The Power of Guns | Teen Ink

The Power of Guns

December 22, 2016
By ColeLTakestheDub123 BRONZE, South Orange, New Jersey
ColeLTakestheDub123 BRONZE, South Orange, New Jersey
1 article 0 photos 0 comments

“In 2016, about 971 people have died at the hands of the police.  807 out of the 971 people were shot and killed by police” (Think Process).  Police have a lot more power than citizens.  Police have the ability to shoot, taser,  pepper spray and use much more equipment.  If a  police officer feels threatened or feels that a person may be a threat to the public, they have the authority to shoot them.  Police should have more restraints.  For example they should have live video cameras on them at all times, they should have longer and more intense training and they should have less power when it comes to their guns.


Right up front, police should have live video cameras on them at all times.  “In 2013 showed a 59 percent reduction in use-of-force incidents by officers wearing cameras” (Huffington Post). This quote shows that police had to use less force while wearing body cameras.  The cameras must be specially made for police so that they can not be turned off.  The cameras are important because it would provide evidence to support either the police's story or the suspect/victims story.  The video would allow the police to see and listen to what happened and better understand the solution.  It would also help provide justice


Furthermore, police should have longer and more intense training.  It should include more real world situations, for example, what would you do if a person made a threat against you?, or what would you do if someone resisted you?  These tests and real world events/scenarios could help further ensure that a police officer  using their gun is the last possible solution .  So far, “In 2016, 912 people have been killed by police and of these people, 591 were not fleeing.”(Washington Post)  The definition of “flee” acording to Dictionary is “to run away, as from danger or pursuers”.   The fact shown above is saying that 591 people were killed by police for not running.  The people where standing still when they were killed.


Finally, police should have less power in their guns.  For example, “In 2015, 991 people were shot dead by police”(Washington Post).  This means that about three people died everyday from police violence.  This number is way too high because....  Police should have less power with their guns.  For example police should be taught that their gun should be their last resort in a situation.  This quote shows that police have killed too many people and they should have less qualification with their guns.


In conclusion, police should have more restraints.  Police should wear live video cameras on them, their training should be longer and more intense and they should have less power in their guns.  Police need to have more restraints because too many people have been killed in the past two years.  “In the past two years 1903 people have been killed by police”(Washington Post).  This further proves that police have the aptitude to shoot if necessary and that is too much power.

 

 

Sources
Calacal, Celisa. "This Is How Many People Police Have Killed so Far in 2016."ThinkProgress. N.p., 14 Dec. 2016. Web. 16 Dec. 2016.

"Police Shootings 2016 Database." The Washington Post. WP Company, n.d. Web. 16 Dec. 2016.

Wing, Nick. "Study Shows Less Violence, Fewer Complaints When Cops Wear Body Cameras." The Huffington Post. N.p., n.d. Web.

"The Definition of Flee." Dictionary. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Dec. 2016.


The author's comments:

This is an argumentative essay written by an 8th grader.


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