What happened in 1789? There were the births of famous painters and religious leaders such as William Turner and Edward Hawkins, the occurrence of the French Revolution and many more events. However, few people remember that 1789 was also the year that Congress accepted the first 10 amendments that we now live by.

On Sept. 25, 1789, 12 amendments to the Constitution were proposed to Congress, and 10 passed. Since then, the number of amendments has jumped to 27, yet they still serve the same purpose: to act as guidance for every American. From outlining our rights of privacy to determining righteous bails, the Bill of Rights has it all. Within this lengthy document, there is one amendment that many people have been arguing about since the day it was written.

Currently, the second amendment has caused extreme conflict all around the United States. There are primarily two types of views when referencing the second amendment. One view is that the people should not have the freedom to bear arms, while the second group of people believe that it is a right to bear arms by law.

We believe that it is a basic human right to be in possession of a legal firearm. It is a privilege to carry a weapon that can harm others, and it is our job as the people to make sure that those weapons end up in the right hands. Too many times this year and in previous years have there been incidents in which those who have fired a weapon have not obtained it legally. The issue is not the fact that we as a country are allowing people to bear arms, but that we have inadequate security regarding where or how they are obtained.

Therefore, it is easy to see that the destruction and distortion of the second amendment has lead to no good outcomes. Typically, the laws that restrict guns or that ban firearms actually bring up the demand, and therefore the price, for them. Banned weapons become popular on black markets, thus making most sales illegal. These bans often end in guns–even more dangerous than those banned–in our own towns and cities.

A prime example of what happens when firearms are restricted occurred in the city of Chicago, IL. Chicago faced a plethora of gun violence issues. Until 2010, the sale and purchase of firearms was banned, and although the ban has since been lifted, it is still quite restricting. According to The Daily Wire, 4,368 Chicagoans were killed by shooters, an enormous increase from even 2015, in which 2,988 people were killed. The Las Vegas shooting, although viewed as one of the most tragic gun-related incidents in modern times, still does not match up to the death rates in Chicago, as 59 people (the death toll of the Vegas Shooting) were killed in the city in Sept. 2017 alone. In months prior, death rates reached even higher, with 84 deaths in June 2017. We as American citizens need to understand that banning guns will actually do more harm than good in the long run.

In the end, gun violence still exists. And at the rate we are going, it’s not slowing down anytime soon. What can we do to protect ourselves? The solution is simple: arm yourself. If everyone has a gun then nobody has a gun. While it may seem counterintuitive, it shows promise. The more citizens that carry a firearm with them, the less violence we will actually see. Mass shooters will be halted faster. Stick-ups and personalized crimes such as theft will see a decrease, as everyone would have a means to protect themselves by. It’s time we ditch the silly intuition that guns are dangerous. In the right hands, a gun can be a hero.

Opinion articles written by staff members represent their personal views. The opinions expressed do not necessarily represent WSPN as a publication.

We, as Americans, need to take a good hard look at what has happened in our country. In 2016, over 13,000 people died due to a firearm, and this number increases every year. We’ve seen mass shooting after mass shooting in Las Vegas, Texas, Orlando, and so many other places. There have already been over 390 mass shootings in 2017 (a mass shooting is classified as a firearms-related incident with multiple victims.) It is estimated that there are 310 million guns in circulation in America, almost one gun for every citizen. These numbers are much greater than any other country in the world, and something has to be done about it.

Many Americans will argue that complete gun control is impossible, and there is nothing that we can do about the problem that has been ravaging our country. I disagree. Australia is a prime example and blueprint of what we can do in America. Following a mass shooting in 1996, Australia banned all automatic and semi-automatic weapons. In a major government buy-back program, the Australian government bought over 660,000 guns, costing half a billion tax dollars. Although this seems like a lot of money, there hasn’t been a mass shooting in Australia since, and this law has saved an estimated 200 lives per year.

Americans were given the right to bear arms in the constitution through the second amendment. However, this was a document written 230 years ago, in fear of a tyrannical government. This bill was originally passed in case an unjust leader came to power, and the United States was in danger of becoming a dictatorship. However, in today’s government, with a system of checks and balances in place, it is pretty much impossible for one person, or even a group, to create an inequitable society.

Another thing we have to consider is bump stocks. These are attachments that can be put on semi-automatic weapons that makes them mimic the speed of fully automatic guns, which are illegal in the US. However, bump stocks are legal, and can increase firing rates to 400-800 rounds a minute. This technology helped the gunman in the recent Las Vegas mass shooting shoot over 1,100 rounds, killing 59 people and wounding over 500. If we ban bump stocks, tragedies like the Las Vegas shooting could possibly be avoided in the future.

I do believe in the right for Americans to own guns for the purposes of hunting or home defense. In many cases, a gun is the only way for someone to put food on the table. However, there is no reason for anyone outside of military and law enforcement to own semi-automatic and automatic weapons. A change has to be made in America. It is time to ask ourselves, how many lives is enough?

Opinion articles written by staff members represent their personal views. The opinions expressed do not necessarily represent WSPN as a publication.