Gun Control

Gun Control:

LINK: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/09/us/teenagers-death-a-reminder-of-gun-replicas-dangers.html

SUMMARY: In Texas, an 8^th grade student brought a toy gun to school. He told his teacher that he had a real gun but it was really a bb gun. The police were called and they tried to reason with the student to put the gun down. The police ended up shooting the boy when he pointed the gun at them. Federal law says that airsoft guns are required to have orange tips on the end of them but there is no such rule for bb guns. This will likely change with this most recent death.

APPLICATION: Some people in Texas are calling for a law that bans public display of a toy gun but that position is argued because some supporters of gun rights believe that this rule is an infringement on citizen’s right to bear arms in the 2^nd Amendment. The 2^nd Amendment states that citizens are allowed to own guns and that includes bb guns. By controlling if people can bring a bb gun into public places, it may infronge on a citizen’s right to have a gun.

OPINION: I think there should be obvious characteristics distinguishing toy guns from real ones. There is a big difference between toy guns and real guns and their looks should be different as well. While I think it is good to allow people to own guns for their safety (and toy guns for fun), I think rules should be made to distinguish toys guns from real ones and to keep people from bringing them into public.