Armed and Dangerous: America’s War on Guns

A harrowing issue facing citizens of the United States today is gun and firearm violence. An imminent threat of domestic terrorism continues to steadily increase in our nation with the Gun Violence Archive database reporting nearly 116 deaths by gun violence per day in 2023 and over two dozen mass shootings just in January and February alone.
These statistics reveal an alarming truth of the pitfalls of America’s policies as it pertains to firearms, which are constitutionally protected under the Second Amendment: “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.” Though this is true, regulations, exceptions, and state officials, with the influx of gun violence, aim to challenge this constitutional statute, resulting in a multitude of ongoing conflicts between state and federal governments.
For example, in California, Governor Gavin Newsom is pushing for stricter legislation on guns, and he is adamant about getting it passed. The proposed laws would prohibit people from carrying guns in nearly all public areas. This comes on the heels of a Supreme Court decision that stated it was unconstitutional for people, even with records of domestic violence, not to be permitted from owning a gun. Newsom described this ruling as an “assault on our (American) safety.”
Many see guns as an imperishable American right, however, it is my opinion that throughout the legal jargon, what is most important of all is often forgotten: the American people. The preamble ensures United States citizens a “more perfect union” upholding a general welfare and domestic tranquility. A nation is no longer tranquil when the welfare of its citizens is put in jeopardy at the hands of firearms—in schools, workplaces, or even at grocery stores. It is beyond the time for government officials to put their differences aside and do what is most constitutional for Americans: prohibiting major assault weapons, permanently.