In opposition to recent proposals to reduce gun violence in America, a Republican consulting firm sponsored Gun Appreciation Day events throughout the country over the weekend. At the events, five people were accidentally shot.
The injuries took place in Ohio, Indiana, and North Carolina. All five people were hospitalized for gun shots to the hand, arms and legs, and are expected to recover.
Gun Appreciation Day gun shows also took place in other states, including Florida. However, no one was reported to be shot at those events.
Emotions have been running high between NRA supporters and the Obama administration, in the wake of last month’s the Sandy Hook elementary school murders, where 26 people, including 20 children under 7 years of age, were killed with an assault rifle with a large capacity clip.
The National Rifle Association has stated that any attempt to limit assault-style weapons is an attack on the Second Amendment.
President Obama is not seeking any changes to the Second Amendment, but has proposed new gun safety regulations that include “universal background checks for anyone trying to buy a gun,” and a 10-round limit for magazines, along with restoring the expired ban on military-style assault weapons.
In his weekly address, President Obama said:
Many assault rifles, when combined with high-capacity magazines, have one purpose and one purpose only: to fire as many bullets as possible as quickly as possible. These weapons have no place in our communities. And a majority of the American people agree with me.
Like most Americans, I believe the Second Amendment guarantees an individual right to bear arms. We have a strong tradition of gun ownership in this country, and the vast majority of gun owners act responsibly.
While new gun safety regulations may not have prevented the gun shot injuries that took place at Gun Appreciation Day events over the weekend, it does highlight the dangers of mishandled weapons.
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