This website is advocating stricter gun control laws in order to protect the children of America better. Like many similar campaigns and groups they are in no way suggesting a complete ban on gun sales and ammunition but are trying to prompt the government to create more stringent laws that promote safer gun use and storage. They are lobbying the government to do this because then the laws would apply at a federal level and have to be obeyed across every state in the USA. At the moment there is a massively varying degree to which restrictions are placed on purchase and possession of firearms depending on the state that you are in and the current attitudes present there at the time.
It is easily understandable why the site focuses on children and young adults as there is a trend in recent years of massacres that occur in schools and colleges. From Columbine in 1999 with 13 dead, Virginia Tech in 2007 with 32 dead to the Northern Illinois University in 2008 with 5 dead. Not to mention the dangers of children playing with firearms, especially handguns and the tragic accidents associated with them.
The site plays on the heartstrings of the viewer by suggesting that 'by the time your kids go to bed tonight...eight more kids will be shot to death' insinuating that it could be the readers' children that it happens to. Though this is a tragic average fact it is slightly unethical to try and sway peoples opinions by playing with their emotions. Though it seems they need to do whatever they can to bring people to their cause in the face of the millions of dollars the Pro-gun lobbyists invest in theirs every year.
This Pro-gun website is the lobbying branch of the NRA. It is a long running, well established organisation that invests time and money into stopping or derailing legislative action that it perceives to be against the rights bestowed upon citizens in the second amendment of the constitution. There are 4 million members in the NRA all contributing amounts of money (some vast) to the cause of less restrictions placed on weaponry. Though that in no way means they encourage reckless gun usage, there are a vast array of fact sheets and instruction booklets available describing the best methods for using your gun.
There is also a section that shows articles from 'American Rifleman' called 'Armed Citizen' telling true stories that people have sent in of occasions when they were able to use guns in the protection of their property or person. There are a great many articles and the NRA place estimates of these incidents at as high as 2.5 million per year but this seems likely to be inflated. This makes a very good argument for the cause of pro-gun activists because everybody can identify with wanting the ability to be able to protect what is theirs.
Having said this you don't need a fully or semi-automatic weapon to do this or to hunt deer or game so why is the NRA so aggressively against bans on these types of weapons. The arguments between the Pro-gun and Pro-gun control seem very similar with just a few differences. Neither want guns used in crimes and both promote strict safety guidelines for gun usage. It seems the size and quantities of guns are the main sticking points and when it comes down to them i don't think its breaching anybodies constitutional rights to stop them having 6, M-16's just stopping them having quite so much fun!
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