Gun Laws

Mass Shootings and Gun Laws

01/12/2016

CM107 College Composition

With all of the strict gun laws that the country and various states have. These laws still did nothing to prevent the mass shootings across the country. “his could be why that since 1990 Gallup has been asking Americans if they think gun control laws should be stricter. Less than half of Americans 47% say they favor stricter gun laws similar to views of the previous year. . (Ehrenfreund 2015) This percentage is significantly less than the 58% recorded in 2012 after the shooting in Newtown, Connecticut that spurred a nationwide debate over more stringent gun control laws. Thirty eight percent of Americans say these laws should remain the same compared to 14% that think the laws should be less strict. (Ehrenfreund 2015)

What types of firearms were used and does it play into the overall picture of mass shootings? Opinions on the types and effectiveness of various weapons vary. Some people would state that semi-automatic weapons with high capacity detachable magazine are the primary weapon of choice which makes them call for more regulations. In contrast pro-gun supporters state that more bans and more laws would have done nothing to stop these incidents. Many types of weapons were used in these shooting pistols, shotguns, rifles, and in some even knives.

The ban on large capacity magazines and assault rifles have had no effect on the mass shootings in this country. Gun right supporters argue that with so many weapons that fit into what people want to ban already out there in the general population, a new ban would do little as those weapons would be grandfathered in. Many bans on either weapons or magazines can easily be circumvented by manufacturers do to so many loopholes. What some people don’t know is a firearm’s power is determined by the caliber or gauge of its ammunition, semi-automatic handguns use ammunition comparable to a revolvers ammunition. (NRA-ILA, 2014) With that said...