President Obama’s proposals to crackdown on gun control were presented in a whopping $500 million package; the biggest push for reform in decades. In addition to a ban on military-style assault
weapons, the Obama administration is also seeking a much stricter screening process (which includes universal background checks) for individuals wanting to purchase a firearm. These changes are
much needed, however, we believe we can go further starting with mitigating the influence the NRA has over our elected politicians.
It’s clear that Congress is on the hot seat and needs to act. As concerned citizens, it’s our duty to let them know we demand reform. Groups opposing the proposed change, namely the National Rifle Association (NRA) argue that the constitutional rights are being violated.
However, it is interesting that while the NRA portrays itself as a defender of the constitutional rights of U.S. citizens, it is often forgotten how much money they receive from the gun-manufacturing industry. In reality, there’s very little difference between the NRA and big oil lobbyists.
For instance, the NRA fights tooth and nail against additional regulation on gun ownership while big oil lobbies congress to drill and pollute our coastlines. But weshouldn’t feel alone in our fight for gun control we have plenty of international examples which we can follow.
It is clear that the system as it stands right now is broken. What we need to do is look to other countries for guidance in this matter.
Since Australia banned assault weapons in 1996, they have had zero mass shootings. If our goal as a society is to protect our children from mass shootings, we see nothing wrong with implementing
a policy like Australia. This problem is not too hard to fix when countries with a lot less resources than us can implement policies to protect their citizenry from gun violence—we surely can as
well. We must strike while the lead is hot, while the issue of gun control is on the tips of everyone’s tongues. As of the time of this writing, there have been 1,440 gun-related deaths since the tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary; if there had been 1,440 deaths in the US related to the consumption of granola bars, you better believe we would have banned their sales immediately.
We must eliminate the sale of high-capacity magazines that allow shooters to fire a large amount of ammunition without reloading. We must limit gun ownership to those citizens who have passed a rigorous psychological evaluation by a board-certified doctor. We must implore that the banning of assault rifles does not infringe on one’s Second Amendment rights as much as it protects our life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
This is our time to act, and act we must.