An integral part of the cornerstone of a democratic society is freedom of expression.
Therefore, the country should uphold free expression in order not to compromise the gains made by democracy in society.
When people have opposing beliefs, their opinions are viewed as offensive by the rest of society.
However, when people are forced to work on the intricacies of the belief they possess and made to justify themselves, the flaws and gaps in a conviction are revealed.
A free society, most specifically, relies on the free exchange of ideas.
Therefore, free expression is one of the most critical and valuable civil rights.
According to Ginsberg (2015), free speech gives morals and the right to challenge, oppose, and protest a dissenting opinion.
A society does not function and/or functions badly without free flow of information and critique.
Nevertheless, free speech should be limited to government-sponsored news, hates speech, and spread of rumours.
YouTube video, hate speech confirms that people should be protected from stringent verbal assault in liberal democracy.
In my opinion, there is no middle ground between gun control advocates and groups like NRA even after recent school shootings.
After the shootings, the National Rifle Association (NRA) argues that guns do not kill people, people kill people.
NRA and other groups contend that people kill using other arms and tools such as knives and machetes.
Moreover, people buying knives and other tools which can be used to kill a person do not need a license to own one.
Similarly, gun owners should not be subjected to mandatory licensing, background checks, and other centrist demands.
On the other hand, gun control advocates argue that stringent laws should be passed to control the use of guns.
In their view, guns are the being used to take away the lives of innocent people and the mass shootings witnessed across the country can only be reduced by limiting and controlling the use of guns.
Therefore, both gun control advocates and groups such as NRA hold diverse opinions on gun control and cannot have a middle ground.
References
Ginsberg, J. (2015). The right to free speech means nothing without the right to offend. The Guardian, 16.
Hate speech: better American fundamentalism than European censorship. (2017). YouTube. Retrieved 20 October 2017, from https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=VP13yJu-h30&feature=youtu.be
