DB #5 Student Post Reply

Ebony Martin

11:04amOct 4 at 11:04am

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Gun Control

If I were asked to pick a research topic that encompassed the entities of communication, perceptions of crime problems, individual behavior and criminal justice policy, I would pick the topic of gun control. Spitzer (2019) conveys the power that the National Rifle Association has on the topic of gun mandates. Spanning from senseless accidental suicides to a rise in school shootings, the debate about the purchase and possession of handguns and assault rifles has a chokehold on the American society.

Communication

Communication on the topic of gun control has a been a great barrier to comprehension because there are so many varied narratives about how gun control will operate. Citizens on the against side of the argument interpret the idea that the government will seize their weapons for good and the people will be left defenseless. Laschever and Meyer (2021) state that since the Clinton era, gun control opponents have been “energized” to convey their stark opinions against control and this energy has created a “reduced urgency” for the need for gun conversation. Citizens on the for-gun control side of the argument interpret that military grade weapons will be taken away and that evaluation and lending of gun licenses process will be investigated. Rood (2018) states that the “dead”. The innocent lives taken due to gun violence are commanding the living to make changes as it concerns the current state of weapons in America. The opposition lies in the question, “are guns a threat to safety or a means of remaining safe’?

Crime Problems/ Individual Behavior

The reality is that crime issues and gun violence have an integrated history with one another. Gun violence can involve domestic abuse, gangs, narcotic distribution and possession, suicide, accidental deaths, school shootings/bullying, police brutality, and regular violent crimes. Giffords law center (2021) states that 39,000 American die each year from gun violence. Among these deaths suicide remains the top contender. However, police brutality ibn combination with legitimacy has been making headlines since the incident of Trayvon Martin. There is real question among the population about if police are using guns to follow the law or break the law (Taylor, 2021). Can they be called to protect and serve was also being involved in what the public perceives as senseless murder. In addition to this, school shooting and the threats of such like that of Virginia Tech concern parents all over about the safety of their children in educational institutions.

Criminal Justice Policy

Giffords law center (2021) states that “America has the weakest gun laws and the most guns”. They also state that nationally, gun violence is on the rise with suicide being the top contender. Currently, the right to bear arms is the most historical barrier that holds the American people in opposition from changing the state of gun possession. Most recently, online gun certification classes were removed as an option for receiving concealed and carry licensure, but nothing more has been done after this. Many citizens are suggesting that psychological evaluations and stricter background checking be instituted for purchase of firearms. Some citizens have even felt compelled to give their military grade weapons back to the state, not wanting to be involved or persecuted in any more senseless deaths.

Biblical Perspective

In the word, God lets us know from the ten commandments that murder is an abomination. In Ecclesiastes 9:18 God says that, “Wisdom is better than weapons of war” conveying that intelligence can be made useless when weapons are used before thought. (King James Version, 1769/2017, Ecclesiastes 9,18). He also states in Matthew 26: 52-54, “Put your sword back into its place. For all who take the sword will perish by the sword”. Meaning that if you bring violence to your neighbor k you will also be stricken with violence. These man-made weapons are not of God in a way that they play judge, hurry, and sometimes executioner; a position that no man has been called to take over God. It would be fair to assume that God would not condone the taking of lives by mere man when the power of life and death lies on the tongue as is. He compels us to be careful when we choose what we say. The addition of weapons to expression and quick temperedness to plan attack has been clearly frowned upon; “preserve me from violent men, who have planned to trip up my feet” (King James Version, 1769/2017, Psalm 140:4).