It has been our nation's Second Amendment ever since the Constitution was written in 1787: the right of the people to keep and bear arms.
However, the recent mass shootings in Aurora, Colo. and Newtown, Conn. have given Congress thoughts of potentially altering the Bill of Rights.
There is also a scenario in which Congress' approval would not be necessary. On Monday, President Obama renewed his threat to use executive orders on the gun control issue, according to Fox News.
"Enforcing an executive order would be a dangerous route for Obama to take," said David Manush, a junior in political science. "It would involve him sidestepping the will of the American people in order to push his own agenda."
President Obama is currently reviewing a list of possible solutions submitted by Vice President Biden and his gun violence task force. Some of the recommendations on the list include addressing the violence portrayed in video games, movies and TV, calling for a universal background check system and placing a ban on assault weapons and limitations to high capacity ammunition magazines.
"People have gone crazy over thinking that Obama is going to take away their guns," said Jacob Dean, a junior political science major and President of the College of Democrats. "Smart policies are in being put into place that will take steps such as implementing mental health and background checks in order to help the conflict."
Still, due to the uncertainty of the issue's solution, firearm sales have sky rocketed over the past month, as stated by the employees of the Auburn Armory.
"I think that semi-automatic and automatic guns are overkill for most people and there is no reason for them to own one," said Jack Mabrey senior in education.
Similarly, Dean again said, "Guns with high caliber magazines are becoming known as 'killing machines.'"
In agreement, Taylor Wesley, a freshman in marketing, said, "Guns should not be available to anyone that doesn't know how to professionally use one."
Conversely, the National Rifle Association, along with other gun-rights advocacy groups, is pushing back. They blame the recent issues on people growing up in a society that glamorizes violence, which leads to real-life aggression. Additionally, the NRA believes that a push for stronger mental health laws, not gun regulation laws, will reduce future shootings.
"People are the issue, not guns," said Mabrey. "However, you can't control people well enough, so that leaves attempting to regulate guns as the only option."
Drew Carroll, a senior building science major, sees the potential gun ban in a different light.
"Placing regulations on guns is not going to change much," said Carroll. "It will take the guns out of the hands of good people. However, the fact remains that any criminal who wants to get his hands on a gun will always find a way to do so."
Could a middle ground be found in one of Biden's recommendations, the call for a universal background check system?
"I used to live in Australia and they have a law that a gun for recreational use must be checked out from court," Wesley said. "I think that we should have similar laws to help prevent traumatic events from happening again."
The Auburn Armory has a certain procedure that they follow before selling a gun to a potential buyer. The buyer will be asked to fill out a biographical form. Before the transaction is made complete, the armory will call the NICS Background Check System in order to verify the citizen's clean record and mental health.
However, a recent study by the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence showed that some 40 percent of gun sales happen with no background check, such as at gun shows or by private sellers through the Internet or classifies ads.
What some may not know is that states and cities also have an independent say in the gun control issue. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo and N.Y. City Mayor Michael Bloomberg are close to enacting the nation's first gun control measure since the Sandy Hook shootings, according to the Associated Press.
Will other states follow suit and work to implement their own laws before there is an execution order or Congressional ruling?
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