Gun Control
Background:
Mass shootings have devastated Americans in recent decades, so much so that our nation now surpasses every country in the world in the number of attacks. In the first 164 days of 2016 alone, there were 136 mass shootings, the equivalent of almost one mass shooting per day. Clearly, something needs to change.
Relevance & Impact:
Already, we have seen this threaten to take place with “No Fly, No Buy” type legislation that targets problematic terrorism watch lists that are largely populated by Muslims and Arabs. Such policies would only further discriminate against an already marginalized population without making us safer, as the vast majority of American mass shooters have not been Muslim or Arab but rather white, male, and not on any terrorism watch list. No law, under the guise of national security, should take away one’s constitutionally protected rights, including the right to own a firearm.
Recommendations:
Limited access to guns, security measures to ensure the safety of individuals in public places, and increased background checks have all been suggested in the public discourse as possible remedies. It is up to the American public and our lawmakers to decide what the appropriate combination will be, but one thing is certain: gun control should not be used as a covert tool to further discriminate against minority groups.
For more, see:
'Don't Make Gun Control Yet Another Way to Persecute Muslims" (The Guardian)
Mass shootings have devastated Americans in recent decades, so much so that our nation now surpasses every country in the world in the number of attacks. In the first 164 days of 2016 alone, there were 136 mass shootings, the equivalent of almost one mass shooting per day. Clearly, something needs to change.
Relevance & Impact:
Already, we have seen this threaten to take place with “No Fly, No Buy” type legislation that targets problematic terrorism watch lists that are largely populated by Muslims and Arabs. Such policies would only further discriminate against an already marginalized population without making us safer, as the vast majority of American mass shooters have not been Muslim or Arab but rather white, male, and not on any terrorism watch list. No law, under the guise of national security, should take away one’s constitutionally protected rights, including the right to own a firearm.
Recommendations:
Limited access to guns, security measures to ensure the safety of individuals in public places, and increased background checks have all been suggested in the public discourse as possible remedies. It is up to the American public and our lawmakers to decide what the appropriate combination will be, but one thing is certain: gun control should not be used as a covert tool to further discriminate against minority groups.
For more, see:
'Don't Make Gun Control Yet Another Way to Persecute Muslims" (The Guardian)
