Speech
 

  In present day America, the hotly debatable issue of gun control rages on. As Obama and his cabinet further try to push their bill of banning assault weapons and requiring extensive background checks, the battle continues to escalate. This issue was especially sparked and revived by the tragedies of the Connecticut school massacre and Colorado theater shooting. Many Americans are siding with Obama's viewpoint on the issue while other citizens proclaim that the bills that are being proposed are violating the sacred amendment of our "right to bear arms." These new bills that are being considered are not a violation of our freedom due to the fact that automatic assault weapons are useless and irrelevant for a civilized society, and that these extensive background checks will ensure that less crime is committed.

  Firstly automatic assault weapons are pointless and only a threat to civilized societies. In one of Obama's bids, he calls for a ban on these dangerous military weapons. The truth is, these weapons have no purpose except for war-like situations. Why would anyone want to shoot multiple rounds a second to hunt purely for sport for example. Obama's plan won't ban essential hunting sport weapons like rifles and shotguns, or self-defense weapons like the pistol. In the article, "In Louisiana a conservative backlash against gun control", it speaks of citizens in Louisiana rallying against the new gun laws exclaiming that they will never allow the government to "take away" their guns. In both the Connecticut middle school massacre and Colorado theater shooting, the shooter used high capacity round assault weapons. These guns have such a high bullet rate in fact that the fact that many were killed is no shocker. Th primary weapon that was used in the Connecticut shooting was a Bushmaster AR-15, which can be described as an assault like weapon that can fire at a rate of 45 rounds per minute. This killer is the number one supplier of AR-15's in the nation and is used by the militaries of over 50 nations. How this type of lethal weapon is essential in everyday life is a question that everyone should consider. It is simply too dangerous to have legal. The reality is that banning automatic assault weapons will reduce the amount of mass shootings and in essence preserve lives. The bill is in no way violating our sacred amendment of our right to bear arms as weapons like pistols, shotguns, and rifles are dangerous enough. 

 

  Secondly, extensive background checks will reduce the amount of crimes. Obtaining guns these days is much too easily accomplished as there are very minimal background checks. This leads to an every increase in mass shootings. Weapons are in fact more often than not obtained legally without any real constraints. A rather stunning chart can be seen on the blog, "Twelve facts about guns and mass shootings", where it shows just how many mass shootings in the U.S there were by weapons that were purchased completely legally. By creating more extensive background checks, it will decrease the amount of mass shootings. A massive loophole in the system is the selling of firearms to private buyers. If one is to sell a firearm without a license, that buyer doesn't require a background check. This means that one with no criminal history can easily go into an arms dealer, buy a gun, and sell it on the street to a person with a criminal history that cannot purchase a weapon. This loophole needs to be recognized and acted upon as millions of people with a criminal history have the potential to obtain a weapon just so easily. Having a weapon is a big responsibility and should be treated as a privilege to only people with no criminal history. All too often we are seeing weapons being purchased with absolutely no hassle.

   To conclude, the banning of assault weapons and implementation of more extensive background checks is essential if we are to preserve lives. We are not violating our constitution in any way, just ensuring that we decrease the amount of death's. Still the issue is in much debate, and a decision won't come easy.

Whitesides, John. "In Louisiana, a Conservative Backlash against Gun Control." Reuters. Thomson Reuters, 06 Mar. 2013. Web. 13 Mar. 2013.

Klein, Ezra. "Twelve Facts about Guns and Mass Shooting in the United States."Washington Post. N.p., 14 Dec. 2012. Web. 13 Mar. 2013.