THE debate continues following the massacre of 20 first graders and six adults in Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut — the tipping point after many other deadly shootings in America in the past few years.
In the wake of this tragedy, Gallup Poll conducted a survey (from December 19-22, 2012), finding 58 percent of Americans in favor of strengthening the laws covering the sale of firearms — up from 43 percent in 2011.
Several state and federal lawmakers have already announced that they will seek to ban both semi-automatic rifle and high-capacity ammunition magazines from the commercial market.
However, the same poll by Gallup reveals that Americans’ views on the sale of assault rifles remain unchanged. The slight majority, (51 percent) remain opposed to making it illegal to manufacture, sell, or possess semi-automatic guns known as assault rifles.
President Barack Obama pledged to “use all the powers of this office” to identify and promote new policies, to address the scourge of gun violence.
He tapped Vice President Joe Biden to head a task force, composed of Cabinet members, members of Congress and outside organizations, which would submit a “very specific” set of proposals to Congress this January.
Several sectors of society have joined forces to counter the influence of pro-gun lobby groups (such as the National Rifle Association) on Congress.
The latest to advocate for stricter gun control laws is former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords and her husband, astronaut Mark Kelly. They launched a political action committee aimed at curbing gun violence on Tuesday, as her Arizona hometown paused to mark the second anniversary of the deadly shooting rampage, where Giffords herself was shot in the head by a mentally-ill gunman, who opened fire on Giffords as she met with constituents in 2011 and killed six people, with 12 others injured.
One of the many groups who demand that President Obama and Congress step forward with a plan to end gun violence is “Demand A Plan.” As “Balitang America” reported, this is a group of more than 800 mayors and 800,000 grassroots supporters.
Organizers of Demand A Plan say that “they cannot bring back the people lost in Newtown nor the 33 people murdered with guns every day in America, but together, they say America can prevent future tragedies by passing common sense legislation that will require a criminal background check for every gun sold in America, ban assault weapons and high-capacity magazines and make gun trafficking a federal crime, including real penalties for ‘straw purchasers’.”
Our readers weighed in on this issue. Here are some of their comments:
“It’s not the gun that’s the problem, It’s the losers that get a hold of one that [are] more dangerous than anything! It’s the 2nd amendment. I don’t think you can un-constitutionalize that!” – Erika Miranda
“Only in America, where they try to solve gun violence with more guns. Hide behind your 2nd amendment while the rest of the world watches you all kill yourselves.” – Jason Andrew Samson Pilar
“[It is] due to influence of Wild Wild West. Guns for guns.” – Christopher Almeria Pasaporte
“Kailangan magkaroon ng isang kurso ng tamang pagmamahal sa kapwa! Kasi kung may pagmamahal at malasakit sa bawat isa walang krimen, dahil walang krimen di na kakailanganin ang proteksyon!” – Manny Due Yamato Son
“Karapatan na ipagtanggol ang kanilang sarili sa pamamagitan ng BARIL? Papaano naman ang karapatang mabuhay ng mga batang PINATAY ng PROGUN na yan! Maaarmasan ba nila ang mga anak nilang 6 o 7 years old at turuang kalibitin ang gatilyo at pumatay para ipagtanggol ang kanilang sarili?” – Gregorio Santos Jr.
“Ban assault rifles and high capacity clips (15 and above). Train the principals and assistant principals (only at that level) for gun use, handling and safety. Make it part of their required skill and talent to maintain their position.” – Teddy L. Bentulan
“The founding fathers have never lived in a world with high capacity semi-automatic rifles.” – Regina Pampolina Zabarte
“If the government has powerful rifles, citizens should not be limited to black powder muskets. The Heller case last year in the Supreme Court broke out the historical basis for the 2nd Amendment, but said individual states could regulate firearms. If I lived in Arizona, where I grew up, I could own an assault rifle with a 30-round magazine. Magazines cannot hold more than 10 rounds in California and the rules are much more restrictive here. States cannot ban guns because of the 2nd amendment, but individual states can pass their own laws and people are free to move to other states.” – Jaime Tiguero
“Another issue here is the mental state of the killer. Why was he allowed to live with his mother considering his mental state? They say he was bright but autistic and not acting normally. Maybe he should have been placed in an institution where he can be given the proper care and treatment.” – Rafael Roxas
“Boxcutters, airplanes, and fertilizers were used in both 911 and OK City bombings. Before we consider regulating guns, and [if we are] really serious about reducing death, then, begin with alcohol and tobacco, which kills more than anything we know in America. But like the latter two, guns are as dangerous as a car in the garage. Blaming guns is a copout in admitting that ills in society is an accumulation of decades of moral decay…that’s to blame!” – Ed Totanes
“[Kapag] mas hihigpitan ni Obama [ang gun laws], mas maraming mag ii-smuggle ng baril.” – Joey de Gracia
“The incident happened in a gun-free zone. But that didn’t stop Lanza from killing. If anyone on the school was allowed to bring guns like the teachers, then less lives would have been lost. Gun control just leaves law-abiding people vulnerable, while killers will always kill as they will find one way or another to commit a crime.” – Reigner Cortez
“People hide behind the 2nd amendment, but do we really need assault weapons [that are] available to the public? One more thing — it’s really easy to get guns in this country than to get healthcare, so go figure that one out.” – Jay Calabig
“Bakit nangyayari ito sa America? Karamihan sa mga krimen na nagaganap (hindi lang dito) ay [dahil] inalis na ang Panginoon sa eskwelahan. Hindi nagtuturo ng morals, paggalang at takot sa Diyos. Masyadong “politically correct” at ayaw masagasaan ang iba. Ang discipline ang kulang dito, pag namalo ng mga bata ay punishable by law. Lahat naman ng mga nagwawala dito ay may sira sa ulo. Maski anong klaseng gun control ang gawin nila, itong mga siraulo ay mga bata na ninanakaw ang guns ng mga parents.” – Dorie Morton
“Guns don’t kill people. It’s people [who kill] people. [If] you take away guns, they will come up with a different solution to harm/kill another. For an example, Timothy McVeigh, a US-born American citizen who used fertilizer to bomb a government center in Oklahoma!” – Al David
“Guns are tools, too. A lot of people blame the tragedies on the Constitutional Right of owning guns, which is very ridiculous. It is like blaming obesity on spoons and forks. Restricting the right to bear arms cannot solve the problem, because people will still continue to purchase guns, despite gun laws. Besides, it has been proven many times through research that restricting guns will not make [the situation] any better. I live in small town here in Alaska where almost all of the people own guns, mainly used for hunting game (or a person if they have to)…Criminals [will] think twice before invading a home, [lest] they will be shot right in the face before they could even step at the front of the door. Works very effectively by the way. Mental health issues [have been] rising in the past few decades. As pharmaceutical companies advance, the number of people having mental issues arises too. Is that a coincidence? Or how about ending the distribution or prescription of psychotropic and anti-depressant drugs, which makes people go nuts?” – Lyco Icalina
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Gel Santos Relos is the anchor of TFC’s “Balitang America.” Views and opinions expressed by the author in this column are are solely those of the author and not of Asian Journal and ABS-CBN-TFC. For comments, go to www.TheFil-AmPerspective.com, https://www.facebook.com/Gel.Santos.Relos
