College Republicans:

With the recent mass shootings around the United States, there has been a knee-jerk reaction to start banning firearms in America. Our right to bear arms is one of the most fundamental rights on which this country was founded. However, that doesn’t mean certain rules and regulations are not needed. The core problem with these mass murders is not the firearms themselves, but the people who possess these weapons.

Serious mental and social issues are involved when a person performs an act as gruesome as the Newtown, Conn., or the Aurora, Colo., shootings. There is no need to ban firearms, because this simply will not solve the problem. Think about how a drunk driver injures or kills an innocent bystander – we don’t blame the car, we rightfully blame the driver. The mental health of firearm owners needs to be taken into account. What we need is a reformed process to legally purchase a firearm, including more thorough background checks and some way to evaluate buyers’ mental health before they purchase weapons.

Now, in the heat of political rhetoric, we hear about assault weapons bans. However, the ban proposed by Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) and supported by the president does not pertain to fully automatic weapons, which are already banned. This means that a certain shotgun might be illegal because it has a handle on it, while the same shotgun without a handle is legal.

As stated previously, the right to bear arms is one of our nation’s fundamental rights granted to all citizens through the Constitution. We just cannot understand why some politicians in our government think it is a good idea to take weapons away from law-abiding U.S. citizens while allowing these types of weapons to fall into the hands of criminals.

College Democrats:

It took tragedies in Aurora, Colo., Oak Creek, Wis., and Newton, Conn., to evoke national outrage and a serious conversation about gun violence in the United States. But for the residents of this country’s urban centers, these stories are all too familiar.

Last year Chicago saw 506 homicides, 87 percent of which involved guns. Many of the victims were young people. And that’s just one city with a significant gun violence problem. Thousands have died at gunpoint on our streets with little mention in the morning paper or any substantial public outcry. Urban gun violence is barely even news anymore because it has become endemic within those communities and therefore cemented into our national culture.

It doesn’t, however, have to remain this way, as some of our public officials are standing up and taking action. Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett is a member of the group Mayors Against Illegal Guns, which tasks itself with “supporting the Second Amendment and the rights of citizens to own guns” while “preventing criminals from illegally obtaining (and using) guns.” The group’s suggestions, and those of President Barack Obama, offer a reasonable way forward in this tense debate. We recognize that laws cannot keep guns out of every criminal’s hands, but that’s no reason to fail to enact sensible reforms to curb violence. We can make the process of obtaining a gun more transparent by requiring universal background checks. Regarding those who do obtain guns, we can take steps to reduce violence and crime by banning assault-type weapons and high-capacity magazines.

Under these proposals, every citizen would fully retain their right to bear arms – they would merely need to pass a background check. The possession and use of practical weapons would not be affected. If you think you need a submachine gun to hunt or defend your home, you’re doing it wrong. Through intelligent public policy and a communal national effort, we can work to prevent future tragedies from occurring in our schools, at our businesses, within our faith communities and on our city streets.