Gun Rights Groups Say Georgia Home Invasion Proves Their Point

The topic of gun control in the United States, is a very touchy subject. With recent traumas, people can lead to conclusions that no citizen should have right to bear arms. I disagree. Although I understand that in the wrong hands guns are extremely dangerous, I also see the safety in having the right to own them. This story I watched about the mother in Georgia really shows exactly that. For a brief summery, A mother and her three kids were home when a burglar broke into their home with a crowbar in the daytime. In response to the invasion she took the .38 revolver (that her and her husband kept in a safe in the house) and escaped with her children to the attic. While in hiding she called her husband who instructed him to shoot the intruder if he opened the door to the attic. That is exactly what Melinda Herman did. This heroic story of a Mother protecting her children brings up two very popular augments. The people who are against gun rights can argue topics such as "what if the child were to bring the gun to school?" or other topics mentioned in this article such as owning a gun and not knowing how to use it properly. However, Donnie Herman had taken his wife weeks before to instruct her how to shoot it. Also, I would like to point out again that the handgun was kept in a safe in the house, one can infer that the children did not know the combination to. It is true that people can use their possession of guns for tragic opportunities such as suicide and homicide; but my argument is if someone has the means to kill that is what they will do. I do not believe that Melinda Herman would have been able to protect her family without that handgun. Of course we do not know for sure what  the intruder would have done if he had found the mother and children. However, I still believe Melinda did the right thing. Do you? Do you believe in The Second Amendment?

http://www.cnn.com/2013/01/10/us/home-invasion-gun-rights/index.html?hpt=hp_c1

-Janelle Franklin
G Block

The Case for Gun Control

http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,2121660,00.html

      This argument has been ongoing on for a long period of time and there has not been much change made to the policies of gun control because many Americans strongly agree with the Second Amendment that people have the right to bear arms. They further believe that by changing it government officials would be taking away their rights. I believe the gun policy was relevant in the time period of our Founding Fathers but I strongly think that it should be outlawed in order to keep weapons from reaching criminals. Why don't people in Washington see that the times have changed and gun control should be made stricter?
It is the big guns such as the automatic and semi-automatic rifles that cause such chaos that we have witnessed in Aurora, Colorado and the Sikh temple lately. These firearms should not be made available for public use such as for hunting because they might fall into the wrong hands, they should rather only be used by law enforcement officers when absolutely necessary. Do we really want our country to turn into a battlefield? These events are occur in the United States a lot because of access to guns is very simple even to psychos and criminals. I predict that this issue will take several more years before it is resolved and leading up to that will be more gun-homicides all over the country. This issue is similar to argument over CFC's (harmful chemicals released by factories) and while this issue was put to rest by the collaboration of world leaders, I similarly believe that same should be done with the gun-control policy. In many parts of the world there are struggle for power and violence is common; government is unable to control there own people because of possession of firearms in the public's hands. I am strongly for stricter gun control laws worldwide and hope it happens soon.