History Final Project

National Security

Cherod Jones

American Military University

One of the hotly debated issues about American national security is gun control. The recent wave of mass shootings, such as the Parkland shooting has led to calls from citizens for the revision of gun ownership laws. However, other groups such as the NRA (National Rifle Advocates) have come out strongly in opposition to the introduction of new gun laws, which restricts ownership of guns by certain citizens. Nonetheless, once a mass shooting rocks America, people wonder whether the shootings could have been prevented by having tighter gun control measures (Carter, 2018). Even though the risk of mass shootings cannot be eliminated, there are policies that can lower the likelihood of such catastrophes or minimizes the number of people murdered.

Mass shootings can be reduced through the introduction of strict gun ownership laws that limit the number of guns owned by ordinary citizens. The strict laws should focus on increasing the minimum age within which one should own a gun from sixteen to twenty-one. Besides, the laws should be framed such that they advocate for the carrying out of more background checks on the persons seeking gun ownership licenses. It is believed that such measures will make it a hard task for one who intends to carry out a mass shooting to gain access to a gun or any other rifle (Bui & Sanger-Katz, 2017).

One opposing opinion, that is being argued that the many deaths that result from mass shootings can be avoided by making gun ownership laws less stringent. Such a move is thought to lead in a higher number of guns in safe hands. With a high number of people in possession of guns, if an individual makes an attempt to commit a mass shooting, he or she will quickly be apprehended by individuals with guns. The NRA supports the idea of arming more people.

Practically, the increased mass shooting cases can be best be controlled through the introduction of strict gun laws that minimize the number of guns owned by citizens. It is by having such laws that people intending to commit mass shootings will find it hard to obtain assault rifles (Bui & Sanger-Katz, 2017). In addition, the proposal of arming more people can be considered dangerous. This has the potential of having more armed and will add to the likelihood of another Parkland shooting.

The federal and the state governments have the responsibility of revising the gun laws so that ownership of guns becomes a strict process in which guns are only in safe hands. It is also upon the executive, specifically the President to instruct the Justice Depart to formulate regulations that limit access to guns (Carter, 2018). Most importantly, Congress has to unanimously support Bills brought before the House aimed at making background checks for prospective gun buyers stricter. On the other hand, the Judiciary should impose harsh punishments on those found guilty of violating gun laws.

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