety of reasons in our country. Some people rely on having guns to hunt for either sport or to get food to feed their families. Then there are the people who use guns for fun to do things like shoot clay pigeons or do competition shooting. The last way that people use guns for is for personal protection. Whether at home or actually carrying the weapon on them people rely on having a gun on them to feel safer and more secure. Other people carry guns for work reasons whether they are the police or someone who might carry large amounts of money around for their jobs. The anti-gun portion of America thinks that people carry guns because they are paranoid, but that...
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...violence. As we watch, read or listen to the news; daily incidents of individuals becoming victims of gun violence trumps the headlines. With tragic incidents such as the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre in Newtown, Connecticut that occurred in December of 2012, as well as the mass shooting in Aurora, Colorado in July of 2012 occurring less than six months away from each other, prompted debate on a national level regarding the importance of gun control and mental illness. Other highly publicized mass shootings, such as the one that occurred in Tucson, Arizona in January of 2011, involving former US Representative Gabrielle Giffords and the mass shooting at Virginia Tech, along with the two events mentioned above, “all shared two common characteristics: all four shooters were mentally ill, and all four used guns with large capacity magazines, allowing them to fire multiple rounds of ammunition without reloading (Barry, 2013).” As the Second Amendment guarantees an individual’s right to bear arms, the issue at hand is: how can the government prevent guns from landing in the wrong hands, while at the same time, providing better mental health services for those in need. In this paper, I will explore and compare the agenda setting process regarding two landmark gun control legislations that were passed along with the agenda setting process today – proposed by President Obama in the wake of the tragic shootings at Sandy Hook...
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...Gun Control or Our Freedom Jill Sanders ENG/215 January 28, 2013 Sophia Hsia Gun Control or Our Freedom The pros and cons of gun control has been a debate over the years brings several issues to light. The myth of the Second Amendment is merely a reasoning clause for the right to bear arms, and people have the right to bear arms for their own personal use. The truth of the Second Amendment is “A well- regulated Militia being necessary to the security of a free state ” (www.guninformation.org/freedom.html). The legislative proposals are trying to restrict the availability of firearms to the public raise several questions. What restrictions on firearms are truly permissible under our Constitution? Does gun control constitute crime? Will the nation’s crime rates decrease with stricter regulation put on gun ownership? Last but not least would it hinder or impair the means of self-defense of citizens? (Krouse, March 2005) “First it is important to realize that the right to live is a very important right and a freedom”. If more gun control means lives saved then more gun control should mean more freedom. “The government has an obligation to protect the people’s rights such as the right to live. So the government has an obligation to place more restrictions on individual gun ownership. Do you as an American agree to the government is infringing on your rights?” We are going to explore the choices we have as citizens of the United States (www.guninformation.org/freedom...
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...Barack Obama’s speech on Gun violence Gun violence is a huge problem in the United States of America. Each year thousands of people are victims of mass shooting, and mass shooting is a growing problem. Many Americans see this problem but the gun law stays the same. The gun law and the gun culture go way back in American history, and many Americans feel it is their right to bear arms because it is written in the second amendment from 1791. But times have changed, and today most Americans believe that the gun law needs to be stricter. Therefore it can be difficult to understand why nothing happens when the majority of the US population supports stricter gun laws. So why is it that the law cannot be changed? And what can the politicians do to end this nightmare? Barack Obama is trying to highlight this issue in his newest speech on gun violence – “Remarks by the President on Common-Sense Gun Safety Reform” – that he presented at the White House Press Conference on the 5th of January 2016. This paper analyses Obama’s speech. The analysis will focus on the communicative and rhetorical devices in the speech. The sender of the speech is Barack Obama, the current president in the USA. He is representing his own party, the Democrats. Obama is speaking for all Americans and against the gun lobbyists. The speech is built on the foundation of all the gun tragedies, which have happened over the last years, and therefore makes use of al lot of pathos. He expresses his compassion for...
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...Is it possible that guns are the cause for all the violence and murders in America? Remember the tragedy that took place on December 14, 2012 at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, Connecticut, when Adam Lanza opened fire and fatally shot twenty children and six adults. What about the event that took place just six months before that in a theater in Aurora, Colorado? On July 20, 2012, James Holmes open fired during a shooting scene in The Dark Night Rises. His actions had killed 12 people and injured 58 others in the meantime. Saying guns are the cause of these shootings, is like saying that the planes that crashed into the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001, were the cause of all those deaths, and that the planes momentarily crippled our nation. Even though changes in gun laws are necessary; Limiting magazine capacity, conducting background checks and reinstating the Assault Rifle Ban will not directly affect gun violence in America. Gun control controversies are not something that has just come about in the past few months. America has dealt with gun control issues for decades, as well as anti-gun groups that want to disarm America. In 2009 before Barack Obama got sworn into office for a second term, gun sales were on the rise around the country. Gun sales continued to rise mostly out of fear that once in office, Barack Obama would promote legislation to disarm the American citizens. In a news conference Mr. Obama stated, “Gun-owning Americans do not need to rush out and...
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