The angles of gun control

By: Akii Butler

It has been 50 years since President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Gun Control Act of 1968. Signed after the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, the debate on gun control has been reignited in recent years after mass shootings such as , Sandy Hook, Pulse Nightclub, and more.

With every debate there are two sides and the gun control debate is no different. There are those who are pro gun control and those that are anti gun control. This issue in the debate all comes down to the safety of everyone. However there are different aspects of the debate.

For instance there are now some advocating for the police to have to abide by certain gun control laws,. There are talks about arming school administrators and more.

When it comes to pro gun control, there has been a fight for more restrictions since the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, more recently the fight has been at its peak since the increase of mass shootings. According to Everytown, there were,173 shootings between 2009 and 2017.

 

These events changed some people’s views on gun laws, those who were initially for it found themselves against gun control.

In February of 2012, Chardon High school student TJ Lane opened fire in the school’s cafeteria, killing three students.

*Opted not to give a photo or have her picture taken*

“Being in a town and going to a high school where a shooting occurred is something none of us expected,” said Iyanna Grair, a former student at Chardon High school and current student at Kent State University. “It made us look at things differently and made many of use look at gun laws differently.

While these events changed some of the minds of those who are anti gun control, for some it did nothing but serve as a reason for there to be none and actually wanted more guns. Some felt that had someone had a gun in certain situations, such as Pulse Nightclub then the shooter may not have killed as many people as he did.

In 2017 Mad River Local Schools installed safes filled with guns to arm their administration under this same mentality. In an article with the Washington Post, Chad Wyen, the district’s Superintendent stated “‘A bad guy is going to do whatever he wants in that building until someone either addresses him, or he runs out of ammunition, or he shoots and kills himself.’”

Did You Know? Three-in-ten American adults (30%) say they personally own a gun, and an additional 11% say they live with someone who does.

While some thought this was a great idea others are against arming teachers, some felt a better option would be to have armed officers at schools.

“I think having armed officers in schools is absolutely necessary,” said Lt. Michael Lewis, an officer of the Kent Police Department. “Our school resource officer program is in its fifth year and it’s been a very, very successful program for a number of reasons.”

While more and more schools have increased its security and and officer presence, some feel that the police force itself could also use more gun control and with expanding gun control laws, police are starting to be affected.

“I believe they’re making some changes that would have an affect on police and how they carry,” said Lt. Lewis. “There were initially some restrictions about where officers can carry, like into certain arenas or open air arenas … there were certain things you had to do in order to make that okay, but now officers are permitted to do that.”

Other restrictions that have also been added on have started to affects officers that are off-duty or retirees. For instance, a The New Jersey law passed earlier in 2018 prohibits the possession of magazines that held more than 10 rounds for off-duty and retired law enforcement officers.

Other laws have affected retirees and their registration process. “Our retired police officers are required to go through certain protocol and firearm proficiency each year,” said Lt. Lewis.

But as restrictions have started to expand, so have gun rights. In an article from the NY Times, police have started to express frustration over the expanding rights. The article states that “The recent legislation, including “constitutional carry laws” — which typically eliminate the police’s role in issuing permits or questioning people who are openly armed — has frayed the alliance.”

Many officers feel that this could put their lives in even more danger. But some feel that the police themselves are also need more restrictions. In an article from Vox it states “There is a correlation between killings by police officers and states’ gun control laws and gun ownership rates. The stronger the gun control laws, the fewer police killings. The higher the gun ownership rates, the more police killings.”

It is clear that the gun control is more than just about the average civilian. It is also clear that the different aspect of the issue has caused some polarizing opinions on the matter. Only time will tell where we go from here but one thing is certain, there is a long road ahead.