Images of the horrific school shooting in Newtown Connecticut are stirring up controversy over gun control. It seems you can’t turn on the t-v or look on Facebook without seeing something about it. Fox 43 Legal Analyst Steven Breit says the President must take action. “It’s a political hot potato for the president. He is going to have to do something.” It’s an issue drawing stong opinions from both sides.
“I could use the same argument of illegal drugs. Illegal drugs are highly regulated, legal drugs are highly regulated. It doesn’t stop anybody from using them or misusing them,” says Terry Nicozisis, owner of Laymans Gun Shop. ” We all have our constitutional rights, but with those rights comes responsibility so I think the government really has the responsibility to restrict how guns are given to regular people,” says Katina Jocktane, a mother who is in favor for stricter gun laws.
“You don’t need an assault weapon to go out and shoot deer. These weapons are designed to kill people they are designed to maim people, not necessarily to protect people. And if these types of guns get into the wrong hands this is where trouble starts,” says Steven Breit.
Currently under Federal law you have to be 18 to purchase a rifle and 21 to purchase a handgun. You have to fill out two forms which are instantly checked by state police. They are looking not only at your criminal record but also your mental health history.
While reacting to the tragedy President Obama hinted at taking action, “As a country, we have been through this too many times. Whether it’s an elementary school in Newtown or a shopping mall in Oregon or a temple in Wisconsin or a movie theater in Aurora or a street corner in Chicago, these neighborhoods are our neighborhoods and these children are our children. We’re going to have to come together and take meaningful action to prevent more tragedies like this regardless of the politics.”
So what can we expect to happen in the coming months? “What you`re going to see perhaps is some sort of limitation on the amount of firearms one can possess and one can own. What he`s going to do is revisit the ban on assault type weapons. He is certainly not going to ask that there be a total ban on all firearms in the United States,” says Legal Analyst Steven Breit.