'It's a form of child cruelty'... Thousands call for ear piercing for babies to be banned

THOUSANDS have signed an online petition calling on the Minister for Children to ban ear piercing for babies and toddlers. The campaign, which was …

"It"s a form of child cruelty"... Thousands call for ear piercing for babies to be banned

Tattoos should be seen as form of expression

In today’s society there is a ton of discrimination toward tattoos and piercings, which are now considered a form of personal expression. There are many views on this type of self-expression: some do not like it while others embrace it. Another view is that people still connect it with the big bad biker or a criminal. We are way past that point in society — for us to gain full equality we need to let others express themselves how they deem fit.

In the work environment, “many employers have a cookie cutter mentality of how their workers should dress and be perceived,” as said by Erika Icon in Common Sense Advice for Workers with Body Art. By this she means that when being interviewed if you do not look how they want their company to be represented, there is a very high possibility they will not hire you, which is completely legal. What is illegal is if they fire you for having tattoos or piercings after you have already been working at their company.

According to Diane Craig, president of Toronto-based image Consultant Company Corporate Class Inc., tattoos and piercings are still considered a “distraction,” and “We’re socially visually oriented.” Although I do firmly believe if that’s what you want, then go for it, others might not take you seriously if there is a tattoo on the side of your face. On the other hand I would find it cool if my doctor had a ton of tattoos on his arms or, if he dared, on his neck. Yet Kat Von D and other heavily tattooed/pierced women are considered some of the most beautiful women alive, and men are considered highly attractive when tattooed and pierced.

Tattoos and piercings are a form of expression; as an outside person you don’t know what that tattoo means to a person. Their tattoos could be a joke from a friend who has passed or it could be something of a loved one that meant a lot. Or those piercings they have are something they have always wanted and that is their choice. When judging someone on their appearance it is the same as judging a book by its cover. Society makes a big deal out of judging a person by their looks, yet it always happens and that is extremely hypocritical.

Tattoos and piercings are a lifestyle choice for some, like religion is a lifestyle choice too. Why should people who believe in Christianity or Catholicism be allowed free reign, while individuals with tattoos and piercings get to be judged and looked at with disgust? How is that fair? These individuals probably believe in a certain religion too; they could be Christians or Catholics (and etc.), but they can’t freely practice their religion because they are judged by others who believe in the same religion.

Nothing is wrong with expressing your love for someone that is dear to you by getting a tattoo that signifies their memory or having a piercing to show how they feel or how they want to look. Piercings and tattoos are not just a means of rebellion but a means of self expression. Tattoos can mean a way of moving on from a rough patch in one’s life and someone judging them on that could be a setback for them. People with tattoos realize some mothers move their children away when they see them in public or give those disgusted looks, but what if that person is one of the most giving individuals you have ever met? Individuals with tattoos and piercings are made as pariahs in society because they look different, yet they are still one of us, still a human being with feelings.

Another form of discrimination is the discrimination of parents with tattoos who are judged on their parenting skills because of their tattoos and piercings. Does the appearance of one determine who they are in life? Do having tattoos and piercings affect one’s ability to skillfully be a parent? As a child with a parent who has multiple tattoos and piercings, I can say they have no effect on her parenting skills. Those tattoos and piercings have no affect on me to where I see her in a different light.

I feel it effects a child if their parent does not let them have their own opinion on tattoos and piercings. Yes, once a tattoo is inked on your body it is there forever, but that is a chance some are willing to take because that is how they feel. I am one of those who want a tattoo — for me it is a way to express and memorialize my father’s passing away when I was younger. I also realize and understand the effects that could have on me in the long run. The question is, can people accept the fact that it is my choice and stop associating these things with just criminals and the old views of bikers.

Tattoos and piercings do not dictate the character of an individual. Their personality does, and that’s what really matters.

Taylor King is a student at Smith-Cotton High School.

Tattoos should be seen as form of expression

The ATF's Ammo Ban Is Back…in the Form of a New Bill From Democrats

Four House Democrats have taken the Obama administration’s idea of a regulation to ban a widely used kind of ammunition — one it had to pull back because it was so unpopular — and turned it into legislation.

Rep. Eliot Engel (D-N.Y.) introduced the Armor Piercing Bullets Act, which he said would ban the sale of “.223-dervied, 5.56x45mm NATO ‘green tip’ rounds” that are commonly used on the AR-15 rifle. That’s the same ban that the ATF proposed in February, through the adoption of a “framework” that would justify a ban on all bullets that can pierce police body armor.

The ATF’s failed attempt to ban ‘green tip’ ammo for the AR-15 rifle is being followed up by a Democratic attempt to legislate the ban.

The ATF’s framework prompted the submission of almost 90,000 comments, most of which opposed the plan as one that would ban a popular round used in a popular rifle. For years, these green tip rounds have enjoyed an exception from a ban on armor-piercing bullets, because they are generally used for sporting purposes.

But even when announcing that this framework would be indefinitely delayed, the ATF indicated it would continue to work on the issue and see if there’s a way to implement its framework. At a hearing last week, ATF Director B. Todd Jones said his agency was “figuring out how we do this rationally.”

Engel was more direct, and said the ATF had it right, and that it’s framework should now be implemented via legislation.

“As the ATF rightly pointed out, these rounds can easily be loaded into concealed pistols and other short guns, making them particularly dangerous to police officers,” Engel noted. “The well-being of the men and women who protect us should not, and need not, be a partisan issue. I encourage all of my colleagues in Congress to support this obvious measure that will, if enacted, save lives.”

Engel blamed the gun industry for promoting the use of armor-piercing bullets.

“There is absolutely no compelling argument to be made for anyone else to have access to them,” he said. “But the out of touch gun industry lobby is fighting tooth and nail to keep cop-killing ammunition on the streets.”

Republican senators opposed to the ATF’s proposal said last week that the real issue is how banning a popular cartridge makes it harder for people to exercise their Second Amendment rights.

“If law-abiding gun owners cannot obtain rifle ammunition, or face substantial difficulty in finding ammunition available and at reasonable prices because government entities are banning such ammunition, then the Second Amendment is at risk,” dozens of senators wrote in a letter to the ATF.

Other Democrats supporting Engel’s bill are Reps. Yvette Clarke (N.Y.), Carolyn Maloney (N.Y.), and Bonnie Watson Coleman (N.J.).

The ATF"s Ammo Ban Is Back…in the Form of a New Bill From Democrats