By Maliwane Miller, Year 12
Once again, another shooting on American soil; the worst in a decade. On October 1st , 2017, during the Route 91 Harvest Country Music festival, Stephen Paddock, a 64 year old man, engineered the deadliest mass shooting in a decade. He stood in an overlooking hotel on the 32nd floor, with at least 17 guns. This man killed around 59 people and injured 527. The local police found an additional 18 firearms, explosives, and several thousands of rounds of ammunition at his home in Nevada.
This week, I asked you, LGB Secondary, to answer the following question:“Do you think one should be allowed to buy a gun?” This question is important and has sparked many debates around the world. Sadly, opposites sides never come to a common agreement, and probably never will.
According to the 40 answers I got, the majority of the students were in favour of people carrying guns, but with several conditions such as: mental health checks, background checks, a license, special trainings and controlled sales, with regular check- ups of the firearms carriers. Here are some of the answers you sent me;
“One should be allowed to buy one, as the inhibition of this is simply put a threat to democracy, but at the moment of purchase extensive background checks must be undergone, along with sufficient training to use it properly.Regular check-ups should be enforced to determine that the carrier of the gun
is still fully capable of responsibly wielding the weapon. Ammunition should also be government controlled and administered, as to keep track of, in the circumstances of misuse, the individual who fired the shot. In an ideal world, the average person would not have the right to bear arms, but due to the
current political landscape this idea is an illusion and frankly a dream. Thus, it is important that we do the next best thing: strict control and enforcement laws.”
“It depends on the circumstances and age. But I personally think a person should be allowed a gun only if they have license that will also ensure that they will use it responsibly.”
“The number of ammunition and guns people own should be limited and controlled.”
“I think people should be able to buy gun but under strict control in regulation, like in Switzerland, making no bullets unaccounted for.”
“What happened in Las Vegas a few weeks ago is nothing new. Mass shootings in America are extremely high, over 355 mass shootings a year (in 2015). The correlation between the weapons per household and the number of shootings is present both in a national, (comparing this ratio in the
American states) and international levels. It is impressive how getting a gun in the United States is easier than to get wine, since the latter has more regulations. What many Americans confuse is the conflict between the right of self-defence, guaranteed in the second amendment, and the right of public safety. It is a public problem when and if guns, especially semi and automatic, are in the hands of people that do not have the mental preparation and responsibility to know how to use them.”
A few of you also declared that guns should be illegal for civilians, here are your comments on the subject:
“The use of guns has brought nothing but pain and suffering to the human race, whether it be by police, mad men, terrorists, etc.”
“No way should any civilian own a gun. Military trained officials should be able to obtain one after they have completed their service. Otherwise not.”
“In my opinion I don’t think people should own a gun because it lowers people’s trust in others and it creates a tension/mistrust if someone from a country in war owns one. People may argue that a gun keeps you safe but what does it mean to others who don’t have a gun? No one feels safe if someone doesn’t trust the other.”
“I am from the U.S. and the shootings are very personal to me. Terrorism is such a persistent issue and sometimes I feel like people are getting used to waking up to another shooting. It’s not normal, and the death toll will only rise if we normalise it. The second amendment is in our constitution, and it is in
every man or woman’s right to defend themselves, but not censoring when an old man in buying more than ten military-grade machine guns is beyond me.”
“I believe this is a controversial topic that can’t be answered with a yes or no. The United States’ second amendment gives Americans the right to bear arms but what many people don’t understand is that: It’s the right to bear arms against an oppressing government, not each other, not “intruders” or whatever
the excuse is. Plus, the limitations on gun control wouldn’t have stopped the Las Vegas shooting. The shooter had no record of mental illness, no criminal record other than parking tickets, nothing.
As you can see, this sensitive question and its potential answers will never satisfy every individual, since everyone has its rightful personal opinion. Unfortunately, this freedom of action, particularly in the US, has and will have lethal consequences. Thank you to all of you who answered my survey, your opinions are very much appreciated. Sorry for those who didn’t appear in this article, since I got a lot of answers, I couldn’t include everyone.
