Gun control has always been a heavily debated issue but the recent tragedies of Sandy Hook, Treyvon Martin and the Navy Yard shootings have triggered a call for immediate action to be taken against guns and firearms. The Senate and Congress have not allowed for new legislation since the shootings but President Obama along with Vice President Biden say they are determined to make changes. Their new legislation would expand criminal background checks and make gun trafficking a federal crime. Another policy would make it illegal for people to bring back American made firearms distributed to other countries. The President believes that these policies are “basic actions” that should have been imposed a long time ago and doesn’t understand why Congress fails to see that. Those against gun control believe President Obama is misusing his executive powers to impose these restrictions. They believe he is taking away people’s rights to bear arms, a constitutional right, which is explicitly stated in the second amendment. Currently, the gun control proposals have been put on hold while the Obama administration, the Senate and Congress try to come to an agreement on the government budget in order to end the shutdown.
2012-2013 has seen an increase in violent attacks, leading to the death of many innocent people. Gun control has become a huge concern because if anyone is able to obtain a firearm, more mindless shootings will occur and places like school would not be safe.
