Physics Essay

Gun control in Texas
Name:
Course:
Professor:
Institution:
Gun control in Texas
Introduction
Texas has a culture of gun ownership in the USA. The recent shooting incidences of the church in Sutherland Springs, TX and Las Vegas have intensified the debate on gun possession. Some faction of politician has called for the tightening of background checks while others have called for the abolishment of civilian ownership of firearms. However, the Vegas shooter had become vetted by the authorities while a civilian used his weapon to kill the Sutherland shooter and that shows that the leaders should look for better ways to address the issue.
Possible ways of dealing with the gun problem
The government should place more focus on mental health problems. Statistics show that most of the individuals involved in mass shootings, suicides and homicides usually have psychological issues. They include depression, schizophrenia and chronic anxiety resulting from genetic or environmental factors (McGinty, Webster, Jarlenski & Barry, 2014)). The treatment of such people will aid in reducing the number of individuals that engage in gun violence.
The case of Columbia v Heller stated that the Second Amendment guarantees the citizens of the USA a right to own guns. However, the provisions do not specify the type of guns, and thus the state should ban the ownership of assault weapons among civilians. The firearms result in numerous deaths when used by the wrong individuals (Bloomberg, 2013). The step to downgrade the firepower possessed by citizens will significantly reduce the number of the victims of gun violence.

The government should introduce new laws that allow the authorities to conduct follow-up checks on registered gun owners. The law enforcement officers should work with social community workers, hospitals, and other organizations to assess the situation of the owners. The checks will help to identify individuals that have developed anger issues, mental illnesses and even those that have become radicalized (Bloomberg, 2013). That will seal the some of the loopholes associated with background checks as seen in the case of the Las Vegas shooter.
References
Bloomberg, M. R. (2013). Reducing gun violence in America: informing policy with evidence and analysis. JHU Press.
McGinty, E. E., Webster, D. W., Jarlenski, M., & Barry, C. L. (2014). News media framing of serious mental illness and gun violence in the United States, 1997-2012. American Journal of Public Health, 104(3), 406-413.