Gun Violence in the U.S.
Is the pen mightier than the bullet?
Stricter Gun Control Laws Have Worked Elsewhere
The graph below shows a relationship between stricter gun laws and lower death rates. In most cases the graph proves that stricter the gun control laws, the fewer deaths.
Guns are getting into the wrong hands
In December of 2012, Adam Lanza shot and killed 20 children and 6 adults at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, CT. He stole the guns he used from his mothers gun collection. Lanza also had an extensive history of mental illness.
This was hardly the first mass shooting connected to the mental health issue. Virginia Tech's 2007 shooting and the Planned Parenthood shooting this past November are also examples of guns getting into the wrong hands.
Background checks will weed out violent criminals and the mentally ill
Although these laws help prevent firearms from legally getting into the hands of criminals, they do nothing to stop the mentally ill from owning a gun. The Sandy Hook and Virginia Tech shootings were both committed by shooters who were later deemed "mentally ill" using legal firearms. Unfortunately, a mental evaluation would not have prevented Adam Lanza from taking his mother's guns. However it would have prevented the shooting at VT where the shooter was able to legally obtain guns through the gun-show loophole.
If improving our background check system to include some sort of mental health evaluation would have prevented the single worst mass-shooting in our nation's history, shouldn't we consider it?
We need to ban the use of assault Weapons because there being abused and misused
The state of Connecticut defines assault weapons as, "any firearm capable of fully automatic, semi-automatic or “burst fire” at the option; a forward pistol grip; a flash suppressor; or a grenade/flare launcher." (smartgunlaws.org) These features of assault weapons empower the shooters to inflict maximum damage. They should not be made available to the general public.