What Is Gun Control?

‘“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.

The issue at hand has been the focus of news, social and political debate in the recent years. Gun control refers to the attempt by government to regulate the right to keep and bear arms based on a preconceived criterion. This debate has been due to prominent cases of mass gun violence, especially against civilians and children. Gun violence affects every American citizen. About 40% of all Americans carry or own licensed guns. This gives value to the issue and its implication on society. There has been an equal uproar on both sides of the debate. The issue at hand is the addition of measures to

This paper discusses and is centered around the on-going debate over gun control, I directly address how each major political party views this subject and what I believe the United States Government should do to be able to best combat this tremendous issue. I use research from multiple sources that contrast each side of the argument and give an overall insight into the world of modernized gun control.

The second amendment of The Constitution of the Unites States rules that “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.” In recent years this has become a highlighted and popular discussion topic throughout people and media. Typical with American media the subject of gun control is visited with broad stroked of red and the use of fear tactics while completely ignoring the complicated and underling positives and negatives of public access to firearms and the benefits and risks associated with this freedom. Most people do not carry a weapon at all and may question others who do because of the moderately low risk of being a victim of a crime. Those how carry however like to think “Better to have it and not need it, than need it and not have it.”

America is the most well armed nation in the world, with American citizens owning about 270 million of the world’s 875 million firearms (Marshall). Indeed, this is more than a quarter of the world’s registered firearms. The reason why Americans own so many guns is because of the Second Amendment, which 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.” (Rauch) This amendment guarantees U.S. citizens the right to have firearms. Since this amendment is relatively vague, it is up for interpretation, and is often used by gun advocates to argue for lenient gun laws. Hence, gun control is a frequently discussed controversial topic in American politics.

Nevertheless, there are people who started to turn around and think in a different direction. They believe that Second Amendment was only meant for militia units who have permission to bear arms. In recent report from 2011, there were 32,163 deaths in the United States that is related to guns in which 11,101 of them are homicide and 19,776 of them are suicide. That number makes America a seven times higher in the gun homicide rate over other countries such as Canada, United Kingdom, and Australia (O'Brien, Forrest, Lynott, & Daly, 2013). Questions were asked to the politicians on how to control the gun regulation in a country such as the United States.

On April 20th of the year 1999, two high school students, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, went armed into Columbine High School with guns, knives, and a multitude of bombs. The result was the slaughter of twelve students and one teacher. The gunners also turned the guns

America is the most well armed nation in the world, with American citizens owning about 270 million of the world’s 875 million firearms (Marshall). Indeed, this is more than a quarter of the world’s registered firearms. The reason why Americans own so many guns is because of the Second Amendment, which 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.” (Rauch) This amendment guarantees U.S. citizens the right to have firearms. Since this amendment is relatively vague, it is up for interpretation, and is often used by gun advocates to argue for lenient gun laws. Hence, gun control is a frequently discussed controversial topic in

American citizens have had the right to own guns and have had easy access to them since the Constitution was written. The Second Amendment grants militias the right to own guns to protect the citizens, but it can be interpreted in multiple ways. Like the Second Amendment, gun control and gun laws are just as old and have shaped the country in different ways. Recently, the easy accessibility to guns and lack of strict gun laws have increased the homicide, suicide, burglary, and theft rates, but there could be other variables that affect these data as well. Gun laws, and the lack there of, have affected American society in countless ways by improving and worsening Americans’ way of life.

Across the United States there have been many shootings and attacks. The most recent being in San Bernardino California where 14 innocent lives were taken. Most of these shootings are in schools, state buildings, movie theatres etc. Every public mass shooting in the USA since 1950 has taken place where citizens are banned from carrying guns. There are ways to end these people going on killing sprees once and for all. Many law abiding citizens are experienced and comfortable with a firearm. Imagine these people being able to take their concealed weapons into places that are now “no gun zones”. This would act as a deterrent against the people who go on killing sprees. At the least, law abiding citizens

Gun Control Gun Control has been a highly controversial issue in the United States for the past several decades. From assassinations to mass shootings, every time guns and violence come together the issue resurfaces. Should the nation act on stricter gun laws and legislation? Would new gun laws help or hinder the gun crime rate in the United States? The nation stands divided on the issue; both sides taking a firm stance as to what they believe should be done legislatively with guns. Gun control advocates state that the number ofand different types of guns in the hands of the American public is simply too great. There are an estimated two hundred and forty million guns in circulation across our nation made up of three hundred million citizens. Gun control advocates reason that more guns lead to more gun crime. They site the extremely tight gun laws in countries such as the United Kingdom and Japan and compare the gun number to gun violence ratio. The ratio in those countries is nearly one hundred times lower than that of the United States with .04 gun related deaths per one hundred thousand people compared to the United State’s 3.42 gun related deaths per one hundred thousand people. Furthermore, out of the fourteen deadliest mass shootings in the world, half of them have been committed in the United States. Even though there was a decline in gun related crimes during the 90’s, they have been on the rise since 2005. Currently, the United States ranks twelfth out of one

Gun control is the "government regulation of the manufacture, sale, and possession of firearms" (Legal Dictionary), and it is clear that the American approach to it is simply not working. A variety of loopholes exist that allow guns to wind up in the hands of those not qualified or permitted to use them. The scope and severity of gun violence in the United States is extreme. There are more guns per capita than anywhere else, and high amounts of both gun crime and murder per person. The extent of government varies country by country, and, in comparison to every other high-income, Western state, it is clear that the American approach to gun control and the various loopholes and workarounds that it provides leads to both higher levels of gun violence and greater levels of violence in

Gun Control has been an issue that has been brought to the public’s eyes in recent years. This main issue has been going on for many years, for example when John F. Kennedy was assassinated; it raised public awareness to the lack of control on sales and also possession of guns in America. Until 1968 guns were available over the counter in stores and through mail catalogs to just about any adult in America. This was an example of how loosely guns were regulated which bring us back to the issue of guns. The constitution tells us in the second amendment that we, as American Citizens, have the right to bear arms. But the government is trying to change that by regulating everything to do with owning a gun. My stance: Gun

Scholarly Essay: Gun Control There has been considerable debate recently in Canada over the issue of gun control. The Canadian parliament enacted the Firearms Act to enforce gun control by requiring gun owners to register their firearms. Just recently, the government of Alberta lead in a charge, including five other provinces and numerous pro-gun groups, complaining that the law is unconst...

“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.