Argumentative Essay: The Gun Control Debate

A study on November 26, 2013 showed states with stricter gun laws also had more gun related murders (Mark Gius). One might believe gun control would decrease crime rates but according to this study, it proves just the opposite. 31 states have laws allowing citizens to carry concealed weapons. These states have a 24% lower crime rate and a 19% lower murder rate than the states with strict gun laws (David Lampo). Statistically, the states with more guns have lower crime rates than states with fewer guns. A 2007 Harvard study recorded that Norway had the highest rate of gun ownership in Western Europe and at the same time had the lowest murder rate. Denmark and Sweden also followed the same pattern as Norway with high gun ownership and low murder rates (www.theacru.org). The same study showed that Russia, a country that almost eliminated gun ownership, had a murder rate four times higher than the US and 20 times higher than Norway. These examples show that America could increase or have the same amount of gun related deaths if gun laws are increased. Therefore, citizens need to recognize the repetitive failure of gun control in other countries to understand how strict gun laws would jeopardize

Current Gun Control regulations do not deter violence and crime. It has been shown that places that have relaxed their gun control laws have a higher crime and death rate. Data proves that homicide rates “[...] among the metro areas whose principal city is in a state that requires some form of permit to purchase a gun, is 4.32 per 100,000 residents, compared with 5.74 among cities in no-permit states”(Bailey). This is evidence that there is a correlation between gun control and death rates. It is also proven with statistical evidence that places with the least amount of gun control have the most violence. Statistics show that “‘none of the states with the most gun violence require permits to purchase rifles, shotguns, or handguns. Gun owners are also not required to register

Gun control laws do not deter crime; gun ownership deters crime. A Nov. 26, 2013 study found that, between 1980 and 2009, "assault weapons bans did not significantly affect murder rates at the state level" and "states with restrictions on the carrying of concealed weapons had higher gun-related murders." While gun ownership doubled in the twentieth century, the murder rate decreased. John R. Lott, Jr., PhD, author of More Guns, Less Crime: Understanding Crime and Gun Control Laws, stated, "States with the largest increases in gun ownership also have the largest drops in violent crimes... The effect on 'shall-issue' [concealed gun] laws on these crimes [where two or more people were killed] has been dramatic. When states passed these laws, the number of multiple-victim shootings declined by 84 percent. Deaths from these shootings plummeted on average by 90 percent and injuries by 82 percent." A Dec. 10, 2014 Pew survey found that 57% of people believe that owning a gun protects

In looking over how gun control single handily affects crime, advocates of gun control continue to argue that restrictions on firearm accessibility, handguns in particular can reduce the rate of firearm-related crimes, suicides, and accidental deaths.. People that oppose gun control argue that it won’t reduce crime, because it would embolden criminals, who manages to secure firearms, to attack citizens whom are to be believed unarmed. When it comes to debating the issue as to whether or not gun control is constitutional, the focus is mainly on the Second Amendment and it’s what it means. Gun-control advocates argue that the Second Amendment refers only to the arming of a State militia and cite court cases that have offered this interpretation. Gun-control opponents maintain that the "right to bear arms" is guaranteed not only to members of a State militia but also to every citizen. In debating whether or not gun ownership is an effective means of self-defense, opponents of gun control use situations where as gun ownership stopped or prevented a crime from happening. Gun- control advocates tend to use statistics that show a gun in the home place is more likely to kill a family member rather than its intended purpose.

However, gun control in America is one of the most difficult things for many people to have an open perspective on. The Vidette Online says that it appears that caring about someone’s right to a gun is more important than caring about someone’s right to live. What many people don’t understand that is many gun control advocates say that if gun laws made it much more difficult to purchase firearms and if more firearms were banned people would be much safer (Haskins). For instance, many states with the lowest crime rates including homicide rates also have the fewest limits on gun ownership (Haskins). There is data to prove that even the states with higher gun ownership rates which include Alaska, Arkansas, Idaho, Montana, West Virginia, and Wyoming (Haskins). If gun-control supporters are correct about the dangers of firearms these six states would have a significantly higher crime rate (Haskins). On the other hand, many cities with low legal gun ownership rates such as Chicago have extremely high gun related murder rates (Haskins). It is not about the gun laws that are going to put an end to mass shootings.

Roughly 16,459 murders were committed in the United States during 2016. Of these, about 11,961 or 73% were committed with firearms because people have been killed with gun shot, example the las vegas shooting. A Pew Foundation report found that 79% of male gun owners and 80% of female gun owners said owning a gun made them feel safer, and 64% of people living in a home in which someone else owns a gun felt safer.The Centers for Disease Control listed firearms as the #12 cause of all deaths between 1999 and 2013, representing 1.3% of total deaths. They were also the #1 method of death by homicide (66.6% of all homicides) and by suicide (52.2% of all suicides).

‘“A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.”’ (“Gun Control”) Due to firearms, more than 30,000 people die in America every year. Mass shootings happen frequently and people die because of the lack of laws and their security. The United States needs better gun control laws because automatic assault rifles are easy to buy, the mentally ill can purchase guns, and many die from guns each year.

One of the biggest arguments against gun control is that it does not prevent criminals from committing violent crimes, such as murder. Based on information gathered by Argesti and Smith, this A Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) study showed that when a handgun ban was put in effect in Washington D.C. “the murder rate averaged 73% higher than it was at the outset of the law” (Argesti and Smith). Another report from the FBI showed that when Florida and Texas implemented a right-to-carry law, their murder rates dropped by 30 and 36 percent (qtd. in Argesti and Smith). It is blatantly obvious that areas with high crime will continue to have the same level of crime, even after the implementation of stricter gun control laws.

Sandy Hook Elementary. Aurora, Colorado. San Bernardino, California. Las Vegas, Nevada. Orlando, Florida. (Words with Negative Connotation) These are just some of the biggest mass shootings that have swept America in the past few years. Hundreds of lives are lost each year to gun related violence in the United States alone. Gun control has been a topic in our country since our founding fathers adopted the second amendment to the US constitution. Although recently controversy has sparked to an all-new extent in America due to the recent spike in mass shootings and gun related homicides. So many families and loves ones are affected each year in the United States because of gun related violence and other mass killing events, because of these events gun control laws need to be revamped and strengthened in American in order to protect the citizens.

At certain points in history, gun sales to civilians have been prohibited by law. In 1976, Washington D.C. implemented a gun ban that potentially worsened the city’s homicide rate. According to the Metropolitan Police Department, annual homicides rose from 188 in 1976 to 364 in 1988 and continued increasing to 454 in 1993. The gun ban was struck down by the Supreme Court in District of Columbia v. Heller and since, homicides have steadily declined to 88 annual murders in 2012. This statistic shows that depriving the right to bear arms from law abiding citizens is ineffective in decreasing the number of homicides as criminals will find a way to obtain a gun even with a gun ban in place. The law-abiding citizens will be left vulnerable as the criminals will have defenseless victims to attack. The United States has attempted to put gun bans into place in the past. However, these regulations have been repetitively ineffective. Because of the ineffectiveness of gun bans and the overall counter-result of an increase in homicides, it would be in best interest, for the safety of Americans, to not implement an increase on Federal gun control

As Americans, we are very used to the scene after a new mass shooting happens: outrage, fear, and families suffering the death of their beloved ones. Politicians start debating on gun policy, again, arriving at no solution. This has been America’s reality for the past decades. The problem in which lobbyists and a dominant minority stop any attempt to find a solution. Dan Gross, as president of the Brady Campaign, is seeking to promote sensible gun control in the United States. Mr. Gross advocates for gun control and for laws that put a stop to the gun violence problem (Ted Talk). Another article by Tom McCarthy in The Guardian gives some data and ideas about what gun control would look like. McCarthy’s article gives us a context in which

“The second amendment of The United States Bill of Rights is my concealed weapons permit, period.”- Ted Nugent. Saving lives one by one starts with limiting the purchase, sale, and use of guns in America. According to Alexander Lee, the political and social debate over the question of how much gun control is appropriate and it has been regularly discussed within the last decade. Shootings such as Sandy Hook, and Tucson shootings have raised the government’s awareness on guns and possible restrictions and regulations. Gun talks are discussed with the question, “Will controlling guns cut back on violent crime rates?” Although many guns are open to be sold to the public over 18, there are traditional gun laws that limit who can own them. These laws include sell restrictions to the mentally disabled, the age in which you can obtain a gun, background checks, and dishonorably discharged military personnel. Gun control laws could have a positive effect in America by reducing homicide rates, but at the same time, citizens still have the right to bear arms under the second amendment under the U.S constitution. Gun control laws do not mean the absolute confiscation of guns, but rather reduce the amount of power a gun and the amount of ammo that a gun can hold.

Gun control in the United States is a very controversial topic in today’s political society, leaving the nation divided into two sides with two strongly opinionated beliefs. This all started with the increase in the amount of mass shootings and an overall increase in gun violence. The two sides consist of the liberal point of view and the conservative point of view. The liberals believe that the availability of firearms to the people in the country is a major issue, and that the U.S. government is at fault for the mass shootings due to the lenient regulations on guns. In retaliation, the conservatives argue that having a gun is a God given right, that the Second Amendment of The Constitution. Although the availability of guns is seen to be

The typical argument for gun control is that it lowers crime rate. This article finds that there is no solid evidence that gun control lowers crime rates. It is known however that crime reduction is the basic premise behind gun control. The findings are that high crime rates lead to efforts for more gun control and that the number of Democrats in office is positively related to the passing of gun control laws. This article is relative to my topic because it discusses the issues of civil liberties with gun control that would be extensive and stringent enough to effectively control all transfers of firearms. This article derives most of its data from reputable United States government

The Second Amendment states, “A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed” (Stolzenberg and D'alessio). These words were written over two hundred years ago, however the exact meaning of them are still not entirely clear. The Amendment’s true meaning has been rather obscure for centuries, but it wasn’t until recent years that the issue has become the center of legal and academic debates (Stolzenberg and D'alessio). Though there has been regulations on guns for quite some time, firearm regulation did not become a “prominent political issue” until the 1980’s (Stolzenberg and D'alessio). “Once gun control entered the nation's political conscience, there was a surge in academic study of the Second Amendment's language and the historical sources surrounding its adoption” (Stolzenberg and D'alessio). Various books and articles were written and published reviewing these issues and “even noted constitutional theorists such as Laurence Tribe” began to change their ideas and understanding of the amendment (Stolzenberg and D'alessio).