Response to "The Talk of the Town"

Gun control is a subject talked about often but rarely acted upon. However, it’s a pressing issue that needs to be dealt with.

I thought the story at the beginning of Adam Gopnik’s essay was very effective. Instead of just telling us why gun control needs to be stronger he made me really feel bad for those people and drive home the point that gun control needs to be fixed. It made the issue even more important than just politics.

It frustrated me how the student got the gun in the first place. Gopnick said that he was, “an obviously disturbed student,” and yet was able to buy a gun. It doesn’t take a genius to see a problem here. No one who is mentally ill should ever possess a weapon, especially a gun. It just doesn’t make sense for someone who is mentally unstable to have the power to so easily take a life. Gopnick states, “The United States has more gun violence than other countries because we have more guns and are willing to sell them to madmen who want to kill people.” I’m not saying that the student was a madman, but it’s quite clear that we need to better regulate who can own a gun.

Another point made in the essay is that other countries have had the same problems. We’re not the only country to have mass shootings and people who feel alone and are willing to kill others because of it. But other countries have taken steps to fix the problem, something that hasn’t really been done in America. More often than not, the results of their protective measures have been positive, with few or no repeats of the previous event. I think that we need to start doing something to prevent further tragic shootings. The examples set for us have shown that it is possible to change and get better.

Even with all these problems, I don’t think it’s necessary to ban all guns, just the ones most likely to do the most harm. It’s not all or nothing, and there is a middle ground, a compromise. People can still have hunting guns and certain people should be allowed other kinds of guns. It just has to be better controlled and restricted.

In addition, Susan Sontag brought up an excellent point when she said, “Let’s by all means grieve together. But let’s not be stupid together.” I definitely agree with her. It seems so often that when one person has an idea, others just abandon their own ideas and agree with them. Soon everyone has the same idea and it’s not always a good one. It’s kind of like when your mom asks you, “If all your friends jumped off a cliff, would you follow?” We all hate that question, but it does make a point. Just because people do something, that doesn’t make it right. Sometimes the best decisions are ones that no one else has done yet.

Later on in the essay it says, “Our leaders are bent on convincing us that everything is O.K. America is not afraid…Everything is not O.K.” I think it’s alright for us to be afraid, or to not be O.K. Everything is not always going to be perfect. Sometimes when something bad happens we should be afraid. To not be afraid would be stupid. The important thing is not to be fearless, but to do something positive because on the fear.

I also liked what Sontag said at the end of her essay. She said, “Who doubts that America is strong? But that’s not all America has to be.” Being strong isn’t everything. A person who is only strong is missing out on being so many important things. If everyone was just strong and nothing else there would be no one to be kind, intelligent, or countless other things.

It is clear that something needs to be done about gun control. The only question is: how long will it take, and how many lives will be lost before then?