AFFIRMATIVE CASE - Resolved: In the United States, private ownership of handguns ought to be banned. I AFFIRM the resolution that “In the United States, private ownership of handguns ought to be banned.” For clarification of today’s round, I offer the following definitions: Private Ownership - According to Collins Dictionary, private ownership is the fact of being owned by a private individual or organization, rather than by the state or a public body. Banned - Also, according to Collins Dictionary, Banned means to prohibit, officially, from action, display, entrance, sale, etc; to forbid. My value today is UTILITARIANISM. According to Oxford Dictionaries, Utilitarianism is defined as the doctrine that actions are right if they are useful or for the benefit of a majority. Utilitarianism ties in accordingly with today’s debate because when you look at the majority, in a utilitarianism theory, you’re asking yourself and the people that consist of the majority, “What will bring the greatest amount of happiness to the greatest amount of people?” And the answer to the question is simple. If you ban the object possessed to kill people, it is no longer a threat to the majority and the focal point of the greatest happiness is suddenly made distinctly clear. My criterion today is SOCIAL CONTRACT. Social Contract is the agreement the individual makes with the government. In the agreement it is stated, that individual will allow his or her rights to be limited or altered
The right to decide one’s own fate within a fair social contract, unmolested by aristocracy or ruled by unjust laws.
In conclusion, handgun ownership by private individuals should be banned by the US government. Based on their use in murders and deaths in the home, it is clear that many gun owners do not use their handguns responsibly. Next, due to their small size and concealability, handguns create unnecessary risk to persons in public places like schools, churches and offices. Lastly, there are alternatives to handguns, such as
Since 2007, over 921 American citizens have been killed by concealed carry weapons (VPC: Concealed Carry Killers). Concealed Carry should be illegal in the United States because countries with stricter gun laws have lower homicide rates and concealed carry weapons provide an easy way to commit suicide and other forms of violence. As of right now, the United States Government leaves concealed carry laws up to individual states to decide. Thirty-one states have shall issue laws, which entails that if law-abiding people complete specified requirements then they are eligible to get a concealed carry license (NRA-ILA). Connecticut is the single state with reasonable issue laws. Reasonable issue implies that the state has some discretion over
“There were 372 mass shootings in the US in 2015, killing 475 people and wounding 1,870”(MST). Guns are not a bad thing, it’s the people carrying them. That is why I think there should be Gun control that does not abuse the power of the rightfully armed. Stronger regulations are okay, but they should not violate the Second Amendment. All states should have carry laws allowing concealed carry in all states, while banning open carry of guns.
The debate over whether the United States should have stricter gun laws has become a major talking point in our society. However, the clear choice that will bring the most prosperity and security to our country is to maintain the current gun control laws as they are the best option for the USA’s modern society. We must not let the rush to judgement after every shooting spree cloud our minds and glaze over all the benefits and lifestyles that guns let us take for granted. Society must also see what the outcomes are for the other options suggested and to not make the wrong choice and have to live with the consequences. We must not let the government enact laws that would place stricter controls on guns.
In the past six months, there have been a total of 19,635 gun incidents. Out of those 19,635 incidents, 107 were mass shootings, 829 were home invasions, and 604 were for defensive use, according to Gunviolencearchive.org. It is unbelievable to see the number of gun related incidents that have happened in just the past six months. What is even more unbelievable to imagine is that so many of those incidents could have been avoided if people were allowed to carry concealed guns in certain places. Concealed carry, or concealed weapons, is the practice of carrying weapons, such as a handgun, in public in a concealed manner. All fifty states in the United States allow concealed carry in public places to some degree. But, some places, for example, schools, restaurants, and stores, prohibit concealed weapons. The controversy about whether concealed weapons should be prohibited in certain locations has been debated for years, and more often in the past decade. On one side of the debate, supporters of the “gun-free zones” claim that prohibiting concealed weapons in certain locations will reduce crime and ensure that the location is free of gun violence, allowing concealed weapons can result to more guns landing in the hands of criminals, and some even insist that public safety should be left to professional, qualified police officers, not ignorant citizens with little to no expert training. However, it is absolutely necessary to know that prohibiting weapons in certain locations
Each person has their own idea of what our founding fathers meant when they put this in our constitution. Some people use guns as a hunting sport or for food. But then there are the ones who want to cause harm to each other. I still remember the morning of December 11, 2012. The day the Clackamas Town Center shooting occurred. A man entered a busy mall, killed 2 people and seriously injured another. He ended up shooting himself after causing all that fear and pain to the shoppers. My family and I had planned to visit the mall that day to take my relatives who came to visit from California, but we overslept. We heard the news on the radio on our way there and we turned around knowing we could have been there. The culprit stole an AR-15 from
Carrying a concealed handgun in public is permitted in all 50 states, 42 of the states require permits while the other 8 do not (Farago). There are many different opinions on this topic where someone believe that they should ban carrying a concealed gun in public and those who believe that it's our right to carry if people want to. A man took out a gun and opened fire on barbers and customers inside Falah Barber Shop in Philadelphia. Another man that was passing by heard the gunfire and ran into the shop and pulling his own handgun out. He shot at the gunman and hit him in the chest, officials said they see it as a case of self-defense (Man). He is a hero for saving lives. People should carry for their safety and others, this is only one of many reasons why everyone should.
Mass shootings and suicides have become a serious occurrence from yearly to daily basis. With all these casualties, most of them were unarmed and killed by some sort of weapon. The outcomes of these events would have been different if they were carrying a gun. The possibilities of protecting themselves would be greater than if they did not. Obviously, having a legal weapon can help protect you and your love ones from a dangerous situation. Throughout history, men have been using and keeping weapons in their homes, which the 2nd Amendment claim that citizens have the right to bear arms. Gun control laws should not be prohibited, but in this case, more strict.
Would you choose to own a gun if your life depended on it? America has defended itself with guns since December 13, 1631 when the National Guard was born. We are a country that defends what we love. What do we defend ourselves with? Guns of course. Guns and America were discovered around the same time. Guns will forever be a part of America. Without guns the American Revolution would not have been won (Boehm). There have been some times in American history where guns have caused the loss of innocent Americans lives due to an unstable person, but there have also been multiple times where guns have defended each and every American’s freedom. Most people don’t think about a day-to-day basis and how guns can be beneficial to our
As the population increases its stocks on firearms, a significant number of citizens are at risk of being harmed. According to statistics, “In 2000, almost 30,000 persons died from firearm injuries in the United States more than the number of deaths from, alcohol abuse, or drug abuse… [in spite of] almost 20,000 laws and regulations regulating gun usage to some degree” (Kwon and Baack). Though several individuals are in fear of losing guns as weapons for protection, a greater number of laws will continue to be useful in maintaining the security of citizens upon significant new laws addressing gun control. Although the existence of guns is necessary to protect bear arms, gun control laws help reduce violence, decrease the homicide rate, and help prevent accidents from around the globe. New gun control laws should be enforced to ensure the safety of the entire population, and most importantly to prevent any gun violence as necessary to help save the lives of the innocent.
In the Constitution, Americans are given the right to bear arms, just because its a given right does not mean there are some restrictions. For example, if you have committed a felony then you have lost your right to bear arms as part of your punishment. Nowadays, there are too many shootings going on, some people may blame it the gun control laws and that they aren 't strict enough, others may disagree. This year alone there have been shootings that could have been prevented with more strict gun laws. Gun control laws need to be tightened to make America feel more safe; you can’t even go to the movies, or church feeling safe nowadays. Recently there was a shooting live broadcasted on television when a mentally disturbed man shot and killed two people. Mentally ill persons are getting their hands on guns and hurting innocent people by having doctors report threats to the state it should minimize the amount of crazy people who get their hands on guns to hurt others. However, even though they are mentally ill, doctors can’t report that to the state due to doctor patient confidentiality.
5. The vast majority of gun owners are not all crackpots. It’s just those few who are mentally ill and take a gun and kill innocent people. Most people keep a gun
Gun Control in America has been argued back and forth for decades past. On one side it is strongly believed that the Second Amendment suggests that individual citizens have a constitutionally protected right to own a gun and protect themselves. These individuals believe that gun control laws do not in fact reduce gun violence. On the other side it is said if Gun Control laws are enacted there would be less gun and school violence. Also, it would be harder for criminals and juveniles to obtain a firearm. Both sides have very valid arguments and historical evidence to back their positions on within this debate.
Gun ownership should be banned in order to reduce crime rates and ensure the protection of our nation’s people. Throughout the United States, gun control has become a controversial issue due to gun advocates strongly believing their 2nd Amendment rights guarantee them legal access to guns. Although gun advocates view gun ownership as self defense, the government and gun control supporters have noticed that legal distribution of guns has been linked to school shootings, homicide, and violent crimes. Furthermore, legal distribution of guns increases the risk of harming innocent people while declining the police’s power to establish safety in society. Overall, in order to prevent the destruction of our country, the people must work together to ban gun ownership and ratify the 2nd Amendment rights clarifying its purpose to the public.