Violence in a Changing America
Columbine, Co. Through the news we have witnessed the horror, gore and serious crime that has extended its influence even to the youth of small towns across America. America has experienced a cultural change where solid values no longer serve as a deterrent to crime. This spread may have resulted from the desensitizing media under the, "If it bleeds, it reads." marketing ploy, or perhaps the rise of the Internet. However, occurrences such as those at Columbine illustrate the violence that plagues America. Universally, this town represents the insecurity Americans feel under our current gun control policies. We no longer live in the "cleaver" family 50's when streets and schoolyards were safe, door were left unlocked and windows unbarred. Changing times call for changing policies, enforcing stiffer laws and preventing the distribution of guns to violent criminals. Although, under the Clinton/Gore administration violent crime has decreased by 24 percent, both Bush and Gore recognize that the fight against lawlessness and violence has just begun. Our founding father's structured the government to have three f
Gore's agenda seems to impede on the second amendment through his proposal to require gun manufacturers and licensed sellers to report gun sales to a state authority, and through the photo-licensing program. However, Gore is always quick to note he will protect the rights of hunters and responsible home owners. This suggests that the only use of guns is to hunt and to protect from intruders. However, the second amendment directly refers to the right to form a militia to ensure state freedom and nowhere states the governments right to the knowledge of individual ownership. However, Bush realized that to win the election he had to attract those registered voters vacillating between the attitudes of the Democratic and republican parties. Thus he did not embellish upon his disapproval of photo-licensing, he supports trigger locks on guns sold in the future and offering free installation of trigger locks in old guns. This process has been installed in Texas. In addition, he supports the age at which a juvenile can carry a handgun without parental supervision to be raised from 18 to 21.5 Finally, Bush believes in the instant-check system and supports changing federal law to give gun show sponsors special access to the Nation Instant Check System.5 All of these efforts could potentially decrease serious crime without threatening our rights under the second Amendment. The debates accurately reflected the attitudes of the candidates within the discussion of gun control and the overall concern for improved safety. Gore spoke longer on the topic which represents Gore's support for drastic change and Bush's conservative stance on the issue. The candidates were very respectful to each other within the time period of the discussion most likely because of the seriousness of the issue. Their agreement is representative of their recognition of the need for change. This topic played an influential role in the election especially through campaign financing. One of the Republican party's largest donaters is the National Rifle Association. The party must thus keep their interests in mind as they form t
Some common words found in the essay are:
Rifle Association, Party Platform, Bush Gore, Golden Rule, Democratic Platform, America Universally, America America, Fundamentally Republican, Finally Bush, Columbine Co, trigger locks, serious crime, gun control, law enforcement, trigger locks guns, party platform, locks gun, republican party, locks guns, gore's agenda, freedoms life,
Approximate Word count = 1432
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)
|
