Every year in the U.S. an average of more than 100,000 people are shot according to the Brady campaign to prevent gun violence. That is just about 9,000 less than the amount of people that live in Perry Township. Imagine everyone that lives in the neighborhoods in the township including little kids. This is a true reason that we need more gun control. Even with the current laws and police protection in place, we still struggle with Americans being shot everyday. In just one day, 48 children are shot, according to the Brady campaign. Imagine how many lives that could be saved with more gun control. The Second Aamendment giving Americans the right to bear arms is a fair amendment. However, the area of gun control doesn’t just fit under the Ssecond Aamendment. There are ways and loopholes where guns are in the hands of those who do not earn the right to bear arms based on medical dispositions, unlawful behavior, and poor citizen conduct. One way to cut down on the amount of gun violence is just a few more pieces to gun control. Such as required training with a purchase of a firearm, proof of proper storage at the time of purchase, and finally a psychiatric evaluation to make sure the owner of the firearm is mentally stable to posses a weapon.

When the Second Amendment was originated, the ideal of gun violence was not an issue.  The Second Amendment of the United States Cconstitution states the following;, “A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of the free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed” (Leiter).  What this means is, in 1791 when the amendment was written, all men between sixteen and sixty were required to be a part of their town’s militia.  These militias were equal to today’s police officers.  It also meant that all people had the right to carry in their arms (or on their person) a weapon, not just a gun.  Lastly, the phrase, “not be infringed” meant it was a God-given right and not a government approved right.

Self defense is a vital part of a person’s life when it comes to today’s society. Even though we shouldn’t have to use firearms, there are several instances where firearms have saved someone’s life.  In some situations, firearms can be vital to protecting someone, their family, and in some cases their belongings. For instance, in Georgia an older lady was at home one afternoon asleep. She awoke to someone banging on her front door. Her first action was to grab her pistol and load it. She then stepped out of her room and came across two unfamiliar men. When the two men saw the loaded gun in her hand, they fled. She got her phone and called the police. The robbers were caught down the street with the stolen firearm they used to threaten the elderly lady in their getaway car (Meek).  If it weren’t for the lady’s gun, nobody knows what the robbers were planning to do. Firearms are used in the cases where someone doesn’t have the time to call 911, or the police don’t arrive in time. What needs to happen is if people weren’t getting weapons when they shouldn’t, then others, for example this elderly lady, won’t need firearms. Especially in an environment where little children could be present, who that could get ahold of the firearm not knowing better. 

Firearms aren’t always bad;, in the majority of instances, firearms are used to save a victim's life. For example, the following story a firearm is the only reason a victim is still alive today. This story takes place in Aiken, South Carolina. One morning a guy was stopping to get gas at 6:30A.M. A robber with a firearm came up to the man and ordered him to give him all his money. The victim only had $15 and gave it all to the armed robber. The robber demanded the man into the car;, then he started shooting. The man grabbed the firearm he had with him and shot the robber. The victim then ran and called the police (Street). Again just like with the elderly woman, the firearm was needed to save this man’s life. If he didn’t have his gun, he probably wouldn’t be able to tell this story now. If there were more restrictions in place, we could save the community from being scared about armed robbers.

With the Second Amendment in place, there were still more guidelines that needed to be set for firearms. That is when the Brady Act came into play. Other than the Second Amendment, the Brady Act is a main law for gun control.  The Brady Act is a law that is put into place when a citizen chooses to purchase a firearm.  “The Brady Act amended the GCA, requiring U.S. attorney general to establish a national instant background check system and immediately put into place certain interim provisions until the federal system became operational” (Leiter).  With the Brady Act came the Brady Form which was to be completed at the time of purchase.  The Brady Form requires information such as name, address, date of birth, and a sworn statement.  This information then had to be approved, and the dealer is required to wait five business days on the transaction.  This is important to insure that criminals and those with records do not purchase a firearm for intent to harm.  Even with the Brady Act in place, it is still possible for firearms to be accessible to those who intend to use them for crime.  Such situations include, but are not limited to, gaining access and use of a family member’s personal gun, purchasing from a gun show, purchasing or trade for goods on the street, and the theft of firearms.  All of these instances are incredibly harmful to the community all while the second amendment and the Brady Act are instated to protect those involved.

With the laws that are currently in place, 48 children are still shot everyday. That being said, something needs to be added to the laws already in place to help lower such statistics. While the Brady Act and Ssecond Aamendment are great laws for gun control, they do not include a psychological evaluation of the purchaser.  When a customer enters a gun store to purchase a firearm, there should be an evaluation to be completed along with other documentation in regards to a person's mental status.  In the instance of the shooting at the Orlando night club, a man walked into a gun shop, “pretty unhinged”.  He proceeded to purchase multiple rounds of ammunition along with body armour.  This raised several red flags for the owner of the store.  However, he had no jurisdiction to prevent the situation  (“CBS Face the Nation 2016”).  A situation such as this one, the gun owner was not able to stop the man from making his purchase.  This is why a psych-evaluation should be included in the purchasing process.

Along with psych-evaluations and the Brady form, there are other requirements gun owners should be mandated to follow.  In particular, a gun owner should provide proof of proper safety storage.  Reason being for proper storage is that children or others who are unable to determine the severe consequences of improper gun use become the victim of an accidental shooting.  Another reason for proper storage is to prevent an opportunity for someone to gain access to the firearm that has wrongful motive.  A perfect example of an unsecured weapon falling into the wrong hands is; the shooting at Chardon High School.  A student entered the lunchroom with a loaded pistol, which he found in his grandfather’s barn, and proceeded to shoot his fellow classmates.  The police found he had a dark background including domestic violence from his parents (Lepore).  This is not the first time and will not be the last where a minor gains access to a weapon, either accidentally or on purpose, that was not secured in proper storage. 

Even with the laws in place, Americans, including children, are dying every day due to gun violence. In order to cut down on the amount of lives lost due to firearms the following things should happen. The laws already in place should still be followed but in addition there should be mandatory psychological evaluations, proof of proper storage, and physical training/education on the firearm purchased. With all of those requirements in place, we can cut down on the amount of people shot due to improper use of a firearm.  We can also lower the chance of young or mentally unstable family members that show potential of conducting harmful things with a firearm.  Not to mentions citizens accidently shooting oneself or others trying to figure out the proper handling of a firearm or weapon. After reviewing the information available, it appears that the Second Amendment shouldn’t be the focus, but rather the individual’s ability to uphold the Second Amendment responsibly.