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Crown Point High School @InklingsCPHS October 31, 2017 Vol. 82 Issue 2
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Read about the boys’ tennis team’s effort to exceed expectations on page 12
page 6
“Ride Hailing”: Safety when using transportation services
U.S. Constitution, Second Amendment
A well regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people
the
to keep and
bear arms,
RIGHT vs.
the RISK
shall not be
Guns create controversy between both sides BY ANDREA JOHN ALEXIA WOJCIECHOWSKI co-editor-in-chief online editor-in-chief
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unshots. That was what replaced the country music at the Route 91 Harvest Music Festival in Las Vegas on Oct. 1. Concertgoers were targets of mass shooter Stephen Paddock, who was located on the 32nd floor of Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino. This was the most recent of the numerous mass shootings in United States history, with 58 lives lost and over 480 people injured. Senior Kristen Szaller has attended multiple concerts, including Lollapalooza where Paddock had booked a hotel room overlooking Grant Park. “It’s terrifying that such a ‘safe place’ could be turned deadly in the blink of an eye when a raging maniac decides to take out his or her anger upon innocent bystanders,” Szaller said. “I have a friend whose mother was victim of gun violence and was murdered. I’ve seen the effects of how guns getting into the wrong hands can have disastrous effects and tear families apart.” Szaller is not alone in her concerns. This particular shooting has not been the first to stir discussion regarding gun control. Proponents and opponents of gun control have taken action by contacting state representatives and taking to social media to spread their opinion. State Rep. Ed Clere R-New Albany is on the judiciary and
public policy interim study committee. Between sessions, less formal study committees provide politicians the ability to explore issues outside of the legislative session. Clere’s committee was tasked with examining the idea of constitutional carry, which is the term used to refer to not requiring a permit to carry a concealed firearm. “We were grappling with (constitutional carry) before the tragedy in Las Vegas, and it’s even more difficult now in light of the tragedy,” Clere said. “It’s important to remember that the tragedy in Las Vegas is only the latest tragedy. We’ve had Sandy Hook, and Orlando, and countless other tragedies involving mass shootings.” Clere is and has been a supporter of the Second Amendment but understands the importance to address Gun Control in the United States. “The tragedy in Las Vegas highlights some of the shortcomings on both sides of the argument. Many gun rights supporters say the best solution to a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun,” Clere said. “In Las Vegas, would it have made a difference if there were a whole bunch of good guys with guns? There could’ve been hundreds or even thousands of good guys and good gals with guns, and it would not have changed the outcome there.” Legislators are not the only ones taking action. Hoosiers Concerned About Gun Violence
(HCGV) is a nonprofit organization founded in 1990 in Indianapolis that works to reduce gun violence. Ed Smith has been a part of the organization for four years, and has served as the group’s president for three. “We fight legislation that is typically drafted and pushed by the (National Rifle Association) ... their goal is to dismantle the gun laws. They feel that everybody should have a right to carry a gun and that is not what the Supreme Court has said,” Smith said. “We try get bills introduced that are sensible to the public’s safety.” HCGV has been working to get legislation passed that would eliminate the ability to have maximum capacity clips for firearms. “We had tried to get a ban here last year to ban the open carry of assault weapons and maximum capacity clips and we’re still for that. That was a problem in Las Vegas,” Smith said. “It wasn’t just the conversion kits that turned a semiautomatic into an automatic, the other problem was there was actually an attachment that is marketed on the internet that will hold 100 rounds.” From a young age, social studies teacher Don Bernacky has been familiar with firearms. When he was younger, he was an avid hunter and still finds the sport to be relaxing. “I actually am a big supporter of the Second Amendment, but I am also someone who real-
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infringed.
izes that the very nature of this as technology progresses has to be taken account of this… there is some middle ground,” Bernacky said. “I kind of view driving and gun ownership as the two most dangerous things we publicly do, but only one of those you have to take a class for.” Although Bernacky supports the Second Amendment, he does see changes that need to made due to the large amounts of lives lost to gun violence. According to Gun Violence Archive, there have been 50,595 gun related deaths so far in 2017. “We have to realize there is something stirring in our society where these shootings have reached the capability of military strengths. The losses of Las Vegas are very similar to the losses we saw by some battalions that were parachuting into France on DDay,” Bernacky said. Similarly to Bernacky, senior James Torreano has been hunting and shooting for most of his life and is a supporter of the Second Amendment. “I think in that current gun control laws need to be stricter, but I support gun rights in general. The Second Amendment guarantees the right to own firearms and to assemble a militia. This right is as important today as it was at its inception due to the uncertain world in which we live,” Torreano said. “Guns are essential to self-defense, are an irreplaceable form of recreation, and for some people, provide sustenance.” see gun control on page 3
STUDENT VIEWS
2 of 3 students
believe they know the federal gun laws see the federal gun laws here: www.nraila.org/articles/20040324/ citizen-s-guide-to-federal-firearmslaw
Half of students believe they know Indiana’s gun laws see the Indiana gun laws here: www.nraila.org/gun-laws/state-gunlaws/indiana/
Gunlaws in the U.S. are too... Loose 59.4% Neither, they are fine 33.7%
Strict 6.9%
Statistics from 362 responses to a poll sent to all CPHS students.