Gun Control: Does America Need It?

The Skinny

June 13, 2016

                  "It's not a gun control problem; it's a cultural control problem" -Bob Barr

                    Yes, I know what you're thinking. "Ugh, another person trying to shove gun control down my throat!" But, please, read this to the end and I promise you, I'm not demanding for a complete gun ban. If you decide to read to the end, thank you for spending your time reading my article and I hope you feel the same way I do. 

                       As you can tell by the date, it is the Monday after the mass shooting at the Pulse nightclub where 50 people were killed and 53 people were injured. This is also the Monday after the murder of YouTube star, Voice Alum, and one of my personal favorite artists, Christina Grimmie. Both were terrible tragedies and my heart and prayers go out to the families and friends of anyone who had to go through the horrible event at the Pulse and to the family, friends, and fans of Grimmie. 

                      But now you're here, thinking, "This isn't about gun control! This is a tribute!" Well, I'm getting to the gun control part. Both of these tragedies could have easily been avoided if we had slightly stricter gun control. Now, I'm not saying we ban guns completely, I'm saying that we need to limit who can use them and how we can use them. Let me explain.

                     I feel that background checks should be more in depth. I know, they're already pretty detailed but there's still the few people that slip past the government's nose and are able to buy guns to use for illegal purposes. Actually, I feel that guns should only be limited to law abiding citizens only. And that means if you ever committed a crime, even if it was 50 years ago and you have done nothing but abide the law since, you are not allowed to own a firearm. I also feel that many guns should be restricted from the public unless they are strictly using it for hunting or just to have in their collection. There is no harm in collectors as long as the firearm is not loaded and kept on safety mode at all times.

                     I feel this way because so many deaths could have been prevented and so many people would not of had to grieve over a loved one who was took too soon. A whole community would not of been even more scared of going out and celebrating who they are. I, myself, am a part of the LBGTQ community (bisexual), and what happened at the Pulse scares me to my core. I pray that one day, we'll never have to read about tragedies such as the ones that occurred over this past weekend again. I don't care if you didn't know who Grimmie was, I don't care if you're against the Gay Agenda.... One thing that is universal is that taking the life of another human being out of hate and pure stupidity is wrong. Period. Life is precious no matter if you're gay, straight, Democrat, Republican, Christian, Muslim, or whatever. We should be able to cherish it without living in fear of being shot out of hate.