Guns In America Essays - Firearms, Gun Politics, Gary Kleck

Guns In America Today in America, gun control is a very serious issue. There are different opinions on this issue, the National Rifle Association (NRA), feels that guns are safe when used for protection by responsible citizens, others feel that guns are far to dangerous to be kept in homes, and that guns should not be owned by anyone, only used by the National Guard and law enforcement. These people think their opinions are correct according to the second amendment, the amendment that deals with the bearing of arms by citizens of America, but there have been different interpretations of it. The reason that people feel gun ownership is such a problem is that so many people lose their lives by them each year. Personally, I feel that guns lead to increases in crime, murder, and household accidents. By reducing availability of guns and providing education on gun safety, I think that these things will help make America safer. Before making up my mind on what I felt about the issue, I made sure to consider the opinions of others and to collect statistics. People from the (NRA), who are against gun control, feel that the people are responsible for the negative effects guns have on America. Helen Smith, a forensic psychologist who shares the ideas of the NRA, wrote an article titled "It's Not The Guns". In this article, she talks about the increase in school and youth violence, relating to guns. She blames the children and irresponsible parents. She denies that guns are easier for kids to get today which is understandable because many people keep their guns locked up. Dr. Gary Kleck, a criminologist at Florida State University, defends guns in gun related accidents. He conducted a survey, which showed that there are fewer gun related accidents than there are automobile accidents, falls, drowning, pedestrian, fire, poisoning, and suffocation. As a result of his survey, he said "Subsequently politicians demand mandatory safety classes for all gun owners, yet many more lives could be saved by randomly selecting and educating a group of drivers rather than gun owners, not to mention the populace at large regarding, administering first-aid, how to eat, and basic common sense safety habits." Although these people do have good points, I cannot say that I agree with everything they state. For one thing, it is true that the people are responsible for how they use guns but not true to say that guns are not part of the problem. You cannot just get rid of people who are incapable of knowing how to treat guns correctly, but you can take away guns, so that these problems and accidents will not occur at all. In response to Dr. Kleck's survey, I would like to say that although firearms may not be the largest cause of accidents per year, but they do cause too many needless deaths, so something should be done about them. Nine hundred deaths a year may not seem like a lot of deaths to some people, but I assume it would if their child or someone they knew were one of those people. That is what everyone needs to consider. Regarding the fact that Dr. Kleck thinks that more lives would be saved by giving random drivers safety lessons and teach the average citizen common sense, I'd have to say that common sense does not have much to do with the accidents on his survey. I am sure he has tripped and fallen or choked on his food before at least once. I have, does that mean I lack common sense? I also disagree with some of the points Helen Smith made in her article. I do think she is right that the children who would use guns on fellow students have mental issues that separate them from the average child. But, again saying that guns are not part of that problem is something I would beg to differ. If the Columbine students did not have access to assault weapons such as a Tech 9 and a shotgun, I doubt the outcome would have been the same. Because these two students had these guns, several other students were killed for no reason. Knowing this, how can someone say, "It's not the guns"? Hearing the opinions of people that differ from mine bring many different questions to mind, such as why do we need guns in the first place other than in the National Guard and law enforcement? The answer is to protect ourselves, but from what? Well, other

reason vs. passion essays

reason vs. passion essays In his plays The Bacchae and Medea, Greek playwright Euripides expresses his views quite clearly on the relationship between reason and passion in human life. Euripides believes that there is a constant struggle between the two elements, and people must be able to find the proper balance in order to exist peacefully, something his characters were unable to do. He expresses, via his characters, his belief that passion dominates this struggle in most cases, and when this occurs, proper logic is skewed. The lead role in each of these plays failed to find the proper balance of passion and reason, and in failure found death. The title role in Euripides play Medea is a proud, powerful, self-driven woman who strives to avenge an act committed by her husband, Jason. As the play opens, the audience learns that Jason has recently left Medea for another woman. This crushes Medea, as she has sacrificed much for Jason, and truly believes that they are lovers meant to be together for life. She enters a long period of mourning, and becomes inconsolable by even her closest of friends. Eventually her sadness turns to anger, and she begins seeking revenge for the wrong she has been done. Medea immediately begins plotting against Jason, and devises a plan, which she believes, will hurt him in the worst possible way. She decides to kill everyone close to him, including the children they have together, and destroy any legacy that may survive him. She carefully draws out every detail of the plan, ensuring its completion. Medea is successful in this aspect, as she is able to carry out everything she plans on. H owever, she does not plan on the struggle that would accompany these acts. Medea is forced to battle not only those around her, who beg her not to take the lives of her children, but she must fight her conscience as well. In the end, Medea kills her own children. This act is an example of passion overtaking ...