Speaking out on gun control [Video]
John Slagter (YouTube: Mr.Slate Man)
March 22, 2018
Please reflect on this student video, and share your thoughts on gun violence/control in the comment box below.
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Jason • Mar 26, 2018 at 10:23 am
The bill of rights are inalienable, mean the government is not in control of the rights of the people. And if one Amendment is taken away what is to stop people from take away any other amendment. First guns next freedom of religion and speach. If you are willing to hand over one inalienable right you, you are willing to hand over them all.
Mr Kyle Hakes • Mar 23, 2018 at 12:22 am
“A well regulated militia, being neccecary for the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed”, when written in the constitution was the founding fathers recognizing that the average citizen needs to be equally armed as the government regulated military. In the 1700s that meant that muskets were up to date with military standard. Today the ar-15 (armalite rifle) is the citizens tool for all 2amendment needs, sporting, defense, and collection. Today the tool is misunderstood. First off, Saying the rifle is an assault weapon is a mislabeling of the device. Assault is an action not a adjective. Secondly, an “AR” as important to own as a shotgun or a handgun seeing as each one serves its own important purpose. Also each can be used maliciously and in just as deadly a fashion if utilized by an evil person. Many find it hard to see application for the rifle today but truly it encompasses all three points, sporting, defense and collection. Additionally when viewing gun violence it is silly to attack the rifle when most gun crimes are commited with pistols and are still possible with other mediums of violence. When taking a large step back, and seeing that there are roughly 300 million guns in the United States(npr.org) gun violence is proportionately small and school violence is an even smaller fraction. These crimes are of course are still inexcusable and evil. The media likes to inflate these numbers and exaggerate to produce viewership and utilize peoples emotion to make quick attacks on politics so they may sponge up public adoration when they are successful. The media also enjoys having a holier than thou approach to make it appear that anyone that disagrees with them is heartless and cares not about the lives of human beings, which is a disgusting smear of all gun owners. Seeing as all gun laws are infringements and perusing them is frivolous I propose instead to throw out “common sense laws” and we attack the problem at the heart. Guns were heavily present and accepted in the mid nineteen hundreds and gun violence was low, but now it is a national topic and a crisis. The gun hasn’t changed in half a century, so that means that that we as a society must have changed. Glorified violence, using guns as toys and show, and lack of respect for human life have degraded our society to a point where killing someone is commonplace. No it’s not video games or music, it is the acceptance of hatred towards another person over trifle things or willingness to overlook the importance and value of a person because another doesn’t feel value or because they don’t see eye to eye with you. The country is desensitized to the problems people have in their homes and schools and don’t care about the true mental and physical health of the people around them. Instead of metal detectors and clear backpacks, how about more organizations like the office of diversity and inclusion, counselors, and a communal pride that we are one body of people that identify as equals that can confide in each other. I believe if all schools had access to the resources available at Walsh Jesuit we would be able to tackle struggles in peoples lives before they begin a downward spiral. So here’s to petitioning the government to shrink the size of public schools, hiring student health experts, and creating an environment where everyone has a chance to feel hope and success so they don’t slip through the cracks. Please consider this before voting on half measures that will compromise your freedom for a false sense of security.
Thanks for reading!