Gun
laws are a growing argument in the world today. In the last few years there has
been an exponential number of mass shootings. These have opened up discussion
of gun control in America and the questioning of possible change that needs to be made.
One side of the argument urges that striker laws of buying
and selling of guns will protect people from gun violence. The other side sees
any control over guns is infringing on the fundamental rights of self-defense
that the constitution lays out in the second amendment, the right to bear arms.
One of the most recent attacks took place in San Bernardino
on December 2nd at the Inland Regional Center. Fourteen people were killed and 22
injured. According to the Los Angeles Times, the attackers, a husband and wife duo, were killed in a gun battled
with police. Later it was discovered that a friend of the two, Enrique Marquez,
bought two of the guns used in the attack and after the attack entered a mental
health facility.
Elisha Lenhert is a junior at California State University of
San Bernardino and lives three blocks away from where the San Bernardino attack
took place. She had just left class when she began to receive texts from relatives
asking if she was okay.
She was completely struck by the news of the shooting and terrified
what it could have meant for her. “Immediately I
turned on the news and what I saw shocked me because I literally live ten
minutes away and it scared me a lot. Being out of state from a small town in a
big city like that was really scary.” This act of violence was described as "all
hell broke loose" by the LA Times and local police. Lenhert was warned to stay inside by
new stations and twitter notifications because of the unknown placement of the assailants
during the attack.
The debate on gun control laws today mainly boil down to
protection. Does purchasing and carrying a weapon make you safe to protect yourself
in situations like San Bernardino, or does the accessibility of these weapons
make things more dangerous.
After being so close to an attack like this one Lenhert
explains what she feels now regarding gun laws, “I feel safer with guns. I mean
if someone had one on them at the shooting I’m sure everything would’ve went completely
different.” She goes on to explain that she supports guns, but it’s important to have regulations set in place as to
who can own guns and what types.
https://soundcloud.com/baileythomas-84958482/new-recording-2
Currently in the United States there are national laws and
state laws regarding guns and the policies. That means an aray of different
rules and regulations which leads to many misconceptions about changing gun control
laws. But most citizens, including Lenhert, just want something to be done.
In response to the Plant Parenthood attack in Colorado President
Obama addressed the issue and opened with, “This is not normal. We cannot let
it become normal.”
One popular idea that is titled “Our Philosophy” and found on smartgunlaws.org believes that, “strong state and local measures address concerns of specific communities and regions, improve community health and safety, fill gaps in federal policy, and act as a catalyst for the broader reforms our country needs.” This could be a step in the right directly that citizens like Lenhert are looking for.
Hearing
about acts of violence like this, then actually being a part of one can swing
your ideals completely, and Lehert addressed the change that she’s found in
herself.
“Something
I do want to talk about is, I’m in a sorority. And a lot of my sorority sisters
are from around San Bernardino and a lot of people know a lot of people and
with that a few of my sister knew people that died in the shooting. And to me
that really hurts even more because I know someone that is in pain because they
know someone who has died and it’s not fair but it happens.”
Elisha
Lenhart has experienced what these mass shootings can cause. She wishes to see
change in a direction to end gun violence.
