GUN CONTROL IN USA

The recent incident in Las Vegas has stirred the most debated topic in USA, Gun
Control. The incident took place on October 1, 2017 in Las Vegas when a gunman
opened fire at a country music festival and killed 50 people and injured around 500
more. It is surprising to note that this was third mass killing of this year.In last ten
years or so around thirty such cases were reported and this is just mass killing we are
talking about, we can’t forget the homicides and the suicides due to the free use of
gun in the country. Studies suggest that the existence of a gun in a house increases the
risk of accidental death and suicides in the family.The American Academy of
Pediatrics found the risk of a gun in a house so dire that it issued a policy statement in
recommending that pediatricians urge parents to remove all guns from their homes.
America has more crime rate than any other developed country in the world and most
of these are crimes are due to the liberal laws on guns. All this statistics suggest that
reviewing of the gun laws of USA is an immediate requirement.

The Second amendment of the Bill of Rights gives an exclusive right to the citizen of
USA to keep and dear arms. It is not an absolute right, certain restrictions are imposed
like a person less than 18 yrs old can’t purchase a gun. the respective state has thier
own personal laws to the use and possession of guns but a law can’t be in violation of
the second amendment. In District of Columbia v. Heller 2008 the Supreme Court has
struck down Washington, D.C., laws that banned handguns and required those in the
home to be locked or disassembled and thereby had upheld the right to bear arms.

Though the laws do make an effort to restrict the crimes by doing background check
on the person buying the gun and not providing license to the convicts, it is failed
because of a major loophole. An individual is allowed to sell or gift a gun to another
person without a background check if he/she is not selling it for profit purposes. Even
a minor is allowed to own a gun which has been gifted to him. I am surprised that our
govt. has failed to remove such fatal loophole from the gun laws.

David Hemenway says in his review in the American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine
that for most contemporary Americans, that the health risk of a gun in the home is
greater than the benefit. I agree with him on that account. Guns are allowed so that a
person can defend himself but in these times it’s use has become more offensive than
defensive. Guns are used to threaten and intimate others rather than to defend
themselves against thieves and intruders. Studies suggest that most of the suicides in
USA are by guns. Also a gun in a home is likely to increase the chances of murder
than provide protection against the same.. It makes us think that is it really that
important to keep a gun or to keep our families alive.

I think it is not necessary to completely bans guns but we are in a need of efficient
laws regarding its use, possession and ownership. Statistics indicate that around 80%
of USA’s population possess guns. I find it rather unnecessary for such a large
population to own guns. There should be a law regulating that only a minority of
population who has proper validation and no criminal background are allowed to own
a gun. Licenses should be given to limited people.

Also, there is no federal law governing the circumstances or the places where the use
of gun should be allowed. Some state do have laws regarding the same but not all and
there are also not so mandatory. The govt. should issue some guidelines for the same
which are binding on all the states.

I would further like to suggest that the selling of guns by an individual to another
should be prohibited. If It is allowed then the govt. should make it compulsory for an
individual to report an to govt. Agency, so that the agency can do a background check
for the same before the purchase is made.

The last suggestion I would like to put forward is that psychiatrist should alert the
parents in case of a child or the near relative in case of any other person if a patient is
suffering from a depression. This might help us in reducing the suicides. Also, the
guns should be kept outside the reach of kids and teenagers.

Now, I would like to conclude my article by saying that no good comes out of
violence and rather than keep a gun we should take precautions like house alarms and
fences for protection.