Blog Stage 8

   On August 3, 2017, an editorial was posted on "Pondering Politics", talking about gun control in the United States. The audience here would be the U.S. citizens because it is an issue that can affect someone's life. Having a gun can control people's lives. She first talks about how Trump's election isn't making citizens feel safe and secure. The majority of people, specifically 9 out of 10, support gun regulations. But lawmakers are not making enough laws to follow that. Apparently, they don't follow the mild laws such as background checks or banning mentally ill individuals from having guns. The author says that not having gun control, "undermines the core idea of democracy". In Missouri, legislators overrode the governor's veto which allowed citizens to carry weapons without any background such as a check, permit, or training. Missouri previously loosened their gun laws in 2007 when taking away the requirement for a permit by passing their check. Because of the changes in law, homicides with guns had risen by 18 percent. She then goes to talk about Trump and how he signed a bill which went against Obama's regulation for mental health patients getting guns. Conservatives usually view guns as self- defense but honestly, guns become a huge problem in causing homicides.
The author's claim overall would be how gun control is very important and is becoming a problem in the United States. I agree with this. Trump is not taking caution when signing these bills or coming up with new regulations. There should be more protection and requirements when getting a firearm. Having a gun is giving an individual the ability or chance to end someone's life. I believe that only those who are qualified or have a clean history should be allowed a gun. With that, there should also be training to properly teach someone about the weapon.

Give Youth A Voice Expansion

   In a previous editorial, I talked about the voting age of our country. As of right now, the voting age in the United States is 18 years old. To me, we should allow 16 and 17-year-olds to also vote. In my eyes, we should allow them to vote because they are at a time where they are learning about the government. This age group is also exposed to many adult-like situations such as having to provide for themselves, having to take themselves places or taking care of younger individuals. I see them being very intelligent and think their opinion would provide more insight into making decisions for this country.

  If we were to change our voting age, we would not be the first. Argentina, Austria, Brazil, Cuba, Ecuador, and Nicaragua all allow voting at 16. In East Timor, Ethiopia, Indonesia, North Korea and Sudan, the voting age is 17. In some countries, at 16, if you get married or become employed, you earn legal adult rights which include voting. Austria, in 2007, was the first country to pass the law to change the age to 16. Many people are not in favor of teenagers having this ability to vote due to them not being focused on the actual government and what is happening. 

   Studies were done by Markus Wagner, David Johann, and Sylvia Kritzinger from the University of Vienna. Austria's voting election showed that 16 and 17-year-olds did have a little less knowledge but the Democratic disaffection and motivation to participate in politics compared to older age groups were fairly the same. Overall, findings show that there is little evidence that say 16 and 17-year-olds are less able to participate in politics. There is not really a negative effect at all.

   So, to end, the voting age in the United States should indeed still be lowered to 16 and 17 for the generations to come so that their voice is heard and so they can live in a world that they helped put together instead of living according to the older population.