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Possession of Private Guns in the United States
Christmas is approaching. But shooting massacres (残杀) cast a tragic shadow over the holiday season in the US.
On December 5, a gunman killed eight people, before taking his own life, at a shopping mall in Omaha, Nebraska. On December 9, five people, including the gunman, died in two attacks in Colorado.
While people are busy trying to discover the killers’ motives (动机), another issue is causing heated debate in the country --- the weapon the killers used.
The US is one of just a few developed Western countries that allow private possession of guns. Any adult can buy army style weapons from a handgun to an AK-47.
“The right to own arms is a part of the Constitution (宪法). Many Americans believe it to be a fundamental freedom,” said Jonathan Haagen, who worked for Teens.
When the United States was still a group of colonies, they dealt with a lot of corruption (腐败) from the British. Therefore, American people considered it a great danger for the government to have control of all the weapons. Private gun ownership was important in their fight for freedom.
However, with more and more killings in schools and shopping malls, lots of Americans argue that they should do away with the right to bear arms. But the National Rifle Association (NRA) said this position violates (违反) the Constitution.
The NRA is fond of saying it is not guns but people who kill. In some cases, this is true. But in many other cases, owning guns is what causes the murder. According to the US Department of Justice, more than 10,000 crimes a year are committed with guns.