With the passing of Presidents Day, many people are reflecting on new beginnings as spring nears. Whether in Chicago or Washington, all eyes are on Capitol Hill and newly reelected President Barack Obama, with the upcoming battle over sequester cuts dominating the national conversation. However, another issue looms large in the background: the battle over gun control in the wake of the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary and other national tragedies that have placed a spotlight on gun violence.
When DePaul student Jake Smith reflected on the past holiday, he focused on the one thing he thinks the president needs to address: gun violence.
“I think the biggest thing about Obama’s new term will be the gun control policies,” Smith, said. “It brings up lots of controversy amongst the people of the U.S., but I feel like the new policies need to be enforced.”
Obama has three main proposals for gun control in the United States. First and foremost are mandatory background checks for gun sales, currently not necessary in all transactions. Second is banning military grade weapons and high capacity magazines, in an effort to cut down on the potential collateral damage in such situations. And third is making schools safer from guns, which both sides of the aisle agree is important but disagree on potential regulation and safety measures.
Smith said he was a strong supporter of the background checks for guns.
“I feel that if people with a clean background deserve guns more than people who return a criminal record,” he said. “People with criminal records will be more likely to have issues with guns, in my opinion.”
Smith isn’t the only student supporter of Obama’s new policies.
“I agree that there needs to be background checks,” said DePaul student Jen Himes. “However, I feel like Obama was motivated to create these policies after the school shootings and are in response for that. I think it’s our constitutional right to own guns, but to a point where the people buying the guns are buying them for the right reasons. That’s why there should be background checks.”
However, support for stricter gun laws is far from unanimous. Another student, Jacob Osborne, is an avid gun enthusiast who disagrees with Obama’s proposals.
“I think the restrictions he is trying to put on people owning guns is stupid,” Osborne said. “What he should do is make it harder for people to buy, own and operate guns. Not take away certain types of them. With stricter laws in place, it will be harder for people to protect themselves from others around them that may be dangerous.”