Gun Control & RKBA
Showing Original Post only (View all)Giving Gun Reform a Shot [View all]
Trayvon Martins killing and the subsequent arrest of George Zimmerman clearly reveal the stereotyping issues that still pervade modern society. Yet while much of the press has been covering the galvanizing story of this young boy, the larger issue of gun rights has seldom been mentioned. Indeed, the shooting of Trayvon Martin proves that legislation surrounding gun rights is outdated and must be seriously reconsidered.
The issue with gun legislation begins with the very process required to obtain a gun. In almost every state, according to an article in the The New Yorker by Jill Lepore, one must simply take a one-day, ninety-nine-dollar safety seminar to purchase a firearm. This alone does not seem like enough training to be able to manage a gun, but gun laws moreover have numerous loopholes. According to Arizona Republic reporter Max Jarman, over forty percent of all guns purchased can be bought without any requirements from private sellers at gun shows or through classified ads.
Moreover, 49 states have laws allowing concealed-carry firearms in the United States. The main problem with this fact is that a majority of states only require a single test to demonstrate proficiency with a gun before giving a concealed-carry permit. George Zimmerman, the man accused of murdering Trayvon Martin, had in fact taken such a class on how to conceal firearms in order to better equip himself as a community volunteer. Yet even as a watchman, what business did Zimmerman have with a concealed firearm? His job was, by explicit definition, to simply be aware of any potential threats and report them to police. But by Florida legislation, he was able to get both a gun and a concealed weapons permit.
So who is to blame for these laws? While the state of Florida has come under attack, the National Rifle Association is also an object of criticism. At some point, people have got to stand their ground against the NRA, says Philip Cook, a sociologist who studies gun policy and crime at Duke University, in Durham, N.C. I think otherwise the NRA will continue to push for a broader interpretation of their understanding of what the Second Amendment right is to the point where everybody pretty much can carry a gun-- concealed or openly-- all the time in any circumstance, and do with it what they want. Indeed, we should allow this to happen.
http://thenews.choate.edu/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1353:giving-gun-reform-a-shot&catid=4:nationworld&Itemid=3