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Gun rights are out of control
Tiffany Boghos
“It's worth it to have a cost of, unfortunately, some gun deaths every single year so that we can have the Second Amendment" - Charlie Kirk. Kirk was fatally shot almost 4 days ago at a political debate on a college campus in Utah. Conservatives will disagree with this statement regarding Charlie Kirk's horrible death, stating his assassination was tragic for him and his family, and that should also apply to the 41,030 lives that were lost to gun deaths in 2024 alone..
Advocates for the Second Amendment often think that control on gun rights is a “check on tyranny,” that individuals have a right to be armed to protect themselves from threats and criminals. However, after seeing such a famous political debater who has heavily influenced the public, die in a death he advocated for others, it should be a wake-up call. The role of firearms should be reexamined for the well-being of our public life and the consequences of an overlay allowing gun culture. Although no one person deserves to die or be harmed due to their political views, this incident emphasizes the dangers of normalizing being armed with no strict control. The Second Amendment is being exploited in a way that undermines our public safety and silences the democrats' opinions on its implications through “threats and violence.”
This incident also speaks to a greater crisis that occurs in American life every day; a crisis that is driven by disinformation and radicalization. Democrats have long advocated for free speech, especially on college campuses, without feeling afraid and being able to safely express their opinions. When political violence becomes a tool for others' disagreement, we lose our core democratic voice of the right of free speech without the fear of physical harm. This can decrease the number of public figures who will voice out their opinions to avoid becoming the next target. There must be national attention to combat this conflict of unchecked and weak gun safety laws to get rid of ideological violence. Disagreement should not lead to deaths.
