It’s a problem that marred American history for centuries, with the earliest known account dating back to July 26, 1764. School shooting is an issue plaguing the United States unlike any other country. In the past two decades alone, more people died or were injured in school shootings than in the entire 20th century.
Politicians, teachers, and students alike are looking for answers that will stop this violent epidemic. Heavier gun control laws are one of the most highly-disputed solutions. Does gun control work in preventing gun violence in universities and schools? There are many free essays on gun control that prove argue that it does.
The Underlying Problem
Students and teachers alike need a safe environment to learn. A university should be a place of education, not fear. The problem is, school shooters can freely carry weapons – that’s the basis for gun control laws against gun violence. Therefore, the viable solution is to limit access to guns.
This is a controversial issue, however. On the one side, there are those who strongly feel that stricter gun control laws are an infringement on their Second Amendment rights. The Second Amendment gives the American people the right to keep and bear arms. The other side of the controversy argues that this same right gives individuals with malicious and violent intent the freedom to execute said intent on school grounds.
Gun Control Policies as Solutions
Gun control policies are meant to stop not just school shootings, but gun violence in general. But will gun control stop mass shootings? Here are ways how gun control laws reduce mass shootings.
Background Checks
When an individual wants to purchase a gun, they are subject to a background check through the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS), a database that the FBI maintains.
One of the biggest red flags background checks look for are records of mental instability on the part of the buyer. How does this affect school safety? Well, it turns out that mental instability plays a huge role in school and university shootings.
As effective as this policy is, it has holes. It doesn’t apply to private sales in most states. Additionally, the databases consulted for records are sometimes incomplete. These are only two major reasons why stricter gun control laws should be implemented.
Prohibition of Assualt Weapons Ownership
Another policy that reduces gun violence is a ban on assault weapons. The Assault Weapons Ban of 2019, states that it’s a crime to own, sell, import, manufacture, or even transfer a semiautomatic assault weapon or a large capacity ammunition feeding device.
The Second Amendment gives the American people the right to bear arms for their defense – but not the right to shoot down others with ten bullets per second. This ban only allows assault weapons to be used only in war, protection of nuclear materials, or in certain law enforcement activities.
Reducing access to dangerous weapons reduce the possibility of terrible school shooters enacting their aggressive fantasies. Stopping civilians from owning semi-automatic weapons will prevent even children from getting their hands on them, like what probably happened at Great Mills High School back in 2018.
Of course, this policy also has holes. For one, anyone can easily buy any weapon from the black market and use it in a school. Another hole is that grandfathered assault weapons (owned before the bill was passed) are still legal. Any parents with such a weapon must be wary that children can easily take these weapons and bring them to school.
Teach Your Children the Dangers of Weapons
Even with gun control laws in place, students still face dangers from guns. Teach your children the reality of the world they live in. Teach them that gun policies are extremely helpful, but there are people just not responsible enough with the weapons they own. Teach your children to learn the protocols in place when a school shooter attacks.
Gun control laws should never fully eradicate weapons. After all, it’s every man’s right to have the means and tools to defend himself. However, these laws are necessary; they prevent guns from getting into the hands of potential school shooters.
