Quotes on Gun Control

Transcription

1 Directions: Examine the quotes, interpret what they mean and which side of the gun control argument they support. 1. As the Founding Fathers knew well, a government that does not trust its honest, law-abiding, taxpaying citizens with the means of self-defense is not itself worthy of trust. Laws disarming honest citizens proclaim that the government is the master, not the servant, of the people. Quotes on Gun Control 2. When only cops have guns, it's called a police state. 3. "One of the ordinary modes, by which tyrants accomplish their purposes without resistance, is, by disarming the people, and making it an offense to keep arms. 4. "Criminals love gun control; it makes their jobs safer. 5. "Now is the time for a national policy on guns that takes the loopholes out of the laws, the automatic weapons out of our neighborhoods and the tragedies like today out of our future. 6. This is a matter of vital importance to the public safety... While we recognize that assault-weapon legislation will not stop all assault-weapon crime, statistics prove that we can dry up the supply of these guns, making them less accessible to criminals. 7. Certain forms of ammunition have no legitimate sporting, recreational, or self-defense use and thus should be prohibited. 8. With the right to bear arms comes a great responsibility to use caution and common sense on handgun purchases. 9. Every year, an average of 9,200 Americans are murdered by handguns, according to Department of Justice statistics. This does not include suicides or the tens of thousands of robberies, rapes and assaults committed with handguns. This level of violence must be stopped.

2 10. "A man's rights rest in three boxes: the ballot box, the jury box, and the cartridge box. 11. "All we ask for is registration, just like we do for cars. 12. "My view of guns is simple. I hate guns and I cannot imagine why anyone would want to own one. If I had my way, guns for sport would be registered, and all other guns would be banned. 13. Guns don t kill people, people kill people. 14. "If I could have banned them all - 'Mr. and Mrs. America turn in your guns' - I would have! 15. "When we got organized as a country, [and] wrote a fairly radical Constitution, with a radical Bill of Rights, giving radical amounts of freedom to Americans, it was assumed that Americans who had that freedom would use it responsibly... When personal freedom is being abused, you have to move to limit it. 16. "I prefer dangerous freedom over peaceful slavery." 17. "Americans have the right and advantage of being armed, unlike the people of other countries, whose leaders are afraid to trust them with arms." 18. It's not a gun control problem; it's a cultural control problem.

3 What are They Saying? These cartoons are related to the Gun Control topic. Explain the message that the cartoonist is trying to make in each of these cartoons. Indicate whether you think the cartoonist is a supporter of gun control, or against... or maybe neither.

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10 An Overview of Gun Control in the United States: The issue of gun control in politics is one that has been the subject of much controversy and just as much debate. There are two sides to the argument, those who support gun rights, and those who support gun control and gun control laws. The argument has at its main focus on the Second Amendment as found in the Bill of Rights, which states: "A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, and the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed.'' Much of the controversy is directly related to the interpretation of this part of the Constitution. While gun rights activists will claim that because it is stated as such, it shall not be violated or infringed upon any way by any person, or organization, including the government. Pro-gun enthusiasts also claim that the right to bear arms is not only a constitutional right, but also a human right. Gun control supporter constantly point out that the text itself is fairly vague, and open to many interpretations. For this reason, they believe the constitution should be changed to a more direct definition of gun rights. Some take it to another extreme and suggest that the entire Second Amendment be removed, for guns pose a direct threat to the people, and in according to law, the government must insure the safety and security of its people. The issue of gun control has been further debated due to certain events in the United States. One of these issues is how the availability is a direct cause to the many varying degrees of gun violence. Some of the most commonly discussed issues are school shootings--such as Columbine High School and Virginia Tech and Sandy Hook. Other issue brought up are suicide rates, and crime rates involving guns. Another argument made by gun control supporters is that these individuals who commit these mass shootings are often emotionally or mentally troubled people, yet they were still able to gain access to guns through sometimes legal ways. These arguments are often countered by gun rights activists who say that gun control and regulations cannot provide for measurable and visible differences in the reduction of gun violence or gun-related crime. Pro-gun rights activist also point out that some of the legislation seems to pose more of a difficulty and inconvenience to lawful gun owners and users, while the law or regulation itself does little in the way of showing any progress or change in crime rates. 890L

11 Gun Control in the US - Basic Arguments: Gun control in US is a subject that has been debated a lot. There are two sides to the argument, those who support gun rights, and those who support gun control laws. The arguments all deal with the Second Amendment in the Bill of Rights, which states: "A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, and the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed(stopped).'' Much of the dispute about guns, deals with this part of the constitution. While gun rights supporters claim that because it is stated in our constitution, the government should do very little to try and control guns. Gun rights supporters also claim that the right to bear arms is not only a constitutional right, but also a human right of protection. On the other side of the argument. Gun control supporters constantly point out that the 2 nd amendment itself is unclear, and open to different explanations. For this reason, gun control supporters think the constitution should be changed to a more direct definition of gun rights. Some take it a step further and suggest that the entire Second Amendment be removed, since guns are a threat to the people, and according to law, the government must provide safety to the people. The issue of gun control has also been discussed due to certain events in the United States. One of these issues is how the availability of guns is a direct cause to gun violence. Some of the most commonly discussed issues are school shootings--such as Columbine High School, Virginia Tech and Sandy Hook. Other issue brought up are suicide rates, and crime rates involving guns. Another argument made by gun control supporters is that these individuals who commit these mass shootings are often emotionally or mentally troubled people. However, were still able to gain access to guns, legally in some cases. These arguments are often opposed by gun rights activists who say that gun control and regulations cannot provide differences in the decrease of gun violence or gun-related crime. There are however, mixed results in studies showing how much gun control laws can effect gun violence. For example, Europe has more gun laws than the US and less crime involving guns. However, people in the US say that making guns illegal will only give criminals guns, and take guns out of the hands of good citizens. 830L

12 Gun Control Pros and Cons: 3 Points on Both Sides of Debate While many people have decidedly formed opinions on gun control, the debate is complicated and has strong supporters on both sides. The pros and cons of gun control come to the forefront of debate in the wake of mass shootings that continue to pop up throughout the nation. Yet support for federal bans and reforms remain elusive. Even the devastating attack at Sandy Hook Elementary in December of 2012 failed to garner a consensus on the issue of background checks for gun purchases. The debate is complicated and lacks easy answers, but here are some major pros and cons for gun control. Those who are for greater gun control see three basic pros to new laws: 1. Gun massacres most often use legal weapons: According to Mother Jones, of the more than 70 mass shootings in the United States in the last 30 years, about three-quarters of the guns used were obtained legally by the killers. Progun control advocates believe tougher gun laws could have potentially prevented these crimes. 2. Gun control laws protect children and families: Moms Demand Action, a grassroots group founded in response to the tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary School, believes guns in America are creating a public health crisis that is attacking children, citing statistics that show nearly eight American children are shot and killed every day. The group says stronger laws are the answer to protecting children. 3. Background checks will help keep guns out of the hands of people who should not have them: Americans for Responsible Solutions, supported by former U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords and her astronaut husband Mark Kelly, advocates for background checks to prevent criminals, domestic abusers, and seriously mentally ill people from buying guns. The group says laws requiring background checks have prevented the purchase of guns by nearly 2 million people who should not have had them

13 Those who believe new laws for gun control are not the answer argue the following cons: 1. Self-defense is a fundamental right, says the National Rifle Association's Institute for Legislative Action. The group points out that the right to bear arms for self-defense is protected in all states as well as the U.S. Constitution. Handgun restriction laws have been struck down by the U.S. Supreme Court. 2. Violent crime goes down when more people legally carry guns: Right-tocarry laws have been on the rise in the U.S. since the early 1990s. At the same time, violent crime rates have decreased. The number of privately owned guns has risen by about 100 million. According to the NRA, Through 2010, the nation s murder rate has decreased 52 percent to a 47-year low, and the total violent crime rate has decreased 48 percent to a 37-year low. 3. Widely supported gun bans don t deter crime: The Federal Assault Weapons ban, signed by President Bill Clinton in 1994, expired and has not had enough support to be renewed. The NRA argues that research shows assault weapons, or those certain semi-automatic guns designated in the ban, have never been used in more than a small percentage of firearm-related violent crime. 980L