CHAMPION|1 Kayla Champion English 1102 Connie Douglas 25 March 2014 The Top Three Loudest Voices of Gun

Control Imagine yourself in a large, round, brown room full of Americas most influential politicians. You are responsible for making a decision that affects the entire country. You have heard many different views and you have read many statistics on the subject. The crowd turns their attention to you, how will you respond? As the government decides the fate of our country, they have the hardest job of hearing all of the voices. Being an American citizen, there is a great opportunity to have a voice and let that voice be heard. As America grows, so does its diversity. The task of accommodating the continuously changing views of the residents becomes a bit harder every year. Gun control has been a continually controversial topic in America for the last thirty years. Although there are plenty of different voices and different situations, two dominant voices hold the attention in the ongoing debate. The National Rifle Association clings to the Second Amendment while the Pro-Gun Control followers strive for the safety of their families and other innocent citizens. There are also voices that are not always as loud. Those voices would be parents of school and college age students, school teachers, school administrators, and students. In recent history, schools seem to be a common target throughout the nation. Gun control cannot be handled lightly because there are so many conditions and circumstances that apply. The type of gun, the size, the age of the owner, the ability to have the weapon concealed, where you can carry the gun, and the age of allowed concealment

CHAMPION|2 are just a glance of the many, many questions that the government looks at as they try to solve this problem. One group of people in America who have a very loud voice are the anti-gun control movement. If people, who are against gun control, choose to be a part of an organization, they would pick something like the National Rifle Association. The National Rifle association supports the idea of the Second Amendment which states, A well-regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms shall not be infringed. This amendment has been disputed for a long time. As of March 12, 2013, the National Rifle Association has recruited roughly 4.3 million members (Just Facts). These members believe that guns are for many purposes, but specifically hunting and self-defense. A 1982 survey of male felons in 11 state prisons dispersed across the U.S. found: 34% had been "scared off, shot at, wounded, or captured by an armed victim", 40% had decided not to commit a crime because they "knew or believed that the victim was carrying a gun", and 69% personally knew other criminals who had been "scared off, shot at, wounded, or captured by an armed victim (JustFacts). This shows that guns for self-defense are beneficial. If people have guns in their home and the home gets robbed, the robbers could either be scared off or taken down to protect the family inside. According to the recent study on the gun control in the District of Columbia, U.S. Representatives want to repeal the gun ban because the gun laws have not lowered crime and leaves the honest citizens defenseless. Since the gun control didnt seem to work in our nations capital, what makes the congressman think that it will work anywhere else? An opposing view of the previous voice is the pro-gun control enthusiasts. As each public gun shooting happens, the fear of guns increases and the idea of gun control is liked by more Americans. The fear of guns constitutes a theory of risk and people say that the only solution is gun control. In the US, roughly 16,272 murders were committed in 2008, 67% were firearm-related (JustFacts). Brazils 2003 gun control law showed a decrease in firearm related deaths and hospitalizations. Brazil has one of the

CHAMPION|3 highest homicide rates in the world. The law passed in 2003 controlled the flow of firearms into Brazil, illegalized unregistered guns and guns carried outside the home, instituted background checks for gun purchases, and raised the age requirement to twenty five (de Souza, pg. 575-576). While firearm related deaths and hospitalizations decreased by 8.5% and knife-related deaths and hospitalizations decreased by 2.3%, the deaths and hospitalizations caused by blunt objects increased by 4.5% and physical force increased by 5.7%. So gun control worked on the side of getting people to stop using guns to kill people but there are still murders. Maybe this is just a beginning to a future solution. Another voice that doesnt often get heard is the voice of teachers and school administration. With the many public shootings in the past, the main target area seems to be schools. Schools are a gun free zone. Is it surprising that criminals disobey the law and take guns into schools? In this case, like so many others, the honest people who obey the law are the ones who cannot defend themselves. The Emory Law Journals article about the fear of guns adds an interesting voice to the gun debate. Braman and Kahan believe that although the gun debate will not be completely settled, if people can overcome the fear of guns and use them in the appropriate way, then the government could find a more suitable solution to the gun control debate. As a teacher and a school principal, your job is to keep all of the children in your school safe. When people come into the school, would it not be a good idea to have something to protect yourself with. This argument does not have anything to do with outside forces such as the police. This idea is about the teachers who are standing in front of their students and protecting them from the shooters. If teachers were put through training and qualified to use guns in case of an emergency, they could take out a shooter in order to protect their students, instead of being completely defenseless in that situation. Now, not all teachers feel this way, but that could be a solution. The most difficult part of debating this issue is the many voices that are speaking up. The reality is that there are risks associated with both excessive and insufficient gun control (Emory Law Journal).

CHAMPION|4 Each voice is partially right and they are all important. Its often hard to find which side is right because there is no right or wrong answer. Both the pro- and anti- gun control groups are the face of the gun control debate and are the loudest voices heard in America. Not all the voices will like the decisions made in the future for gun control but maybe, just maybe, we can find a way to decrease crime rate and satisfy everyone.