"Guns don't kill people. People kill people." If only things were that simple. Many children die each year in accidental shootings that occur when kids find guns that have been improperly stored around the house. People who sleep with guns under their pillows have accidentally shot their partners because the gun that they wanted for protection went off while they were sleeping. Overzealous gun-toting citizens sometimes take "stand your ground" or "self-defense" a little too far and shoot other people they find "suspicious." Several shootings have occurred in major public areas like schools, malls, and movie theaters. Every single time one of these tragedies occurs, people pray for the victims and their families and say, "Oh, how sad. What kind of person would do such a thing?"Nothing substantial regarding gun control seems to happen. In fact, many states have made it even easier to buy guns and carry them into public places like bars and churches. But not government buildings. You cannot take a gun into a government building. It seems that legislators only wish to protect themselves as long as they can keep their jobs, but the citizens can shoot each other as much as they want. Yay for the second amendment! Right?
Wrong. The second amendment states:
"A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed."Technically, it was the D.C. v. Heller Supreme Court case that changed the meaning of the second amendment. That is when guns became easier to get. Depending on the composition of the Supreme Court, the law can ultimately be interpreted in different ways. The Supreme Court, while we are taught that they are supposed to be impartial interpreters of the law, is not above party politics. The Court, as it is now, is about split four conservatives and four liberals with one swing vote. They are also ultimately subject to their own personal moral code and that of society. For example, when Jim Crow was all the rage, the Court ruled in favor of "separate but equal" in Plessy v. Ferguson.
The new definition of the Heller case opened the door for Congress to pass gun laws on the national scale and state legislatures to pass laws on the state level. Needless to say, lawmakers are not immune to campaign contributions from interest groups and PACs. These groups likely exchange money for votes on favorable legislation to their cause. It definitely is not limited to "bad" groups, but "good" groups too. All interest groups and PACs do it.
Ultimately, gun control laws need to be passed. Better measures need to be taken by gun owners to store their guns as well. That is one step towards stopping the violence.
