
When the US gained independence from Great Britain, the Founding Fathers wrote the Constitution to establish a list of rights for the people of this new country. Many of these rights have become extremely controversial in the modern world. Specifically, gun control has been a huge debate in recent news, due to many mass shootings in our society. People who shouldn’t be capable of handling these weapons are coming into contact with them somehow and doing a lot of devastating damage. Something needs to be done about this problem before this world starts having a mass shooting every week.

Every time there is a new news story about a mass shooting, it seems like it was just yesterday when the last one occurred. The sad thing is that the news doesn’t cover every mass shooting, but only a small percentage of them. This issue is a lot worse than what people have been fearing. “The U.S. has many more guns -- and gun deaths -- than any other developed country. In 2014, there were more than 33,000 such deaths in this country” (Junior Scholastic). This number is abysmal. Many of these are freak accidents, a purposeful homicide, or even something as terrible as a massacre. Any way these deaths occur, that number is exceedingly too high for the sake of this country. The US is such a well-developed country; the people should know better than to use these deadly weapons for anything other than sport or self-defense. Of course, accidents happen, but accidents can also be prevented. Gun control is the ultimate prevention tactic to limit this issue. 

Somehow, every issue reverts back to politics. Democrats are the ones who are fighting for more restrictions on weapons, while Republicans, known as the guns’ rights’ advocates, are arguing that gun control violates their second amendment rights (Junior Scholastic). It also has to do with whether or not you live in an urban setting or a rural setting. If you are from a city, it would make more sense to be for gun control, being that there are such a dense number of people, one person can cause devastation to a city. In fact, “polls show about 9 out of 10 Americans support universal background checks on gun purchases and a majority support bans on high-capacity magazines” (Time). That being said, “as the country becomes more urban and more diverse, some pollsters find fewer people telling them they have a gun at home than at any other point in almost 40 years” (Time). People from rural settings tend to do more hunting and activities with guns that are sport related, which is why they argue for gun rights. Gun rights advocates use the second amendment to protect their rights for weapon possession, being they have the right to arm themselves for hunting, sport, and self-defense. They also say that weapons are a way to create a safer society because it gives an everyday citizen the “power of self-defense” (Junior Scholastic). NRA executive Wayne LaPierre said, “The only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with gun” about how weapons can make society safer (Junior Scholastic). In the past, the gun rights advocates have won. The US Supreme Court has ruled twice on whether weapon possession is protected by the second amendment, both times being a 5-to-4 decision favoring gun rights. Those decisions by the Supreme Court were made back in 2008 and 2010 (Junior Scholastic). However, it really depends on how an individual interprets the second amendment. It 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” (Junior Scholastic). Most people in favor of gun rights say that means that individuals are allowed to own guns, which they are. These regulations are meant to keep the psycho killers from obtaining the types of weapons that should have restrictions, like assault weapons that have been proven to be the cause of many mass shootings. 

Ever since the Columbine High School shooting in 1999, mass shootings have been more frequent and more serious. Over the past decade, there have been school shootings like Sandy Hook, San Bernardino, and Virginia Tech, just to name a few. These incidents show that as society advances, as well as technology, these shootings become more tragic. We can’t just keep living our lives hoping that there won’t be a school shooting tomorrow. How many mass shootings will it take until the majority of the general public realize that gun restrictions are, and have been, necessary in this society? When people think of gun control, they naturally assume that it is the attempt to ban most weapons or put a bunch of qualifications in place. Most guns’ rights’ advocates argue that it is taking away their second amendment rights. Gun control is simply just restrictions on weapons so that the wrong people aren’t able to buy or sell them, as well as what types of weapons can be bought or sold. The restrictions that are being focused on recently are “background checks for buyers, laws regulating who can carry weapons in public, and the kinds of guns that are available for purchase” (Junior Scholastic). The safety of this society is more important than whether someone can carry a military-grade weapon, which has been proven to be capable of mass shootings in this country. Of course, there will still be problems with guns if gun control is passed, but it will limit the amount substantially. 

Most current gun restrictions are at the state level. Therefore, it doesn’t help the cause when states like Texas and Kansas are so conservative that they recently passed new laws making weapon possession more lenient, while Connecticut and New York passed new restrictions on assault weapons. Now, in Kansas, “gun owners are no longer required to have a license to carry a concealed weapon” (Junior Scholastic). The debate is split very evenly. As soon as someone acts to make more restrictions, someone else acts to make less restrictions. 

Although logical and necessary, the government has done something to help, or at least let themselves think they helped. There are a few federal laws that prohibits specific groups to own weapons. Those groups consist of convicted felons, people with a mental illness, and immigrants without legal status. Passed in 1993, the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act requires licensed gun dealers to conduct background checks on potential buyers through an FBI database, which is meant to prevent the sale of guns to anyone prohibited from owning one (Junior Scholastic). However, there are many loopholes around these laws, being the underground markets. With that being said, those “prohibited groups” still end up getting their hands on weapons. There are other ways as well, of course. One being the gun show loophole, where “hobbyists”, who are not required to conduct background checks on buyers, do their business at gun shows (Junior Scholastic). 

It isn’t a matter of banning weapons to the extent that hunting rifles are no longer allowed. The government would never take away someone’s right to have a hunting rifle for hunting. This is a matter of where to set reasonable limits because clearly there needs to be some restrictions that are just common sense, but would still protect those who deserve to have and use weapons. Law-abiding people would still be allowed to have firearms while there would be far fewer deaths (Junior Scholastic). It is mainly about those people who should not have control of such a powerful weapon. Very recently, there was a shooting in Orlando at a nightclub, which was the worst mass shooting in modern American history. A total of 49 people were killed, while another 53 were wounded. In mourning of the terrible incident, President Obama state, “This massacre is therefore a further reminder of how easy it is for someone to get their hands on a weapon that lets them shoot people in a school, or in a house of worship, or a movie theater, or in a nightclub. And we have to decide if that's the kind of country we want to be. And to actively do nothing is a decision as well” (Nation). This quote goes very well with the idea that <<is this how far society has come, to the point where we just hope for the best, that we hope there won’t be a shooting tomorrow where you are>>. Imagine it like this: if you do think that way, wouldn’t you want someone else to think that way as well? But, what if tomorrow that someone else experienced a mass shooting, or knew someone killed in a mass shooting. Then, how would you feel? We need to act as a nation to diminish this issue.

The movie Rampage demonstrates with great effect on how gun control is such a prevalent issue. In the movie, a young man, Bill Williamson, is not having the best occurrences. He lives with his parents and works a low paying job as a mechanic. The problems of the world are constantly coming up, whether on TV, the radio, or through his best friend Evan’s video on his political views. Moreover, Bill’s boss declined his request for a raise, he gets into a heated argument with the worker at the local coffee shop, and his parents just told him that he should move out. The strange thing is, while a lot of these things were occurring, we could see what Bill was thinking, which wasn’t appealing. He was picturing himself shooting up the streets of his little town. Clearly, something isn’t quite right in his mind. He is not thinking logically at all. When he returns to his parent’s house, he goes straight to the basement, where he stays. After thinking for a while, he prints a bunch of fake money and begins putting together a suit of AR-500 steel body armor, which is extremely shielding. Not only does he now have the body armor, but he also acquires two submachine guns, two semi-auto pistols, and plenty of ammunition. As Bill makes his way into town, he destroys the entire police headquarters by driving a remote-controlled, bomb-loaded van through the front door, which also destroyed some of the other buildings on the block. He continues his rampage by stepping out of his vehicle and opening fire on anyone in his sight. He shoots up a salon and bank as well, stealing all the money in the bank. He pretends to burn the money, when he really burns the fake money he printed earlier in attempt to put his best friend, Evan, into the picture as the prime suspect. Before he returns home, he calls his friend Evan and invites him to the woods for a paintball fight. When Evan arrives, Bill immobilizes him with a stun gun, kills Evan, but makes it look like a suicide. 

This movie was truly monstrous. The details of Bill’s rampage had to have been planned out for a long time. Who would want to have that picture in their mind for so long, that they were going to go on a killing spree and blame it on their best friend? However, the real issue is that he was able to come into contact with those weapons and equipment. As soon as he is introduced as a character, one can tell that he is a psycho. People who can snap at any second like Bill should not be allowed anywhere near a weapon capable of killing anybody. The story doesn’t say how he got these weapons, but whether he bought them, stole them, or used any other loophole to acquire them, it still shows that there needs to be restrictions and more control. Gun control has been proven to be effective. According to other countries, tougher gun laws keep the number of deaths down. For example, in Australia, there were 13 mass shootings between 1979 and 1996. However, after a gunman killed 35 people in 1996, they passed some restrictions on weapons and there has not been a mass shooting since that incident, two decades ago (Junior Scholastic).

It seems like this movie was made just to show that gun control is necessary and that whatever “regulations” we have set right now are not preventing anything and are a joke. Not many people would make a movie, let alone a series of movies, like Rampage just for fun so people can see how to pull off a mass shooting. This movie clearly sends a message to the people of our country, our law enforcement, and our government that we have no protection over these shootings and that we don’t have any prevention tactics as well. Honestly, there are only three main restrictions that the gun control advocates are trying to set up; “background checks for buyers, laws regulating who can carry weapons in public, and the kinds of guns that are available for purchase” (Junior Scholastic). When you see these regulations, you should ask yourself, <<Why haven’t we put these up in the past. Look at what our country has come to because of it>>. It has gotten to the point where some people have such sick mindsets that they think, <<Well, if I’m going down, I’m going to bring other people with me>>, and they go out on a mass murder, ultimately killing themselves or getting killed. That is scary to think about. Obviously, this country is all about giving the people their rights and not taking them away, but to what extent are we willing to protect those rights. When anyone can walk into a gun store and purchase assault weapons, how is anyone supposed to know what they are capable of. Then, of course, it brings up other cultural issues like racial profiling and discrimination. But, the Sandy Hook shooting was done by a white, young adult, so how would these restrictions bring up racial profiling. People will do anything for their own benefit, which is frightening because in a society like today’s, there are loopholes around many things. However, gun control needs to be given a chance. If it doesn’t work, so what. At least we will learn from the mistake, like we did during prohibition in the 1920s and 1930s. 

All in all, the facts are all there, as well as the support. This issue is one of the most controversial issues for a reason. It is very serious and both sides are technically correct. However, it is a matter of the future for this country, and gun control is a necessity to begin reducing the amount of terrible, mass shootings. Just remember what President Obama said after the shooting in Orlando and think twice about whether you would rather protect our society or just think you are protecting your individual rights. In the end, these regulations aren’t violating the second amendment. 
