You are on page 1of 10

A Divided Nation

Gun Violence Research


In 1996, the Republican-majority
Congress threatened to strip funding
from the Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention unless it stopped
funding research into firearm injuries
and deaths. The National Rifle
Association accused the CDC of
promoting gun control. As a result,
the CDC stopped funding gun-control
research (Frankel 2017).
District of Columbia v. Heller
Dick Anthony Heller was denied a
1-year license to keep a firearm for
personal use. He sued the District
of Columbia, the supreme court
ruled in 2007 that it was
unconstitutional to deny its
residents of their second
amendment ("District of Columbia
v. Heller"). This furthered the
procession and use of firearms in
America.
Death of Trayvon Martin
Trayvon Martin was a young black teenager
living in Sanford, FL. George Zimmerman was
the program coordinator of a neighborhood
watch. Zimmerman was on patrol of the night of
February 26th, 2012 when he saw Martin
running between houses in the community.
Zimmerman followed him and ended up
shooting Martin in the chest. Zimmerman was
released from police custody causing uproar in
the community. George Zimmerman was
convicted of 2nd degree murder ("Trayvon
Martin" 2018). The incident with Trayvon Martin
furthered the concerns of civilian gun control.
Picture of Trayvon Martin
The Sandy Hook Massacre
On December 14th, 2012, 20
year-old Adam Lanza entered
Sandy Hook Elementary School
and opened fire. He killed 26
people, 20 being first graders.
Adams rampage lasted 11
minutes and ended with killing
himself (Smith 2013). This was
the first major massacre
including children and brought Picture of Adam Lanza
into light the issue of gun
control in America.
Death of Michael Brown
A police officer, Darren Wilson, shot
and killed unarmed Michael Brown
on August 9th, 2014 in Ferguson,
MO. A jury of his peers came to the
decision that Wilson will not be
charged with the murder of Michael
Brown. The public was outraged and
rioted for the months to come,
feeling that the justice system had
failed them (Davey & Bosman 2014). Picture of Michael Brown
Shooting in Las Vegas
October 1st, 2017 Stephen Craig Paddock opened fire on a country music festival crowd.
59 people were killed and another 500 were injured (“59 people killed, more than 500
hurt in Las Vegas Strip shooting”). This was the biggest massacre in modern history. This
incident raised the question of why automatic weapons were available to the public. It
also asks the question, what is more important, the rights of the second amendment or
public safety?
A Divided Nation
The previous events have led to a
divided nation. Half believing it is an
American right to own and carry
firearms, while the other half
believe it is in the best interest of
public safety to ban guns. Retired
supreme court justice, John Paul
Stevens is calling for the repeal of
the second amendment all together Picture of John Paul Stevens
("Repealing the Second Amendment
– is it even possible?").
Over the last 30 years the issue of gun control has divided this nation. Half of the population
believes it is their right to own and carry firearms through exercising their right of the second
amendment. The other half believe it is in the best interest of public safety to pass stricter gun
control laws, that would restrict automatic weapons and magazine sizes, or even the extreme of
abolishing the second amendment. This issue first came about when the CDC stopped conducting
research on gun relating crimes in 1996. They stopped because of threats of funding cuts from
congress and the NRA. In the case of District of Columbia v. Heller, the supreme court ruled that it
was unconstitutional for D.C. to deny its citizens of their second amendment right. This ruling made
firearms more widely available in the district. The death of Trayvon Martin was on of the first gun
related incidents to get national attention. Trayvon was unarmed when he was fatally shot by the
leader of the neighborhood watch. The incident brought up questions of punishments of gun
related crimes. In December 2012, one of the greatest tragedies in modern history occurred when
26 people, 20 being children, were murdered in a school shooting. This brought into question of
allowance of automatic weapons and large magazine sizes. Michael Brown was fatally shot on
August 9th, 2014 by a police officer. In a jury of his peers, the officer was found that he would not be
charged. This caused outrage and riots throughout the U.S. In 2017 the largest mass shooting
occurred in Las Vegas where 59 people were killed. Again, the question of automatic weapons and
magazine sizes were brought into question. Which leads us to our current event, former supreme
court justice John Paul Stevens is calling for the repeal of the second amendment altogether. The
issue of gun control is a touchy subject with people holding very strong opinions, and doesn’t have
an easy solution.
Sources
“59 People Killed, More than 500 Hurt in Las Vegas Strip Shooting.” NBCNews.com, NBCUniversal News Group,
www.nbcnews.com/storyline/las-vegas-shooting/las-vegas-police-investigating-shooting-mandalay-bay-n806461.
Davey, Monica, and Julie Bosman. “Protests Flare After Ferguson Police Officer Is Not Indicted.” The New York
Times, The New York Times, 24 Nov. 2014, www.nytimes.com/2014/11/25/us/ferguson-darren-wilson-shooting-michael-
brown-grand-jury.html.
“District of Columbia v. Heller.” Oyez.com, www.oyez.org/cases/2007/07-290.
Frankel, Todd C. “Why Gun Violence Research Has Been Shut down for 20 Years.” The Washington Post, WP
Company, 4 Oct. 2017, www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2017/10/04/gun-violence-research-has-been-shut-down-
for-20-years/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.1441d941b000.
“Repealing the Second Amendment – Is It Even Possible?” CBS News, CBS Interactive,
www.cbsnews.com/news/repealing-the-second-amendment-is-it-even-possible/.
Smith, Matt. “Sandy Hook Killer Adam Lanza Took Motive to His Grave.” CNN, Cable News Network, 26 Nov. 2013,
www.cnn.com/2013/11/25/justice/sandy-hook-shooting-report/index.html.
“Trayvon Martin.” Biography.com, A&E Networks Television, 1 Aug. 2018, www.biography.com/people/trayvon-
martin-21283721.

You might also like