Stephen Henderson UNST-121 Prof.

Bagley 11/6/13 Gun Rights of America Over the past 15 years there have been hundreds of gun related violent incidents in the U.S. Not all of these spark national outcry, however there have been a few notable ones that did. Each time an incident of gun violence gripped the national news, citizens come out of the woodwork to passionately defend or attack their opinions on how guns should be treated in this country. My own thoughts on the matter are not much, and I try not to get too entangled in the extremism of some groups, but I have a solid opinion. I personally think that a handgun is a powerful enough firearm to fit any persons self-defense needs, and that anything larger should require special licensing, regulated by the federal government. Of course, it only makes sense that the federal government should regulate gun rights and control who can and cannot own rifles, shotguns, and automatic weapons. The second amendment of the Constitution gives every American the right to carry a firearm for personal defense. Handguns do this job just fine. No normal person is going to attack you, or continue to attack if you warn them with a handgun. In the hands of a trained individual, handguns are, very simply, deadly weapons. In the hands of any ordinary individual, they are more or less a last line of defense for extraneous situations. In most cases of gun violence incidents that made national news, the gun utilized in the attack was anything but a simple handgun. There was an incident just less than a year ago in our own state, where a man attacked a shopping mall in Clackamas, Oregon. This attack was carried out using an AR-15 automatic assault rifle. This type of weapon was created for war, a weapon

that is meant specifically to kill armed combatants, and to protect the soldier wielding it. What reason does any American citizen have to own one? Ever worse, the attacker stole the gun from one of his friends. Had that gun been locked up properly, she (Cindy Yuille, one of two killed in the shooting) might still be alive today. (Gambino) Another point of controversy has been raised recently when a TSA officer was shot and killed at LAX less than two weeks ago. The point has been made that TSA officers should carry handguns to protect themselves in situations like these. The incident in question occurred on Friday, November 5th when a young man attacked TSA agents at LAX with a small caliber assault rifle. Once again, it is clear that assault rifles are more of a problem than guns in general. The officer was shot at point blank range, and then shot a second time when the attacker saw him move. Although this particular individual may not have been able to defend himself, other TSA agents could have rushed to apprehend the attacker with weapons drawn for their own defense. (Simpson) It can be clearly observed that in the United States, a citizens 2nd amendment right to bear arms does not need to be threatened in order to stop gun violence. Handguns do not cause the big problems that warrant national fervor. If any sort of new gun laws are made, and some are being made, they should focus on limiting and eliminating private ownership of automatic rifles, assault weapons, and most other guns that are designed for combat situations. It is sad that so many gun violence related deaths occur in our country each year. But it is not altogether unavoidable. I stand by my opinion that handguns should be allowed for self-defense, but nothing more.

Works Cited Ahlers, Mike, and Rene Marsh. "LAX shooting reignites debate over TSA workers' role in security." CNN. Web. 6 Nov. 2013. http://www.cnn.com/2013/11/04/politics/tsa-officer-gundebate/ "California Takes Back Legally Purchased Guns Held by Now-Prohibited Owners." PBS. PBS, Web. 7 Nov. 2013. http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/nation/july-dec13/guns_07-23.html Gambino, Lauren. "Oregon lawmakers jump into the gun control debate." KATU.com. Web. 6 Nov. 2013. http://www.katu.com/politics/Oregon-Legislature-set-to-hear-gun-control-bills201618161.html Simpson, David, and Kyung Lah. "LAX shooting: Latest on suspect, victims and warning that may have come too late." CNN. Cable News Network, 5 Nov. 2013. Web. 7 Nov. 2013. http://www.cnn.com/2013/11/04/justice/lax-shooting/