Revoking the Right to Bear Arms: Building the Pedestal for a Safer America
Written By: Arman Momeni
On Wednesday, February 14, the life of Lori Alhadeff was changed forever. Within a few hours of dropping her daughter, Alyssa, off at school, Lori was told the devastating news that her daughter was shot and murdered in the school hallway. Now put yourself in Lori's shoes. Imagine placing your child in an environment where they are meant to learn, have fun, and be safe, only for them to be murdered at the hands of a meaningless attack. Picture the grief and sorrow that consumes Lori, knowing she can never speak to her daughter again. The Stoneman Douglas High School Massacre took the lives of Alyssa and 16 other students, sparking a heated debate on the state of gun control within the United States. Nonetheless, Lori has chosen to battle the grief by becoming a leader in the fight against gun violence, a growing epidemic that is contaminating the United States. The ratification of the Second Amendment in 1791 made firearms accessible to American citizens for defence purposes. However, as the root of thousands of deaths each year, it is clear that guns have no place in the United States. Firearms pose a threat to public safety, they bestow a major economic burden, and they are destructive to adolescent development. For these reasons, the United States Government must implement a nationwide ban on firearms.
Over the past few decades, advances in firearm technology and accessibility have made them one of the greatest threats to American citizens. According to the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention: in 2020 alone, there were 45,000 deaths due to incidents containing a firearm (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2022). As gun-related deaths skyrocket, it is evident that weapons are no longer being used for self-defence purposes and that American citizens can no longer be trusted to lawfully abide by the Second Amendment. Originally, the possession of personal weapons was legalized with the intention to build a secure and safe nation where citizens could protect themselves from danger. However, with firearms falling into the hands of untrusted individuals, the Second Amendment has provoked a bloodthirsty and violent culture. Children are no longer safe in their classrooms, and families are no longer safe in their neighbourhoods. Nonetheless, many American citizens argue for comprehensive background checks in place of a national firearm ban, deeming a nationwide ban to be unnecessary and controlling. However, although background checks can determine which citizens are eligible to purchase a firearm, they cannot prevent untrusted and dangerous individuals from using an already purchased firearm. Evidently, implementing a national ban on firearms is the only way to keep guns away from dangerous individuals and ensure a safe future for citizens of the United States.
Not only does gun violence carry a devastating human cost, but the trail that it leaves behind is destructive to the economy. The aftermath of any gun-related incident includes several procedures, such as police investigations, medical treatments, and criminal justice costs, which each carry financial consequences. According to Everytown Research and Policy, which specializes in gun violence research, the average economic cost of gun violence in the United States is $557 billion annually ("The Economic Cost of Gun Violence," 2022). If the United States government worked towards decreasing gun violence, a significant amount of money could be saved and reallocated to economic and social sectors in need. In fact, according to Georgetown University, if the financial cost of gun violence was eliminated, the United States would be able to reinvest into ending poverty nationwide, which would cost an estimated $539 billion per year (Pongsajapan, 2019). Despite the evident economic repercussions of gun violence, many Americans still argue that the gun industry is more beneficial to the economy than destructive. However, this is proven false, as the firearm industry only contributes $51.3 billion annually to the economy, which is only a small fraction of the economic costs (Flynn 2022). The money that would be lost from the gun industry as a result of a nationwide firearm ban would be negligible when compared to the money the United States would save. Overall, by placing a nationwide ban on firearms, the United States will be able to reverse the heavy financial toll that guns hold and will be able to reinvest into building a better future for the United States.
As the gun market expands and acts of gun violence increase, gun culture is making its way into the forefront of American society. In addition to the dangers that firearms hold, the profound gun culture in America negatively impacts the development and growth of children. According to Psychology Today, studies by Melissa E Smith and Elizabeth P Shulman show that "children who have direct exposure to gun violence experience more mental health issues than other children, including psychological distress, depression, suicidal ideation and anxiety" (LoBue, 2022). The studies' results prove that firearms not only pose a physical danger to children but also pose a psychological threat. A child who experiences an interaction with a gun will be plagued with lifelong trauma, obstructing their personal and educational growth. Alongside the psychological trauma that firearms cause, constant exposure to acts of gun violence will lead to aggressive behaviour. With gun culture and violence covering large segments of news and media, children are brainwashed to believe that violence is a regular and acceptable occurrence. Guns teach children a violent and flawed mindset that leads to a future where citizens are more aggressive and acts of violence become habitual. By placing a national ban on firearms, the United States will be able to significantly improve mental health for children and ensure that the current adolescent generation grows to be virtuous.
As the scorching flame of the firearm epidemic spreads through the United States, it is evident that the government needs to invoke significant change. As someone with several family members in the United States, I fear that the uncontrolled environment of firearms will put them in danger. What happens if I turn on the television and see my cousin as the latest victim of a senseless school shooting? What happens if I get a call and hear that my grandparents were held at gunpoint during their evening walk? America's founding fathers were misguided in giving citizens the freedom to carry weapons, and they clearly misjudged the individual responsibility of American citizens. Firearms have done nothing but build a dangerous society, destroy the economy, and corrupt the minds of children. The only way to stop the United States from turning into a violent dystopia is by placing a nationwide firearm ban, ensuring that the hard-fought battle led by Lori Alhadeff and countless other citizens is not in vain.
Work Cited:
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Lobue, Vanessa. “The Many Impacts of Gun Violence on Children.” Psychology Today, Sussex Publishers, June 6 2022. https://www.psychologytoday.com/ca/blog/the-baby-scientist/202206/the-many-impacts-gun-violence-children#:~:text=They%20also%20experience%20more%20symptoms,common%20everywhere%20in%20the%20world.
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Pongsajapan, Robert. “Less than 3 Percent of GDP Could End U.S. Poverty, New Research Shows.” Georgetown University, 8 Oct. 2019. https://www.georgetown.edu/news/less-than-3-percent-of-gdp-could-end-u-s-poverty-new-research-shows/.
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