The Gun Control Debate Gun control has a history dating back to 1791, when the Second Amendment of the Constitution was ratified. The Second Amendment has drawn a great deal of criticism in recent years. It has evolved into a much more political issue to which many citizens can relate. After all, many stories involving guns have appeared much more frequently in newspapers, on the television, and the radio. The debate of gun control started with the passage of Gun Control Act of 1968, which banned ownership of guns by certain people and regulated the sale of guns. Since then, two major groups have emerged: people who support strict federal laws on guns and those who oppose them. This essay will cover the Second Amendment, public safety, home safety, and hearing from those who are for and those who are against the federal restrictions on guns. On Friday December 17th, 2012, thousands of people’s lives changed forever. Sandy Hook Elementary was hit by a gunman that …show more content…
On a practical level, gun owners argue that weapons are actually making the society safer. They are giving the people the power to protect themselves and dissuading criminals from victimizing people who might be armed. One against gun restrictions would say that they believe, with a gun, they can stop a mass shooter better than someone with no protection could ever. Opposition to gun control focuses on attempts to unarm more or less sane, law-abiding adults. No one can say, with certainty, that guns increase or decrease violence and crime. According to a 1983 National Institute of Justice, about one percent of privately owned firearms are used in criminal activity. This is suggesting that eliminating 99 percent of the nation’s guns would not benefit crime. Or would it? Philip Cook, an economist at Duke University calls this speculation about the uselessness of eliminating guns
As you and your family walk through the store, a man dressed all in black walks in and pulls out an assault rifle and starts firing. People fall to the ground, including your mother, killed by the raging bullets. You and your surviving family hide, hoping to not be seen by the gunman. By this time the Police have arrived, ending the carnage. You were lucky, although others were not. Reports later prove this man was mentally ill and was able to acquire weapons without questioning. How could this of happened to your family and countless other families? The answer is the lack of gun control.
Gun control should not exist at all in the United States. Mass shootings have almost become seen as normal event in the United States. What people do not understand is that gun control is not the answer; there are countries with little to no control that have fewer shootings. According to The Washington Post,Finland is ranked number 4 in countries with the most guns despite that they only had 24 homicides by firearm (“Gun homicides and ownership by countries” n.pag.) . In the article Did Gun Control Work In Australia “it is shown that gun control has reduced the problems but it still has not completely got rid of all firearm deaths”(Matthews n.pag.). The number of murders, homicides, or suicides do not go up due to people just owning more guns. Clayton Perry, a staff writer at the University of Maine, even points out “Stricter gun laws were in place during the Assault Weapons Ban between 1994 and 2004, but that didn't stop the shooters at Columbine in 1999 ”(Perry n. pag.). In Iceland, thirty out of a hundred people own a gun and they have zero homicides caused by guns a year(“Gun Homicides and ownership by country” n. pag.). In this day and age, everything is unpredictable, guns are a form of protection for everyone and there should not be restrictions on protection. The U.S. Department of Justice released a data brief that states, “ On average in 1987-92 about 83,000 crime victims per year used a firearm to defend themselves or their property”(Rand BJS Statistician n. pag.). The National Sheriffs Association released that the average police response time is at eighteen minutes while the average school shooting only last twelve minutes (“Embracing Technology To Decrease Response Time” n. pag.). Gun control should not exist because other countries do fine without it , high gun ownership has no link with increasing death rates , and guns are not harmful when instructions are followed.
Gun control laws should regulate production, distribution, ownership and use of firearms by civilians. Gun control laws are not intended to dispossess law abiding citizens of licensed firearms but to intervene on reckless use of firearms that cause harm to the public. Gun control should also make it difficult for criminals to access firearms. Armed civilians have in many instances deterred acts of crime from being instigated by scaring away criminals. Nonetheless, gun laws can only be described as immensely lax. This essay seeks to argue for the enactment of strict gun control laws by highlighting the dangers posed by guns in the hands of members of the public.
From 1988 to 2001, the usage of anti-depressant drugs in the general public increased by four-hundred percent (Swanson). The mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary took place in December of 2012, and during 2014, firearms were used in 88 percent of teen homicides, and 41 percent of teen suicides (“Suicidal Teens”). On February 28th, 2017, the Trump administration repealed a firearms regulation that prevented mentally disabled persons from owning guns. At the same time, teenage mental illness is on the rise, specifically in cases of depression and anxiety. A report from the Surgeon General shows that over 90 percent of adolescents that committed either suicide or homicide have or had a mental disability. Mental disabilities such as depression and anxiety put teenagers at a high risk for homicides and suicides. Teenagers who are stressed due to school, lack of parenting, puberty, bullying, and other factors can develop depression, anxiety or another mental illness. Allowing these teens easy access to firearms proves time and time again to be very dangerous. In some cases, the families of these teens have never been assessed to see if they can responsibly store firearms. The only background check performed is on the owner of the firearm, meaning that a person may own the weapon even if another family member living with them legally cannot. Loose gun control laws allow families with physiologically ill children to have access to firearms, without first checking to see if the disabled children in the home are responsible enough to be around said firearms. Repealing gun control laws instated by the Obama administration will cause an increase in adolescent firearm-related homicides, suicides, and tragedies similar to the one at Sandy Hook Elementary.
Since the 1990s, debates regarding firearm availability and gun violence in the United States have been characterized by concerns about the right to bear arms. Gun control supporters believe broad, unrestricted gun rights inhibit the government from fulfilling their responsibility to protect the safety of the public. Also, these advocates state keeping guns out of the hands of criminals results in safer communities. Gun rights supporters promote firearms for self-defense, hunting, sporting activities, and security against tyranny. Gun rights advocates also believe firearm ownership by law abiding citizens reduces crime.
One afternoon on December 11, 2012 normal, loyal citizens were going about their day, shopping for what they needed. All was fine until lound sounds were heard across the mall. This was not any loud sound, it was a gunshot. People rushing to cover, protecting their children and loved ones from the firing of a gun. Two lives of poor innocent civilians were coldly taken away from their bodies, and one of them on the floor with a critical injury. The man was named Jacob Roberts, a cold blooded murderer, firing at everything that moved, but then it suddenly stopped. Someone told him to leave, and he retreated. The man who asked him to leave is named Nick Meli. He held up his gun to Roberts and made him retreat and he did in fear of getting shot. If it wasn’t for someone having a gun to stop him, many more people would have died (Bella). This is not the only time when someone is saved by their gun; for example the New Life Church Shooting, the trolley square shooting, and the San Antonio Theater Shooting where all stopped by a civilian stopping the shooter before he murders more people (Broderick). If Congress passes stricter gun laws, it will be a grave mistake because it will take away guns from loyal, honest citizens, make victims of homicide more vulnerable, and while trying to stop mass shootings by banning guns, Congress will benefit the economy of the black market.
In the United States, we have issues that affect many Americans in their day to day lives. They live always wondering when the next breaking news alert will show up on their television, smart phone, or computer; listening to the constant blast of sirens running through the downtown city streets, from police cars, firetrucks, and ambulances. Anything from burglaries, high speed car chases, or shootings keep these emergency personnel on the clock 24/7. The government has many laws established to prevent these outbreaks yet they still constantly happen. Although many of our laws do keep must of our daily lives in a safer routine such as traffic laws and laws meant to keep humans civil such as laws about murder and theft, you would think
The use of firearms have been around since the year it was introduced in 1364. It has helped many countries expand their tactics in wars and battles. It may have it positive reasoning and points, but should gun control laws be enforced or lifted? Revitalizing the gun control laws is necessary due to change over time, people’s health shifts; thus, there should be a renewal proceedings every three or five years. (introduction)
Coming from a family that owns guns, the topic of gun ownership has become more pertinent than ever. From a young age, my grandfather instructed me on the proper care and usage of firearms. However, due to a death within the family years ago due to gun violence, the repercussions of the Second Amendment have become more palpable. Approximately 73% of the 16,459 homicides could have been avoided in 2016 solely if guns didn't exist, and 11,961 lives potentially saved according to data calculated from the Federal Bureau of Investigation dataset. Whether or not the people of the United States agree with more gun control, the choice of allowing guns to the public puts everyone at a potential risk of encountering a firearm related crime. The glaring need for improved gun control within the U.S. became apparent in the recent
With being at the heels of the Vegas mass shooting, the deadliest mass shooting in United States history, anti-gun advocates are out in full force. Being a gun owner myself, I am worried that my guns for hunting and self-defense are in jeopardy. The implementation of the controversial gun control concept has been casually taken part in a numerous amount of political debates throughout the course of time. If this act is potentially taken to action in the United States, it will stir up a large dispute as it will take away the whole concept of the Second Amendment allowing the right of the people to keep and bear arms. With attempts to achieve the vision of a gun-free America by appealing the emotions of a hurting nation, society seems to be
In America today, there are a lot of problems that cause our country to divide. One of which is the distribution and use of firearms. Many people in the U.S. own guns or at least know someone who does. The banning of guns is a discussion that many people are taking sides on. There are many reasons why guns cannot be banned. Everybody should be able to purchase and use firearms because they are protected by the second amendment, they can be used recreationally, and they will protect us if we encounter any danger threatening our lives.
Whenever people hear the word guns in any sentence, there frighten by the idea it can kill anyone, but it reality it can also save us from certain death ourselves. Gun were made to protect us, guns don't kill people people kill people and it's one the common mistake people make when it comes to decided to add gun control or not. They are part of the United States amendments and they are the reason why we all are protected in our society. Without guns to protect us, people can step on us and take over our city and even the country itself without protection.People has the mind to believe that gun kills when in reality people kills people which is why i am against gun control.
Gun control is a very controversial, complicated, and delicate subject, which affects a large amount of people in our society, and is full of moral and legal arguments which all must be heard. The issue of gun control has come up recently as an important decision opportunity for our country. Many people argue that whether guns are the useful tool and should be allowed. The Second Amendment of the United States Constitution gives the citizens of America the right to bear arms, in other words, it is uncontrolled and legitimate that if people have any kind of guns they want. Even though the second amendment as a law permitting gun has some benefits that gives people much more protection to the future victims of gun attacks,
Guns are used all over the world and are controlled in some countries but in others people are allowed to have any type of gun ranging from automatic assault rifles to big rocket launches. Should it also be controlled in our country the United States of America? Many say no yes and many others say NO! In my opinion it should be controlled.
Gun control is a perplexed and controversial subject due to it’s impact on substantial amounts of people in our society. Nonproliferation consists of a plenary of subjective and objective arguments which all must be assessed.