Brady Fotheringham

Kim Strickland
ENGL-1010
Final issue exploration
Gun Control post elections
Gun Violence plagues the streets of our citys. from the golden coast to the big apple.
These horrible crimes were anything from hate crimes to crimes of terror. Taking these innocent
lives will forever scare our hearts and make us wish that it never happened. September 16th 2013
Aaron Alexis killed 12 in Washingtons navy yard. April 2nd 2009 Nidal Hasan a US Army Major
open fired on a military base in Fort Hood Texas killing 3 and injuring 16. December 2nd 2015
Tashfeen Malik and Syed Farook killed 14 and injured 21 at their work in San Bernardino
California. June 12th 2016 a horrible hate crime targeting gays and their supporters Omar Mateen
Killed 49 and wounded scores of others. On December 14th 2012 in Santa Barbara California one
of the worst crimes with the use of guns happened. Almost 4 years ago, 20 First-Graders and 3
adults were murdered with a Bushmaster XM15. A semi-automatic with 30 round magazine
capability. Over and over again this continues to happen. If we are to learn from our past we are
not doing very well. The pain form that one event spurred riots, protest and even the government
to consider legislation.
Many Republicans said it is not the gun but the man. In the same time, Democrats and
some conservatives blamed the guns. This created an endless battle over gun rights. in 1994
President Clinton put into law a ban on assault weapons. This ban had a 10-year expiration date
put on it. President Clintons wife Hillary Clinton and current President Barack Obama were
among those to try and reinstate the ban on assault weapons. Every step of the way they were

met with road blocks. the reinstatement never got passed the US senate. January 5th 2016 Barack
Obama gave a speech about gun control and sensible gun laws. He expressed the pain we
continue to feel form the recent and not so recent crimes. At the end of his speech he states
executive orders that he signed into place. The lack of action by the senate left him no choice. He
affectively closed loop holes and set firm laws nationally.
The laws even put in context as smart gun laws. Still frightened gun owners and non-gun
owners about the potential to lose their rights to own guns. A middle-aged woman once anti-gun
was interviewed on NPR. She said that the Presidents Speech pushed her to buy a gun. Even
though President Obama stated that he was not trying to take guns away. The Scare of losing
guns would late become a factor in the presidential election. Secretary Clinton expressed her
want to get rid of or place stronger gun laws. As Donald Trump promised to lighten the laws.

Opinions from the Republicans left me to understand that our rights to own guns has been
dwindling for years know. But in fact, they have been become more loose than ever.

This map show that sense 1981 to 2013 the abillity to carry a gun consealed and
open has greatly become more aviable. Its gotten as fare as a few states it doesnt
matter if you have a permit you can carry. Washington DC currently is the only state
that doesnt alow gun ownership. Not even by permit. After the 1994 ban military
bases remain gun free other then police. To understand a little more about the

assalt rifle. We need to know the basic anatomy of the AR-15.

California has a ban on magazines being bigger than 10 rounds. It has also been trying to work
on release locks that would take a sharp point to release the magazine. With all these laws
making it easier to get guns, and carry them. I expected that to be a sign why we keep having all
these shootings. It appears that I was wrong again. The PEW Research Center CDCs National
Center for Injury Prevention and control stated from 1993 to 2014 homicide rates went down
from 7 out of every 100,000 to 3.4. Even the total with suicides went from 15.2 to 10.2. things
despite more guns have gotten better. The numbers are still horrible. There is a group working
hard in Chicago called Cease-fire have been working hard to help their community bring down
violence. This group and others like across America are doing great work to try and stop Gun
Violence in inner cities.

It is my promoted position that gun laws should be tightened. We need more to stop these
mass murders and senseless killings. President Obama put into order a few things that were
already in law. If there already in law, then it doesnt matter what he said concerning those laws.
It is a very good thing he did to end the gun show loop hole. The tighter back-ground checks
were a must. These laws do not infringe my 2nd amendment rights. President Obama messed up
though. It is my belief that by using an executive order to put these in law scared the country. It
scared the country bad enough that when Secretary Clinton ran for president. It killed her chance
at the presidency. She expressed great want to put more laws in place. This put a fear in people
that the government might try to take away rights. The country would rather gamble with Trump
then with Secretary Clinton. I fear that using executive orders have helped divide the country at a
time when we need to work together the most. I hope that President Elect trump will leave what
our current President put into place. I hope that we can continue forward to stop these horrible
crimes from happening again. Maybe Trump will distract the nation.

1) Fullerton Lemons, Jane. "Gun Control." CQ Researcher 10 June 2014. Web. 21 Oct.
2016.
2) Mantel, Barbara. "Gun Control." CQ Researcher 8 Mar. 2013: 233-56. Web. 21 Oct.
2016.

3) Lytle, Tamara. "Gun Control." CQ Researcher 25 July 2016. Web. 21 Oct. 2016.
4) Remarks by the President on Common-Sense Gun Safety Reform
https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2016/01/05/remarks-president-commonsense-gun-safety-reform
5) Elliott, Philip, and Sam Frizell. "The New Politics Of Gun Control." Time 188.10/11
(2016): 48. MasterFILE Complete. Web. 7 Dec. 2016.
6) COOPER, MARC. "Gun Control Is A Misfire." American Conservative 15.2 (2016):
12. MasterFILE Complete. Web. 7 Dec. 2016.
7) Truesdell, Jeff. "FINDING SOLUTIONS TO GUN VIOLENCE STOPPING The
SPREAD Of MURDER." People 84.21 (2015): 70. MasterFILE Complete. Web. 7
Dec. 2016.

8) CLARKE, KEVIN, and JAMES MARTIN. "A History Of Violence." America 215.2
(2016): 31. MasterFILE Complete. Web. 7 Dec. 2016.

9) "Dealers Reluctant To Welcome New Gun Control Measures." All Things

Considered (2016): Literature Resource Center. Web. 7 Dec. 2016.