The Dark & Ugly Truth; Reinforcing Gun Control & Preventing School Shootings
Introduction
I. Attention-getter: Over the past few years, schools have experienced shootings and there have been many deaths for it. How many children have to die for there to be an end to gun violence in schools?
II. Thesis: In order to prevent school shootings, we should reinforce gun control by adjusting the legal age to own a firearm, reinforcing security at schools, and limit access to gun owners to have such powerful gun.
III. Credibility statement: As a student that attendance a school, I feel that many of us want to feel protected. When we attend school, we like to feel that we are protected but because of the re-cent incidents, I feel that students are worried more now than ever. I want to be able to attend school and know that I’m safe.
IV. Preview Main Points: School shootings have increased over the years and in order to prevent school shootings, it is ideal that we reinforce gun control by adjusting the legal age requirement in owning or purchasing a firearm or ammunition. Also, by reinforcing the security within our schools it is ideal to train security guards for a event like this. A good way to reinforce the security within the schools would be to have a metal detector within the school grounds. Lastly, Limiting the access for gun owners to purchase powerful and dangerous ammunition can be ideal in pre-venting school shootings. I believe having people who want to own or purchase a gun go through serious background checks, and have a notarized p[paper from any psychologist to rule out any mental illnesses.
BODY
I. Main Point: In the United states, there have been an increase in shootings on school campuses in 2018. There have been many fatalities due to these incidents and they still continue. According to a non-profit organization, there have been a total of 65 shootings that have occurred on school campuses across the United States as of 2018.
A. Subpoint: By adjusting the legal age in owning a firearm, many school shootings can be prevented. The shooting that occurred in Marjory Stoneman Douglas high school was the 28th gun incident at a school in America when it happened in February 2018, and according to monitor gun violence archive, the 30th mass shooting in the country. The gunman Nicholas Cruz, was 19 when the shooting took place and was described as a troubled kid.
1. Sub-subpoint: A legal age to buy and own a firearm is at 18. A neuroscientist stated a fact about the brain development for an average 18-year-old. The prefrontal cortex of teenagers is not yet fully developed. This is the part of the brain that helps you to control impulses and make smart decisions in times of stress.
2. Sub-subpoint: We should adjust the legal age to owning a firearm because our brain has not fully developed to take such an impulsive decision like owning a gun. In a PBS article, an 11th grader Cecilia states “I believe we should adjust the legal age requirements for someone to own a gun. These are steps congress needs to take so that other high school students like me don’t have to worry about experiencing another terrifying and tragic attack.”
B. Subpoint: The Stoneman Douglas shooter that killed around 17 people, Nicholas Cruz went to a Florida gun store just months after his 18th birthday. Cruz wasn’t old enough to purchase any of the hand guns at the store, but there was no restriction for rifles, shotguns, or the AR-15 that police say he used to carry.
1. Sub-subpoint: Nicholas Cruz has revived the debate over age requirements in owning a firearm or for gun purchases. In most states, it’s easier for teenagers like Nicho-las Cruz to purchase rifles than hand guns.
2. Sub-subpoint: In a CBS article, Gun control advocates state that “the laws are outdated and fail to recognize the toll that modern, militaristic-style long guns have played a role in killing scores of innocent men, women, and children.
Transition: As a result of the following incidents that happened in Stoneman Douglas school shooting, I believe they should increase the legal age to purchase an down a firearm to avoid such incidents like this one.
II. Main Point: Psychologists have done direct research on those who commit large scale school shootings and most of the time, the shooter dies during the attack. But psychologists put together case studies as to why students decide to commit such unlawful acts
A. Subpoint: In an interview, Langman states, “When you talk about video games or vio-lent films, on one hand, millions of kids and adults play violent games and watch violent movies, and never pick up a gun. But there are few kids who are already at risk, who may be close to an edge, who find inspiration in violent media.”
1. Sub-subpoint: He found that violent games or films played a role in the mar-gins. Many of the cases he’s studies showed that violent media played a huge role in com-mitting such horrible acts. Psychologist Peter Langman found three types of school shoot-ers: the traumatized, the psychopath, and the psychotic.
2. Sub-subpoint: A commonality between all school shootings is that the shooter usually perceives his action beforehand. In other words, before the shooter is going to do something, he usually puts a warning out on social media or gives signs about the attack he is about to do.
B. Subpoint: Another cause for school shootings is caused by mental illness. Many kids who are traumatized due to recent events in their childhood can cause. Many kids experience abuse during their childhood and that traumatic event can lead them to take such drastic actions as school shootings. Other events such as a traumatic moment in their life during school can also lead to an incident like this.
1. Sub-subpoint: Mental illness can also lead to someone taking such unlawful ac-tions. In an article about the US News, it states, “While individuals with mental illness are more likely to be victims than perpetrators of violence, certain symptoms, especially when severe and occurring in combination with antisocial, paranoid, narcissistic or borderline personality disorders, can predispose to violent behavior, especially when the individual is experiencing, or has experienced, severe trauma or stress.”
2. Sub-subpoint: Many people do not notice when a shooter gives out warning signs on social media about the act he is about to commit. Kids who have experienced such traumatic events can predispose of many red flags. Such childhood can turn kids to be vio-lent, and have a desire to seek revenge. In certain cases, they desire to seek revenge for the incident that’s occurred to them and desire to get payback.
Transition: Therefore, I believe adults should pay attention to their child’s actions and notice the red flags many of them put out to seek for help.
III. Main Point: Some would argue that gun control laws such as doing background checks on gun owners is an invasion of privacy.
A. Subpoint: Gun control laws infringe upon the right to self-defense and deny people a sense of safety. In a Huffington post article, it states that many opponents of gun control argue that limits on gun ownership are unconstitutional because they violate the Second Amendment, which includes the phrase “the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.”
1. Sub-subpoint: Guns don’t kill people, people do. If they don’t use a gun, they’ll use something else. Like a hammer, a knife, or a bomb. There are more gun deaths in the US in 2 years, than deaths by terrorists in the entire world.
2. Sub-subpoint: Gun control is a violation against the second amendment. In a Huffington post article, it states that the Second Amendment doesn’t give eve-ryone an absolute right to every kind of weapon no matter what forever. We don’t allow grenade launchers or fully automatic weapons. We can certainly limit military style rifles in number, and ensure anyone owning one is really of sound mind, without “infringing” the right of “the people” to “keep and bear arms”.
B. Subpoint: Banning guns is like banning drugs, people can still get them, just now ille-gally. It is hard to stop illegal trafficking of guns, but it will be easier than stopping illegal trafficking of drugs. Treating guns like we treat drugs could create a stronger black market than the one that already exists but treating them like alcohol will make a difference. After the drinking age became affective nationwide of age 21, alcohol deaths from all cause dropped precipitously.
1. Sub-subpoint: Many argue that gun control won’t work and give Mexi-co as an example having the highest rate of guns. It clearly does work because countries with stricter gun control than the US nearly all have fewer gun deaths and a low murder rate.
2. Sub-subpoint: Many people say guns aren’t the problem and people are. Many say that taking away guns will not stop violence because people will just find another way to kill. Many people believe that guns are not the problem, it’s the peo-ple and regardless of whether they remove guns, violence and massacre will still happen in this country.
Transition: Many Americans can argue that gun control is violating our second amendment rights, but after all the deaths that have taken place due to guns, it should be revoked or it will con-tinue to happen.
IV. Main Point: My solutions to ending school shootings is to reinforce gun control, reinforce security at schools, and limit access to gun owners for having such powerful guns.
A. Subpoint: As mentioned previously, 18 years of age is too young for a teenager to purchase and own a gun. As teenagers, many of us make impulsive decisions as kids and sometimes in the heat of the moment, we do not think about the consequences. Rein-forcing security at schools can be beneficial in preventing school shootings. Also, limiting access for gun owners to purchase and own powerful guns unless having a notarized ex-cuse and followed by a psychologist form that the person purchasing the gun is stable.
1. Sub-subpoint: A study showed that on average, more than 13,000 peo-ple are killed each year in the United States by guns, and most of these incidents in-volve handguns and an AR style firearm. Some states including Minnesota, Maine, and Vermont allow teens 14 or 16 years of age to buy or purchase long guns with-out parental consent. I believe we should implement stiffer age restrictions like Ha-waii and Illinois, requiring someone 21 before they can purchase a firearm.
2. Sub-subpoint: Many schools have only a couple of security officers and they have not been trained for such awful events. I believe that in reinforcing securi-ty in schools can be beneficial. To prevent future crimes and although I am for stricter gun control on weapons, I believe reinforcing school security is essential in preventing school shootings.
B. Subpoint: No matter how safe or nice the neighborhood can be, implementing metal detectors and require every student to pass by through the security checks even if the administrative staff knows them. After the incidents that have occurred in school, It should not be harder to get on a plane than to get inside of a school.
1. Sub-subpoint: I believe that limiting access to people who want to own or purchase a gun. There should be several background checks to make sure the person is stable to own a firearm and have a notarized paper by a psychologist to make sure the person is stable before owning a gun. We should implement policies that reduce rates of gun violence include stricter background checks, limiting access to dangerous weapons, and prohibiting domestic abusers from owning or purchas-ing a gun.
2. Sub-subpoint: A study shows that states with fewer school shootings tend to have stricter background checks for weapons, and ammunition purchases. Also, reinforcing The Lautenberg Amendment to the 1968-gun control act disquali-fies people with a misdemeanor conviction for domestic violence from buying or owning weapons. Using the Lautenberg Amendment act to limit people from hav-ing access to such powerful weapons.
Transition: Furthermore, Despite further restrictions on gun control, scientists found policies that can be implemented to prevent from school shootings to occur. There are many solutions that can be done to prevent such actions.
Conclusion
I. Summary of main points: In order to prevent school shootings, we should reinforce gun con-trol by adjusting the legal age to own a firearm, reinforcing security at schools, and limit access to gun owners to have such powerful gun. By adjusting the legal age in owning a firearm, many school shootings can be prevented. I believe that limiting access to people who want to own or purchase a gun. There should be several background checks to make sure the person is stable to own a firearm and have a notarized paper by a psychologist to make sure the person is stable be-fore owning a gun.
II. Restate thesis: School shootings have increased over the years and in order to prevent school shootings, it is ideal that we reinforce gun control by adjusting the legal age requirement in owning or purchasing a firearm or ammunition. A good way to reinforce the security within the schools would be to have a metal detector within the school grounds. Lastly, Limiting the access for gun owners to purchase powerful and dangerous ammunition can be ideal in preventing school shoot-ings. I believe having people who want to own or purchase a gun go through serious background checks, and have a notarized p[paper from any psychologist to rule out any mental illnesses.
III. Memorable closing: How many families are suffering because their children are not safe in schools? How many families have to grieve their lost ones all because an 18-year-old can purchase a gun and decided to shoot at schools for the “thrill.” For all the school shootings that have hap-pened and the deaths that have taken place because of it, the children should not die or their memory go in vain because our government and our president cannot get a hold of the violence that has happened due to gun possession. How many kids have to die during school shootings because our government cannot enforce these policies and put an end to gun violence.