Legal Gun Control

The Virginia Tech massacre has again brought the huge issue of gun control fully back into the public arena. Many people question the effectiveness of current gun control laws because the shooter in this case was able to be approved to buy a gun in less than a half hour. They believe that stricter laws could have prevented the sale of the gun in the first place, and then the lives that were so tragically lost could have been saved.

In this case, more than thirty people were killed and more than twenty were wounded. Added to this is the emotional trauma felt by hundreds of other people because of the deaths of their friends or loved ones, and also to those who were present at the scene of the shootings. Is it really possible to keep such tragic events from happening? Are stricter gun control laws the solution that will end these tragedies?

Can programs providing cash, computers, and video game systems, as incentives for surrendering guns to police, have some impact on preventing these events? Have these programs shown promise? Real gun control will depend on a unanimous nationwide movement, in which a change is wanted, and work begins quickly to affect a change, without anyone trying to derail it. It is evident that the shooting at Virginia Tech, and past similar incidents, require that tougher gun laws be enacted, to prevent future events. A general consensus is highly unlikely though.

The chances of something such as this happening are almost impossible. Neither side of the political arena can agree with the other side about what appropriate gun control is, and with many residents of the United States being avid hunters whom use riffles and shotguns on an almost daily basis, it makes it very difficult to control all of the actions and movements that occur. Consider that many weapons used in crimes are illegally obtained; it makes it very difficult to determine how effective the stiffer gun laws would really be. With a new Presidential Primary due to start in the near future, it will seem as if there will be much heavy debate over how to control the flow of guns into the hands of those who are dangerous, or potentially dangerous.