Genre: Speech
Gun Violence and the Legislation
Firearms have been an innovation which drastically changed the field of weapons. They were long range, high impact, and accurate weapons made to shoot from almost any range. They were made to bring people another option for multiple purposes. We would utilize these weapons for us to hunt, defend ourselves from danger, and for us to enjoy ourselves in the name of sports. However, with great power comes great responsibilities. These handheld cannons are capable of taking the lives of one another. With the circulation of these guns being marketed and sold throughout society, there has been an increase of deaths from these firearms. Our current Legislations: The Gun Control Act of 1968, Firearms Owners’ Protection Act of 1986, Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act of 1993, and NICS Improvement Act of 2008, are ineffective and are not sufficient enough for us to be safe from the rising murder rate. As we continue to have flimsy gun regulations and restrictions, there are more people who are under qualified that have access to these dangerous weapons. These policies give a false sense of security when it comes to the safety of our people. We should not be standing idle while more people are at risk of losing their lives or their loved ones. We should be striving for change in our nation and its policies. Although many are in possession of a firearm for their own personal reasons, our current procedure is lacking in many areas. The background checks are not thorough enough for the NICS System to cover all areas of a person’s identity. There have been many instances of people who have been diagnosed with mental illness or rendered incapable of being able to handle a gun however the NICS was unable to identify it and therefore the person was verified.
In recent years, the number of gun-related deaths is disheartening. It has been stated that there were more than 31,600 deaths in 2010 alone. The rate of deaths continues to rise as the years go on. In addition to these deaths, FBI and CDC datasets have shown a significant gap in deaths in states with and without background checks. Those without background checks have suffered 58% more deaths by firearms compared to the states with background checks. Without background checks, many criminals as well as people with a history of exuding aggressive behavior have been able to purchase firearms due to the fact that there was no need to verify their identity. These varying state laws are causing inconsistencies in our nation. We need to enforce and mandate background checks. Doing this allows the NICS to filter out more people from being ineligible for purchasing firearms. With an overall decrease in people having access, it also reduces the number of victims. According to gun violence archives, it reads that there have been a total of 14,516 deaths from January to September in 2021. A 9% increase from 2020. This in itself is a terrifying percentage. Can you imagine? Out of those 14,516 victims, your family or your friends have fallen to the hands of someone who bypassed the system with a simple connection or faulty mishap in the system? Would you be able to forgive the country after unrightfully losing the ones that are close to you? I would not. It is not fair for us citizens to lose our fellow Americans because we refuse to prevent tragedies and we wait until there is a tragedy for there to be change.
For us to feel truly secure, we must propose some changes. Changes that will not be just for show on paperwork but changes that will reshape our policies and procedures which will lead to a safer place. Adding universal mandated background checks is one of the changes. By doing so, it is expected that the national deaths can be reduced from 10.3 to 4.46 deaths per 100,000 Americans. This is an incredible number of deaths that can be prevented. Of course, change cannot be instantaneous. However, that should not discourage us from wanting to seek change in our flawed ways. Especially, when lives are at stake.
Genre: Poem
Gun Violence
Violence is prominent in society
It comes in many different forms
Whether it’s life threatening or not
It causes pain wherever it goes
Guns are no different
They do not discriminate
Wherever they go, they are bound to do damage
Firearms are great
We use them to hunt, protect, and defend
But what about the ones who are defiant?
The ones that shoot to take lives
The ones that fire to serve time
Our system is filled with holes
Too many that information starts to leak out
It is impossible to catch all the unqualified criminals
But it makes it worse that we don’t try to stop them
It’s about time we step up our security
With the murder rate rising
And loved ones dying
It’s about time we start to enforce these legislations
Or else our right to pursue happiness will be at stake.
