Gun control is a controversial topic that splits the nation into two political factions. The Republican Party believes that the 2nd Amendment of the United States Constitution should not be infringed upon.
The 2nd Amendment of the United States Constitution reads, “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.”
Advocates who support free use of guns state that firearms are used mainly for self-defense. “Politicians pass laws for gun-free school zones. They issue press releases bragging about them. They post signs advertising them, and in doing so, they tell every insane killer in America that schools are the safest place to inflict maximum mayhem with minimum risk. The only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun,” National Rifle Association’s executive vice president Wayne LaPierre said to the press in a 2012 conference.
The Republican Party believes that gun control should not exist because it is every citizen’s right to carry a firearm, according to the 2nd Amendment of the United States Constitution. Without heavy background checks, the amount of the population eligible to carry around a firearm is much greater than the people actually responsible enough to have a firearm. Statistics show that on an average day, 91 Americans are killed by firearms, and nearly 12,000 gun homicides occur in an average year. Heavier background checks can reduce the amount of people possessing guns, which will only reduce gun violence.
Firearms are not limited to the activities of hunting and personal safety. Gun violence also affects schools. Since 2013, there have been about 84 school shootings in elementary, middle and high schools. Rising gun violence can directly or indirectly affect schools. Gun violence can also instill fear in these educational institutions, where students are uncomfortable and feel unsafe in their learning environments.
On May 6, two fatal shootings occurred in Montgomery County. The first shooting was at Westfield Montgomery Mall, while the second was at a Giant store in Aspen Hill. All public schools were ordered to shelter in place. This scared the students. Their learning environments were disrupted. The fear of having an armed man who should not have possession of a gun created a fearful environment for the district.
Background checks and gun control policies do not infringe upon the 2nd Amendment. The people who pass the background checks and seem eligible to carry around a firearm are allowed to have a firearm. The right for a citizen to bear arms is not taken away with gun control, unless that citizen seems ineligible to carry around a fatal weapon that can take a life.

Nitya Kumar

Staff Writer