Gun control is one of America's most contentious issues. Differing opinions on gun control run the gamut; some believe that a gun is a reasonable form of self-defense that should remain minimally regulated for purchase, and others would argue that due to a gun's destructive nature, it would only be reasonable to regulate their purchase in a strict fashion. Thus are the republican and democratic standings, respectively. The common question that leads to the formulation of these beliefs has been long debated: Do guns kill people, or do people kill people? .
The Republican Party would be more inclined to say that people make the choice to use guns for destructive reasons, while the Democratic Party would argue that, due to their easy availability, guns kill people. Although I concede that ultimately people make the choice to use guns destructively, I believe that if guns were sold under stricter screening processes, they'd ultimately cause less damage. Therefore, I side with the Democratic Party's reasoning. .
The phrase, "the right to keep and bear arms ", as written in the Second Amendment to the United States Constitution, has fueled America's pine for defensive weaponry since the late 1700's. Guns are a vital part of American culture; they allow a collective peace of mind for the general public in that anyone is free to protect themselves should a threatening situation arise. Recently, however, guns have been subject to harsh criticism. Guns are supposed to be used as a form of self-defense, yet recently they've been used as forms of extermination. The recent massacres of moviegoers in Aurora, Colorado and children in Newtown, Connecticut have prompted mass media focus on guns and their accessibility in the modern day. The contradiction between guns being a symbol of freedom, and being seen as murderous devices has caused a major schism in the American mindset. This schism is best reflected in the current platforms that Republicans and Democrats currently take on gun control.
