Gun Control: A Necessary Regulation

Thousands of people die each year in the United States as a result of gun violence. According to the Children’s Defense Fund (2013), at least 2,694 children and teens have been killed by firearms as of March. According to Gucciardi (2013), “Gun control is people control.” Many Americans disagree. Gun control is not people control; rather it is a necessary regulation to increase the safety of American citizens.

Deadly School Shootings         

Figure 1. Keyzer, D. (2007). Fly again  [photograph]
Retrieved from: http://www.flickr.com/photos/keyzer/1473718448/

April 20, 1999 marked the deadliest high-school shooting to occur in the United States, when seniors Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold took 13 lives and left 27 injured, finally committing suicide. The students were in possession of semi-automatics and shotguns; neither Harris nor Klebold were of age to purchase firearms. The case sparked controversy over the effectiveness of gun control, as it was later revealed the teens purchased their ammunition from a local K-Mart (Moore, 2002). Since the Columbine High School Massacre, there have been more than 25 mass shootings in America (Shen, 2012). Figure 1 displays the Columbine High School memorial for the shooting victims. Despite these fatal incidents, there is still a defect when it comes to gun control. The nation’s most recent school shooting took place Oct. 21, 2013 at Sparks Middle School in Nevada. The alleged gunman, unnamed because of his age, fatally shot a math teacher and wounded two of his classmates with a handgun he evidently took from his parents (Johnston, Shoichet & Watts, 2013). This is just another illustration of a tragedy which could have been prevented with stricter gun-control laws.

Weak Gun Laws Lead to Breach of Security

            Recently, the state of Maryland passed a series of gun laws, “mandating that those purchasing any gun for the first time other than a hunting rifle or shotgun have to get a license, submit a fingerprint, pass classroom and range training and undergo an extensive background check. Figure 2 illustrates a pro-gun-control march on Washington.

Figure 2. Barnes, E. (2013). March on Washington [photograph].
Retrieved from: http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8102
/8455245933_c23e9f0ceb.jpg

New laws also ban 45 types of semi-automatic rifles and limit magazines to 10 bullets” (Collins, 2013). The laws went into effect Oct. 1 and were passed in response to the Washington Navy Yard Shooting Sept. 16. It was on this chilling day that gunman Aaron Alexis brandished a shotgun at the Washington Navy Yard, killing 12 and leaving three others injured. Alexis was eventually killed by police in a gunfight. The case brought about gun-control controversy because Alexis appeared to be suffering from mental illness. Evidence shows that Alexis was in contact with a mind-control outreach group and believed he was being controlled by voices in his head. He had been arrested several times and cited with misconduct (due to misuse of a firearm) and was prescribed antidepressant medication. Emails obtained after the incident illustrate Alexis’ claims that, “the Navy was targeting his brain with extremely low frequency waves” (Dupre,2013). Despite his apparent issues, the former naval officer was still able to get his hands on a gun and gain entrance into the secured navy yard. Had gun-control laws been stricter, perhaps this fatal incident could have been avoided.

                                                                           A Fatal Accident

In a final tragic tale, 5-year-old Brandajah Smith was home alone in New Orleans June 23 when she retrieved a .38-caliber revolver from a shelf and fatally shot herself. Figure 3 shows a memorial for the child, remembered by stuffed animals and dolls. Her mother Laderika Smith has been charged with second-degree murder. Smith reportedly left her daughter home alone while she went to the store (Goldstein, 2013). Speculation has surrounded the case, with Deberry (2013) reporting the child may have committed suicide.

Figure 3. Freund, H. (2013). Memorial for Brandajah Smith
[photograph]. Retrieved from:
http://media.nola.com/tpphotos/photo/2013/10/13507359-standard.jpg

According to Freund (2013), the young girl was living a torturous life, full of abuse and neglect. Her mother was a convicted criminal, with charges of prostitution and theft. Smith lived an unpredictable life, sometimes ending up on the streets.  Freund (2013) also suggests, “The kindergartener, records and authorities indicate, had suffered sexual abuse and had talked openly about death and heaven, what experts call suicidal ideations.” At the time of her death, Brandajah was living with her mother and 8-year-old sister at the home of a distant cousin, 54-year-old Leon Warren. Warren was a convicted felon and had been arrested for battery against Smith earlier in the year. The question remains as to why Laderika Smith and Leon Warren, convicted criminals, were able to house a revolver. Furthermore, why wasn’t the case of little Brandajah further investigated? Despite several complaints, she was left to fend for herself in an unsafe environment. And now another child is gone. Once again, harsher gun-control laws may have saved a life.

The Future of Gun Control

       All things considered, the safety of future generations depends on stricter gun-control laws. Too many people die at the hands of gun violence and nothing is being done to stop it. Students, teachers and everyday workers should feel safe and secure in this country. The way to ensure these sentiments is to increase the amount of regulation over firearms. Otherwise, more lives will be lost in the unfair fight against guns. See the videos below for more on gun control.

References

Children in the United States. (2013, March 20). Retrieved from http://www.childrensdefense.org/child-research-data-publications/data/state-data-repository/cits/2013/2013-united-states-children-in-the-states.pdf

Collins, D. (2013, September 24). Pro-gun advocates rally over new gun laws. Retrieved from http://www.wbaltv.com/news/maryland/anne-arundel-county/annapolis-rally-hearing-set-for-monday-on-guncontrol-debate/-/10137088/22072056/-/7svl2wz/-/index.html

Deberry, J. (2013, October 2). Could Brandajah Smith, 5, have contemplated suicide? Retrieved from http://www.nola.com/opinions/index.ssf/2013/10/could_brandajah_smith_5_have_c.htmlhttp://www.nola.com/opinions/index.ssf/2013/10/could_brandajah_smith_5_have_c.html/could_brandajah_smith_5_have_c.html

Dupre, D. (2013, October 26). Navy yard shooter had mind control group contact. Retrieved from http://www.examiner.com/article/navy-yard-shooter-had-mind-control-group-contact
Freund, H. (2013, October 1). For 5-year-old Brandajah Smith, a violent end to a troubled short life. Retrieved from http://www.nola.com/crime/index.ssf/2013/10/post_347.html

Goldstein, S. (2013, June 24). Girl, 5, dead after shooting herself with loaded revolver left in New Orleans home. Retrieved from http://www.nydailynews.com/news/crime/girl-5-shoots-loaded-revolver-article-1.1381042

Gucciardi, A. (2013, April 29). It's not about guns: Gun control is people control. Retrieved from http://www.infowars.com/its-not-about-guns-gun-control-is-people-control/

Johnston, C., Shoichet, C., & Watts, A. (2013, October 21). Nevada school shooting: Teacher killed, two students wounded. Retrieved from http://www.cnn.com/2013/10/21/justice/nevada-middle-school-shooting/

Moore, M. (Director) (2002). Bowling for columbine [DVD]. Available from http://www.bowlingforcolumbine.com/

Shen, A. (2012, December 14). A timeline of mass shootings in the US since Columbine. Retrieved from http://thinkprogress.org/justice/2012/12/14/1337221/a-timeline-of-mass-shootings-in-the-us-since-columbine/