Gun Control and School Violence
...ed that there has been a gun related incident. Two out of every three homicides, about half of all suicides, over one-third of all robberies, and one out of five aggravated assaults are committed with a gun, usually a handgun (Burton) The age limit should be increased dramatically and the individual should have a clean history before owning, or purchasing a firearm. Even though Congress restricts gun dealers from selling guns to individuals 21 and under, children are capable of purchasing guns in flea markets (School Violence). Congress must find a way to close these loopholes and enforce stricter laws. When we first hear of school violence the first thing that pops into our heads is the Columbine shooting massacre. This was one of the worst wildest situations that we ever witnessed in American history. The individuals who committed the murders were individuals who didn’t fit in place with their surroundings and peers. These individuals were able to get a hand on automatic weapons and were able to purchase bullets from their local stores. Stores such as Wal-Mart and K-Mart are offering firearms and ammunition to individuals who are able to purchase them. These kinds of stores shouldn’t be able to sell these types of weapons to the public; they should be banned in urban society. In most cases, teens that are handling guns either get them from their homes, or they were able to get them from their local stores. In states where hunting is a part of people’s heritage, children the age of about eight are handling and owning rifles (School Violence). They don’t have the maturity of an adult to be handling guns. Children shouldn’t be expose to guns at such an early age and when they become teens, the threat becomes greater (School Violence). Some people think that school violence and other gun related incidents are not caused by gun availability, but more on the individual. There is an old saying that is very true, guns don’t kill people, people do. Even though that is partially correct, students who murder individuals in the schools are using firearms to kill. There are 1...