The major cause of the debate revolving around the gun control issue in America is the misinterpretation of the Second Amendment. “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” reads the Second Amendment of the Bill of Rights. There are two theories regarding the interpretation of the Second Amendment, the individual rights theory and the collective rights theory (Second). Nelson Lund a professor of Law who holds a Ph.D. in political science and served as law clerk of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, carefully reasons that the Second Amendment “unambiguously and irrefutably establishes …show more content…
Chicago (Supreme). Taking guns away from legal citizens is therefore termed unconstitutional. Regardless of the nature of the legal system in the U.S, there is an urgency to solve the issue of gun control and violence. Accordingly, the solution to gun control and gun violence in America lies in solving core reasons such as mental illness, promoting safety and implementing rational laws that keep guns out of the hands of criminals and mentally ill.
In the recent years, America has been plagued by calamity in the form of mass shootings in public places such as schools, malls, and movie theaters where guns have been used by the mentally ill. The issue of gun control extends far beyond weapons and into the people who commit the mass shootings. Rather than take guns away from lawful citizens, America should implement strategies to stop mass murderers. The biographies of the mass shooters portray that mental illness is the cause of mass shootings. Detecting mental sickness in its early stage could stop violent crimes from happening …show more content…
In April 2013, a six year old New Jersey boy was fatally shot by his 4 year old playmate using his father’s unsecured .22-caliber rifle (Talanova). Unfortunately devastating cases like this one are not rare in the U.S. A study published by the Secret Service and the U.S. Department of Education published in July 2004 found that in more than 65% of mass killings, the assailant got the firearm from a relative or home. Only 11 states enforce laws regarding safe storage of fire arms (Storage). In order to stop gun violence every state should enforce gun storage laws. For example, New York laws require that a lawful owner of a fire arm should render the weapon inoperable by inducing a safety device on it. All states should impose safety laws that require patrons to lock up their weapons in a safe when not in use so as to keep children, criminals and the mentally ill from having access to them. On the other hand, parents should teach their children the values of life and also educate them on gun