OP-ED: Gun control laws will save lives
Bree Dalling
Issue date: 2/19/08 Section: Opinion
What are guns worth in our society today? Protection? A yearly hunt? Pleasure?
A line has to be drawn somewhere.
With all the school shootings happening, weapon possession needs to be limited. Not only are the gunmen taking innocent lives, they are taking people's right, and privilege, to be safe.
A school, especially a higher education school, is a place where every person has the right to learn and to teach safely in both physical and mental capacities.
With the Trolley Square shootings that happened in 2007, the gunman took away people's right to shop in safety. A public place belongs to everyone, not just one person, or a group of people.
Many victims and witnesses of a shooting have a lot of mental problems afterward because they are privy to watching or being a part of it. Many have the thought, "Why them? Why me? How did that happen?" No one should have to witness that.
Where is it that the line is drawn in relation to gun laws? How do you make a gunman of a school or other public shooting who has shot himself afterward pay for what he did? How do you give a victim's family back what they lost? You can't, which makes a shooting all the worse.
(Thursday) afternoon, Northern Illinois University witnessed another school shooting, the fourth this week. Six were killed, including the gunman. Another 16 were injured.
On Feb. 8, at Louisiana Technical College, a woman shot two fellow students to death before taking her own life.
In Memphis, Tenn., a 17-year-old is accused of shooting and critically wounding a fellow student Monday during a high school gym class.
The 15-year-old victim of a shooting at an Oxnard, Calif., junior high school has been declared brain dead.
So why is it that so many people still look to guns for their protection and safety? How is it that guns can be obtained as easily as they are now? Shouldn't there be more laws and more background checks for a person to obtain a gun? Why is it that mentally ill people, or previously mentally ill people, can walk into a gun shop, and purchase a gun so easily?
How many more people are going to have to die unnecessarily before harsher laws are obtained?
Let's make it harder for anyone to purchase a gun. Let's make it a lot harder for them to obtain a weapon, if at all. Let's make it so there are (fewer) guns out in the world.
The more out in the world, the more chance there is for the owner of that gun to turn it on other human beings.
Let's bring that number down, and save some innocent lives.
Bree Dalling is a junior interdisciplinary studies major from Plano, Texas. She can be contacted at bree_dalling@musician.org.
A line has to be drawn somewhere.
With all the school shootings happening, weapon possession needs to be limited. Not only are the gunmen taking innocent lives, they are taking people's right, and privilege, to be safe.
A school, especially a higher education school, is a place where every person has the right to learn and to teach safely in both physical and mental capacities.
With the Trolley Square shootings that happened in 2007, the gunman took away people's right to shop in safety. A public place belongs to everyone, not just one person, or a group of people.
Many victims and witnesses of a shooting have a lot of mental problems afterward because they are privy to watching or being a part of it. Many have the thought, "Why them? Why me? How did that happen?" No one should have to witness that.
Where is it that the line is drawn in relation to gun laws? How do you make a gunman of a school or other public shooting who has shot himself afterward pay for what he did? How do you give a victim's family back what they lost? You can't, which makes a shooting all the worse.
(Thursday) afternoon, Northern Illinois University witnessed another school shooting, the fourth this week. Six were killed, including the gunman. Another 16 were injured.
On Feb. 8, at Louisiana Technical College, a woman shot two fellow students to death before taking her own life.
In Memphis, Tenn., a 17-year-old is accused of shooting and critically wounding a fellow student Monday during a high school gym class.
The 15-year-old victim of a shooting at an Oxnard, Calif., junior high school has been declared brain dead.
So why is it that so many people still look to guns for their protection and safety? How is it that guns can be obtained as easily as they are now? Shouldn't there be more laws and more background checks for a person to obtain a gun? Why is it that mentally ill people, or previously mentally ill people, can walk into a gun shop, and purchase a gun so easily?
How many more people are going to have to die unnecessarily before harsher laws are obtained?
Let's make it harder for anyone to purchase a gun. Let's make it a lot harder for them to obtain a weapon, if at all. Let's make it so there are (fewer) guns out in the world.
The more out in the world, the more chance there is for the owner of that gun to turn it on other human beings.
Let's bring that number down, and save some innocent lives.
Bree Dalling is a junior interdisciplinary studies major from Plano, Texas. She can be contacted at bree_dalling@musician.org.
Viewing Comments 1 - 10 of 27
Matthew Johnson
posted 2/19/08 @ 10:50 AM MST
I don't have a lot of time to comment right now. I just completely disagree. Please read the following article.
http://www.townhall.com/columnists/DennisPrager/2008/02/19/five_questions_about_shootings_at_universities
Less guns does not mean less death. (Continued…)
Roxdog
posted 2/19/08 @ 11:18 AM MST
Wow...it couldn't be any more obvious that you are a child. We have gun control in this country. And guess what? THE LAWS HAVE DONE NOTHING TO CURB VIOLENCE. (Continued…)
Roy in Canada
posted 2/19/08 @ 12:41 PM MST
Once again, some young kid pretending to know something about firearms. First of all kid, learn what a "right" and "privilege" is. Nothing is a right AND a privilege. (Continued…)
JohnnyLives
posted 2/19/08 @ 12:57 PM MST
Look guns are inanimate objects like your car. Cars kill people too, are we going to ban them next? Guns like cars are tools that's why we have rules and people should learn how to use them, carry them, and take care of them. (Continued…)
Jared Hallows
posted 2/19/08 @ 1:09 PM MST
NIU was a "Gun Free Zone".....
Virginia Tech was a "Gun Free Zone".....
Nations such as Great Britain and Australia have had sharp increases in violent crimes AFTER banning private gun ownership. (Continued…)
Dictators LOVE Gun Control
posted 2/19/08 @ 1:12 PM MST
I have a GREAT idea, how about we just pass a law that only bans guns from the criminals?!
Marc Dotson
posted 2/19/08 @ 2:54 PM MST
If you would like to respond to this op-ed in the paper, please click on the "Letter to the Editor" link on the left.
Letters are up to 300 words. Include your full name and place of residence. (Continued…)
FredH
posted 2/19/08 @ 7:18 PM MST
We have armed a nation of nuts by not challenging the NRA. Our greedy legislators, often members of the NRA have been accepting campaign contribution for too long. (Continued…)
Bree
posted 2/19/08 @ 10:32 PM MST
Ok, I'm not sure I made my ideas clear enough. I'm not saying get rid of guns altogether. I'm calling for more restrictions in order to get a permit. Right now, I could walk into a gun shop, throw down cash and a fake ID, and purchase a gun, no questions asked. (Continued…)
tquarrey
posted 2/20/08 @ 12:13 AM MST
roxdog, roy, jared, and those yet to post--
bree has a point.
while you may find holes in her argument, your personal attacks make your stance as viable at holding water as a pail that's been shot at for target practice by a bunch of gapped-toothed, chew-spittin, Busch-swiggin, cousin-h*****, gun-totin rednecks in cletus's frontyard. (Continued…)
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