The Oregon Mall Shooting: Questions on Gun Control

This week on Tuesday, December 11, 2012, a masked gun fired shots from his semi-automatic rifle inside a mall. The man fired 20 shots killing 2 middle aged people and injuring a third person, a teenager, before turning the weapon on himself. Police did not connect any possible motives of the man, other than it being a random act of violence. The masked man was later identified as a 22 year old local by the name of Jacob Tyler Roberts. An incident like this raises multiple questions on gun control in America. With the mass amount of guns already owned by Americans, it would seem almost impossible to limit those guns from use. One of the most important issues in America at the moment is gun control and America is heavily split on this issue. With the Second Amendment protecting civilians right to own guns, it has been debated whether the Amendment should be kept or nullified. Those who support gun control cite the multiple shootings in the last decade as evidence, while those who are against gun control mention the original intent of the Second Amendment which was meant to allow civilians to have protection for their families. I don’t think there is any easy way to limit guns from being used or to limit random acts of violence like this. The only potential solution that could have some effect is the limiting of the distribution of bullets. Eventually, each gun runs out of bullets and the gun owners will have to buy some from a hunting store which should require more extensive identification, permits and background checks.

The Upcoming North Korean Launch

The recent North Korean plans to launch an “earth-observation” satellite into orbit have led to protests from Japan, China, South Korea and the United States of America. Japan has recently issued orders to destroy the missile should any part of it threaten to fall onto Japanese territory. Japan has already begun preparations by distributing missile batteries across their bases and by equipping Japanese destroyers with a weapon system that will detect and destroy any incoming missile. The U.S., equally against the satellite launch, has stationed warships near Japan to monitor the missile launch. While China is a North Korean ally and acknowledges their right to the peaceful use of outer space, it is still concerned that North Korea might violate United Nations restrictions. South Korea has joined in on the protest, seeing the launch as not only an international threat but as another attempt to influence the South Korean presidential election. Limiting the development of nuclear weapons across the world is at the forefront of the United Nations concerns.  I think that nuclear weapons exist as a means of protecting a country from attack or attacking a country in a war. By building nuclear weapons, a country assumes a more powerful political position in global politics. It can use that power as a preventive measure against the potential enemies. Having nuclear weapons also can lead to international weariness or scorn. I think the main concern of all the countries opposing the satellite launch is that it will lead to North Korea having nuclear capability.

A Palestinian State is Recognized

This week, the United Nations voted on a resolution to recognize the Palestinian State.  The majority of the vote passed despite Israeli and American criticism. Palestine was recognized as a non-member observer state that day, with Palestinians, causing mass celebration in Palestinian cities. Although, Israel still owns many of the territories that Palestine would like to have, Palestine now has a higher possibility of claiming them. I believe Israel will most likely deny Palestine access to the territories they wish to own. My prediction is that the new state upgrade for Palestine may possibly further ruin the peace between the two states and cause even further troubles for Israel.  I think that Israel will deny the existence of the Palestinian state while Palestine will try to further press the amount of territories they should own. Perhaps the recent Palestinian victory will cause their leader to feel slightly more confident and aggressive in pursuing those territories.