In Regards to Gun Control

To start, I want to pay my respects to all those lost to or affected by the Borderline shooting that took place on Wednesday November 7th, 2018.  What happened that night was horrific, and can be labeled as an act of pure evil. I can’t comprehend the bereavement that family and friends of those lost must be going through.  I have not described myself as a religious person in quite some time, but during these times I pray all 12 victims are resting in peace.

To say that this catastrophic event has nothing to do with gun laws is ignorant, and inherently tone deaf to anyone who has ever been affected by gun violence.  Now is not the time to be defending your right to carry a firearm. Especially, if your only argument is the existence of The Second Amendment. The Second Amendment states:  “A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.” This was written during the time of the American Revolution, inarguably, a very different time in which we live in now.  To break down The Second Amendment, you have to look at it in its proper context. During the 18th century, “the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed” had a different meaning than what people are reaching for today. First, the rights of people were intended to mean inherent rights, rights that citizens were born into, like the right of free speech and practice of religion.  In respect to the act of bearing arms, back during the time of the American Revolution the type of weaponry that we possess today was not even close to the machinery used in the 18th century. And arguably, the intentions of the writers of the Constitution were not for each individual to be able to carry around a loaded weapon while they went about their regular day. Also, this amendment wasn’t even regarded as planned for the individual until very recently.  The case of District of Columbia v. Heller took place about a decade ago in 2008. This case stated: “the Second Amendment protects an individual's right to possess a firearm, unconnected with service in a militia, for traditionally lawful purposes, such as self-defense within the home.”  However, that was also back in 2008. Issues like gun laws need to be looked at with context.

In 2018, right now it is currently November, there have been 307 mass shootings in the U.S.  To put this in perspective, by September 2018, the United Kingdom had suffered from 92 mass shootings.  The United States has suffered from over three times more massive acts of gun violence than the United Kingdom.  In regards to The Second Amendment, United States’ President, Donald Trump, has tweeted: “THE SECOND AMENDMENT WILL NEVER BE REPEALED!”  While this may be discouraging to those looking for some type of change, certain states within the U.S. have taken it upon themselves to regulate gun control without a federal law.  This year, the state of Washington was the only state which asked about gun control on the November 6th ballot. With a 60% majority, Washington will soon become one of the strictest states in regards to gun control.  Aspects of this new law include raising the legal age to buy semi-automatic rifles to 21, people need to pass an enhanced background check, take a training course, and will include a storage law which will require gun owners to secure their weapons either within a safe, or with a trigger lock.  This law is believed to address the root causes of many mass shootings, and in general is intended to help to reduce gun violence as a whole. While this law may be seen as a big step forward towards a safer society, many people in Washington disagree.

For context, my roommate is from Washington.  We grew up and were raised very differently. While I come from a small coastal town northeast of Boston, she comes from a large farming community in the Southeast of Washington.  My roommate and I have, and intend to, always have a mutual respect for the other’s differing opinion. Though we were both raised by conservative parents, she currently identifies as a libertarian, while I identify as an independent who has a tendency to lean more towards liberal viewpoints.  We disagree on a few issues, but overall we have always been able to come to an understanding. However, our views on gun control would have to be our most oppositional opinions.

Before we moved into our apartment together back in August, my roommate asked me if I would be comfortable with her keeping a gun in our room.  She allowed me to take my time to consider it. When I informed her that it would make me uncomfortable, she respectfully understood and did not bring a gun to store in our apartment.  For months after this we did not discuss anything gun related.

On Tuesday November 6th, my roommate was constantly refreshing and fretting over the Washington gun law vote.  To which of course she was sternly opposed to. As someone who had grown up around guns her whole life, she felt like one of her freedoms was being revoked.  She felt more gun control was pointless, and simply infringed upon her own right to carry and possess a weapon that she had known how to use since a young age.  For her, guns are a large part of her life. For me, guns are a non-necessity. After the mass shooting at the Tree of Life Synagogue, our President Donald Trump essentially stated that had there been armed guards at the synagogue, there would have been less casualties.  But who’s to say that a place of worship needs to expect an attack like that? A place of worship is a sanctuary, not a battleground.  

On Wednesday November 7th, 2018, just like every Wednesday night, my three roommates got ready to go line dancing at Borderline.  As someone who strongly dislikes country music, I opted to stay in like always. I could hear my roommates from my room getting ready to go, kind of taking their time, goofing around while they played country music throughout the apartment.  While they were getting ready they kept getting distracted. They took so long preparing that they last minute decided to not go to Borderline that night. I was woken up at about 5:15 Thursday morning by my roommates all gathered around my bed in the dark crying.  Loudly sobbing. They had woken up to frantic calls from their parents who were wondering if they were alive. Borderline was a fun bar my roommates routinely visited every Wednesday night to dance to their favorite music. Now one of my roommates can’t even listen to country music without being reminded of what could have been. 

This event only further solidified my belief in the need for gun control.  But it did not do the same for many others. Like my roommate, many people view this event as an example for why more people should be able to possess and carry firearms.   On a larger scale, this can be explained as the security dilemma. The security dilemma can be described as such: “when actions taken by a state to increase its own security cause reactions from other states.”  For instance, when one state builds nuclear weaponry, another state feels threatened by this and therefore builds their own nuclear weaponry. This cycle continues until each state involved is at a standstill. And while this may be viewed as an essential way to increase security amongst states, this process leaves states who weren’t involved in an even weaker position than before the security dilemma.  In a sense, by increasing the amount of gun possession due to the threat of violence enacted by other parties, people and places without firearms would be put into an even worse position. To refer back to an idea from our President earlier this year: if we were to arm teachers in order to protect schools from mass shootings, what’s going to happen if a mass shooter still gets in the school? That killer would be provided with more weaponry.  Or, what would happen if a child were to accidentally get a hold of the weapon? Will a place of learning still feel secure if every classroom has a gun in the teacher's desk?

During a time in which the United States is hoping to be a stable upholder of ethics and morality, our leaders need to start taking a good look at what other countries are doing right. The answer to gun violence is not to increase the amount of weaponry.  The answer is not to have armed guards at every school and place of worship. The answer is not to simply add more weaponry into the mix. The only real, viable, sensible solution is gun control.