Summary: While there have been no gun reforms for two decades, following the Stoneman Douglas High School shooting, President Trump has stated that he is open to changing gun laws and supports the ban on bump stocks, which allow semi-automatic weapons to fire rounds more quickly. Congress is back in session next week, and author Daniella Diaz suggests 5 ways Congress can reform gun control laws: outlawing bump fire stocks, holding federal and state agencies accountable for failures to upload criminal history records to the background check system, raising the age to get a gun, restricting the size of the gun magazine, which holds ammunition, and banning AR-15 style weapons completely. She states that the first three are likely to have bipartisan support, but the last two proposals will be much harder and almost impossible to pass.
Opinion: I agree with Diaz that the first three ideas will be easier to pass than the last two, but I am not sure if it is enough to stop mass shootings at schools from occurring again. I think in addition to background checks, people need to be educated on how to properly use and store guns, because someone else who is not legally allowed to use a gun may take it from a friend or parent that has passed the background check for a gun if it is easily accessible. I think raising the gun age from 18 to 21 will have the strongest impact, because 18 is the age a potential senior high schooler could get a gun whereas 21 would be a college junior. However, Diaz does not propose stricter background checks because it will not have bipartisan support and is unlikely to pass, she only proposes that the bureaucracy be held more accountable, which I think is not enough but it is a step.
Questions: What are your thoughts on these ideas? Do you have any other ideas how to reform gun control laws?
Link: https://www.cnn.com/2018/02/25/politics/gun-control-congress-proposals-marco-rubio-parkland-school-shooting/index.html
1 comment:
I think that all of DIaz's ideas are good ones, but maybe too hopeful and too unrealistic. Like Michelle said, there hasn't been gun reform for two decades and I don't see any gun reform happening in the near future. I think that Trump will keep proposing some gun reform stuff to try and keep the public at bay, but when it comes to actually fulfilling his promises, I doubt he will come through. I think that before receiving a gun license, people ought to attend multiple classes and take tests that proves that they are both mentally stable and good at handling guns. However, even if some form of gun reform passes, people will find ways around it, as people do nowadays. Overall, gun reform in the near future? Unlikely.
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