Gun Control, Gun Rights, and Social Justice: A Question of Rights, Responsibilities, and Religion
Gun control and gun rights debates are some of the most hotly debated and controversial issues of our time. This is a debate that the world is facing, however, in many aspects it is a uniquely American problem. Due to our history of overthrowing the authoritarian British monarchy and settling the Western frontier of the continent, guns and militia are important issues for Americans. The main reason though is due to the Second Amendment of the Constitution, which gives all citizens the right to own weapons. A right that few governments have given to their citizens throughout the world and over the course of history. Both sides of this debate are determined, well informed, and unwilling to back down. Many people from all over the United States feel deeply about how gun related issues should be handled in their country. The main reason is because the stakes of this issue are so large on both sides. Calls for gun control and more restrictive gun laws have been around for many years. Countries like the U.K and Australia have in recent decades made their gun laws very strict. In recent decades the debate around gun control has ramped up as more deadly weapons have hit the streets and mass shootings began happening far too often. One side argues that guns should not be in the hands of citizens and should not be easily accessible. While the other side argues that there should be very little restrictions on guns due to the Second Amendment. Both on the extreme ends of this issue are rarely ever willing to give an inch.
In 1934, the first piece of gun control legislation was passed by Franklin Delano Roosevelt. This legislation was called the National Firearms Act and was part of Roosevelt's New Deal For Crime. The NFA came in response to an increase in gang related gun violence. During prohibition gun violence increased significantly and events like the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre, a gang murder in Chicago, was highly publicized in the press. The new machine gun and its use by these unlawful gangs made many Americans fearful.These new laws during FDR’s administration imposed taxes on manufacturing and the purchasing of machine guns, shotguns, rifles, and accesories in an attempt to stop the transfer of guns to gangs. Thirty-four years later with the unrest of the 60’s by 1968 there was a new call in America for gun control. President Lyndon B. Johnson pushed for a bill called the Gun Control Act of 1968. The main purposes of this Bill was to ban the import of guns with “no sporting purpose,” create age limits to purchasing and owning a gun, and create background checks to keep guns out of the hands of criminals and the menatally unstable.
Ever since 1934, there has been a back and forth of laws that expand the right to own guns and laws that are more restrictive of gun ownership. Examples of these laws are the Brady Handgun Violence Protection Act, The Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act, and The Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act. The Brady Handgun Violence Protection Act came about after the assasination attempt on President Ronald Reagan. The Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act, often referred to as the 1994 Crime Bill, was passed in response to an increase in crime in the U.S. This act expanded the power of the Federal government in a number of ways, most notably was the Federal Assault Weapons Ban. The Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act prevented gun manufacturers from being held liable for crimes committed with their weapons and products (Gray, Sarah). Many of these laws gave more rights to gun owners and some of these laws put restrictions on gun rights. These laws show the back and forth of our lawmakers and the divide that’s happened in America when it comes to gun issues.
In 2008, however, the most drastic change to gun control and gun rights issues took place. In the “District of Columbia vs. Heller” the Supreme Court changed a nearly 70 year precedent. In this case the Supreme Court said that the right to own a firearm is not necessarily associated with being part of a militia. A previous ruling by the Supreme Court in 1934 argued that states have a right to defend themselves and that individuals did not have a right to own any type of weapon. Heller vs. D.C. overturned the 1934 case and cemented the rights of individuals in the U.S. to own and possess firearms.
In recent years there have been strong calls for gun control legislation in the wake of mass shootings. Even with these tragedies such as Sandy Hook, Las Vegas, Nevada, and Parkland there has been an inability by both sides to compromise. This inability to compromise has resulted in a deadlock with no passage of meaningful legislation and more division among Americans. Overall, the U.S has had a long and complicated history of guns and gun issues. It is unlikely that this issue will become irrelevant any time soon.
In the wake of rising gun violence and mass shootings many citizens have organized and protested for gun control. Most notably in 2018, after the horrific event at Parkland High School, a group of students organized a March for Our Lives event that drew hundreds of thousands of people from all over the U.S to Washington D.C. The events, mostly organized by students who were fed up with the inaction of the government, called for real gun control legislation. Social Justice played a large role in grassroots build up of this movement. In fact, light was shed on the injustices in gun control and gun violence all over the country.
A question raised by many people is why are there so many guns and gun distribution stores? There are 51,438 gun retailers in the United States. For context there are only 14,098 McDonalds in the United States (Social Justice Resource Center). Proponents of gun control argue that this is not only absurd but immoral. The communities that understand gun violence better than anyone are the Hispanic and Black communities. In many urban areas, most of which are majority black, gun violence is part of everyday life. The issue of gun violence is one that has plagued this country for many years. Sadly, America's problem with guns is only getting worse. In fact, gun violence is having a major impact on American children. Annually, 3000 children and teens are shot and killed and 15,000 are shot and wounded (Everytown Research & Policy). The amount of gun deaths alone in the inner cities is astronomical and has been only increasing over the years. There may be two sides to this debate and both sides feel passionate about their opinions, but the deaths of children due to gun violence is completely unacceptable. This is something both sides agree on.
There are often two sides to every argument and there are few topics that cause as much anger as the gun control debate. The argument for gun control is made by the many claims that the only way to prevent increases in gun violence is through gun control. However, the other side claims that strict gun control laws violate the U.S. Constitution and individuals rights. Also, many people who are in favor of an individual's right to own a weapon argue that gun control is ineffective and wouldn’t accomplish the goal of limiting gun deaths. Many conservative people point to the fact that cities such as Chicago, New York, and Los Angeles have some of the highest gun crimes and deaths in the country while they also have the strictest gun control laws in the entire country. There’s also an argument that all people should be trained in proper ways to handle and shoot a gun like is done in Switzerland. The majority of gun accidents do not take place with well-trained individuals. The majority of gun accidents occur when someone is joking around or using a gun improperly. This means that the best way to prevent gun accidents, like teaching swimming to prevent drowning, is through proper training.
The Catholic Church has a position on this controversial issue as well. The USCCB uses this quote from Pope Paul VI to explain their position on gun control “If you want peace work for justice.” The USCCB supported the assault weapons ban that passed in 1994 in the Crime Bill. Unfortunately, this ban expired in 2004 and assault weapons are for sale and legal to own today in many states. The USCCB calls on all people to work toward a culture of life and turn away from senseless violence that only brings harm to communities. The USCCB official statement on gun control is as follows “ We support measures that control the sale and use of firearms and makes them safer (especially efforts that prevent their unsupervised use by children or anyone other than the owner), and we reiterate our call for sensible regulation of handguns”(USCCB). This shows that the Church supports gun control measures that do not take away the rights of people to own guns. The Church supports people’s rights to own certain weapons, however, it wants to keep weapons of war off the streets and guns out of the hands of children.
Even though I’ve never owned a gun nor do I know anyone who does, my personal opinion on this issue leans on the side of the Second Amendment and gun rights. I agree that weapons of war should be kept off the streets and guns should not be in the hands of young children. I also have the opinion that the right to own a firearm is secured by the Second Amendment and the recent decisions of the Supreme Court that support it. Individuals that are mentally stable, mature, and go through training should be allowed to own guns. The Second Amendment was placed 2nd for a reason. The Founding Fathers understood the importance of having checks and balances within the government. They also understood, maybe more importantly, that the people need to have a check on the government. A well-armed and well-trained citizenry whether in the form of a militia or not, is a check on power hungry people who may enter the government and attempt to pass unconstitutional laws. My belief in gun ownership does not mean I disagree with the need for background checks and making sure that mentally ill people never get their hands on a firearm. Overall, I strongly believe in the rights of all Americans to own guns whether that be for hunting, self-defense, or someone simply exercising their Second Amendment right. Both sides of this topic have strong and well thought out views. It seems that this controversial issue will be at the center of American life and politics for years to come and perhaps that is the best way to keep all Americans engaged in this important issue.
Works Cited:
Everytown Research and Policy. “The Impact of Gun Violence on Children and Teens.”Everytown Research & Policy, 8 Jan. 2021,everytownresearch.org/report/the-impact-of-gun-violence-on-children-and-teens/.
Social Justice Resource Center, “Gun Violence Facts & Figures.” Business Insider, socialjusticeresourcecenter.org/facts-and-figures/gun-violence/.
USCCB, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.“Backgrounder on Gun Violence.” 2020. www.usccb.org/resources/backgrounder-gun-violence.
Bibliography:
“Backgrounder on Gun Violence.” USCCB, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. 2020. www.usccb.org/resources/backgrounder-gun-violence.
Ferdman, Roberto A. “The Racial Divide in America's Gun Deaths.” The Washington Post, WP Company, 19 Sept. 2014. www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2014/09/19/the-racial-divide-in-americas-gun-deaths/?arc404=true.
Gray, Sarah. “A Timeline of Gun Control Laws in The U.S.” Time. 30 Apr. 2019, time.com/5169210/us-gun-control-laws-history-timeline/1934,Valentine's Day Massacre.”
“Gun Violence Facts & Figures.” Social Justice Resource Center. Business Insider, socialjusticeresourcecenter.org/facts-and-figures/gun-violence/.
“The Impact of Gun Violence on Children and Teens.” Everytown Research and Policy. 8 Jan. 2021. everytownresearch.org/report/the-impact-of-gun-violence-on-children-and-teens/.
“Young Guns: How Gun Violence Is Devastating the Millennial Generation.” Scribd, Center for American Progress , Feb. 2014. www.scribd.com/document/208215761/Young-Guns-How-Gun-Violence-is-Devastating-the-Millennial-Generation.
