Congress returns from their recess this September. Waiting for them will be one especially serious issue.What can be done to prevent mass shootings?
A mass shootingis when someone uses a gun to shoot many people. In August, there were two terrible mass shootings in one day. On August 3, 2019, a mass shooting occurred in El Paso, Texas. Just 13 hours later, another one happened in Dayton, Ohio. Mass shootings have been a problem in the United States of America for a long time.
Some people think Congress can help solve this issue. It is
challenging, though, because members of Congress disagrees over the
meaning of the 2nd Amendment of the Constitution. The text of the
amendment reads:
“A well-regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.”
A militia is a civilian army to help the regular army. If something is infringed, it is limited.
Some people believe the government can and should make laws to regulate [control or supervise]gun ownership. They want the federal government to check the backgrounds of all people who buy guns. They say this would help keep dangerous people from owning guns. They would also like to ban [make no longer available] guns that are sometimes called assault rifles. These rifles were made for military use. They quickly fire a lot of bullets.
Other people say restrictions would violate everyone’s right to keep and bear arms under the 2nd Amendment. They believe these laws punish gun owners that haven’t done anything wrong. They want Congress to look at other solutions to the mass shooting problem. They say the government should focus on helping people with mental health problems. They also want less violence in movies and video games.
With these latest tragedies, there are signs that Congress will take action on mass shootings. President Donald Trump has been meeting with key leaders in Congress on both sides of the debate.
What Do You Think? What do you think the 2nd Amendment means? What should Congress do?
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