Gun control is an issue that has been debated by Americans since the 1960’s (Dolan 1). The debate questions the right of Americans to bear arms, this including, handguns, shotguns, and rifles. Some say a simple restriction of these arms is in order while some think they should be banned altogether (Dolan 1). Both sides hold strong opinions often causing conflict in the matter and confusion among the citizens of the United States.
However, the opponents do agree that a death rate of 30 million a year due to the powerful and deadly weapon is too high; only they have different views on how to lower this rate. These arms, proven by statistics, provide the result of 30 million murders, suicides, and accidental deaths each year (Dolan 1).
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A contributor to the rise of guns is the power it holds. Although, the gun has played a major part in our history, the larger result of the gun is a cycle: man lead to war- war lead to guns-guns led to crime- crime leads to fear- fear leads to more guns. “The right to own guns is set out in the American Constitution: ‘the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed,’” (Hawkes 10). The private ownership of guns is claimed by many to be a tradition. The must of having a gun was used by the settler for hunting and protection and went on later to play a major role in the winning of our nations independence (Dolan 13). This reflects the protective use of the gun, however, the growing violence in our nation has seemed to conflict with the right of citizens to protect themselves and their families. To say our nation has done nothing to control the violence and deaths by guns would be wrong. The nation has made many attempts for gun control, such as, State and Local Laws, which covers the aspects of issuance of gun permits and regulations (Dolan 20). Part of this includes a waiting period, which is not quite effective and not always mandatory. These laws, however, are not issued by all states, which still makes it very simple for a criminal or mentally disturbed person to purchase a gun. Only in the following states writes Dolan, are people required to have a permit or something equivalent to purchase a
In America guns have been a part of the country’s society since it’s birth. Throughout history the citizens of the US have used firearms to protect the nation, protect their families, hunt for food and engage in sporting activities. The issue of Guns and gun control is complex. Weighing the rights and liberties of the individual against the welfare and safety of the public has always been a precarious balancing act. In the United States, gun control is one of these tumultuous issues that has both sides firmly entrenched in their positions. Those parties in favor of gun ownership and the freedom to use and keep arms, rely on the fact that the provision for such rights is enshrined in their constitution. In this climate of
What cause crime? Is is an individual’s access to firearms or is it their willingness to act illegally given the opportunity? In this argumentative essay I will be discussing one of the most debated topics in the United States today, gun control. There are two extremely opposite views on this topic: the belief that guns enable crime, and the belief that guns deter crime. These polar opposites leave room for a very good discussion of what facts and truths may lie behind this topic. Throughout this essay I will be analyzing both sides of this issue.The significance of a topic such as gun control is very prevalent in today’s society. Some see it sad that we must argue over one of our supposedly deemed unalienable rights such as bearing a firearm.
the local zoo, than to confront an assault rifle in the hands of a drug-crazed
Guns are one of the most controversial and debated-upon topics in America today. In the Constitution, Americans are given “the right to bear arms,” and many Americans are proud of and believe strongly in that right. Though, that right has been constantly misused. Homicides by gun are at a higher rate in the United States than any other country in the world, mass shootings are at an all time high (many of which have occurred in the past two years alone), and terrorism has been at an all-time high. So, naturally, it is a topic that needs to be discussed. In the articles Change Your Gun Laws, America (1), author Fareed Zakaria provides the readers with some harrowing statistics on guns and insight over how the U.S. laws on guns need to be managed.
Another big issue is children and teens getting hurt or killed with guns. One reason
Mary Read was only 19 years old on the last day of her life. An aspiring elementary school teacher, Mary always had a smile on her face. She baked cookies, cakes, and cupcakes for her friends and family. Mary was the oldest of five children, yet she treated everyone she met as a sister or brother. A beloved freshman at Virginia Tech was to be only the beginning for such a beautiful soul, but instead was an end. On April 16, 2007 an undeserving wretched individual took the life of Mary Read along with 31 others. By the means of a gun, she was gone.
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
In a country where the people own more than 70 million handguns and perhaps one million automatic rifles and assault weapons, public opinion on gun control is understandably divided. Those opposed to gun control often cite the Second Amendment of the United States Constitution, which appears to guarantee private citizens the unrestricted right to bear arms; less theoretical arguments include the practical need for self-defense in a violent society, and the prospect of political tyranny in a society where only the government possesses weapons. Finally, the sporting rights of hunters and target shooters are said to be threatened by calls for registration of rifles and
In the light of the recent, tragic incidents of gun violence in the United States, such as those in San Bernardino and Las Vegas, the controversial issue of gun control has rekindled the grand debate of whether or not the government should enact stronger restrictions on guns to protect the public. This issue in recent years has become quite contentious as public opinion has balanced out to nearly 50/50. While restricting firearms may seem like a good idea at first, as it limits the availability of the irascible weapons, the proposals shouldn’t be made into law because they would infringe the Second Amendment right to “keep and bear arms” and result in an increasingly violent society, where one
Gun control has a history dating back to 1791, when the Second Amendment of the Constitution was ratified. However, more recently, the debate over gun control has escalated into a much more public issue to which many citizens can relate. After all, stories about incidents involving guns appear frequently today in newspapers and on television or the radio. One could say that the debate started with the passage of the Gun Control Act of 1968, which banned ownership of guns by certain groups of people and regulated the sale of guns. Since then, two main groups have gradually appeared: people who oppose strict federal
For many years the controversial topic of gun control has sparked countless passionate debates. The arguments posed in these debates vary widely concerning the possible solutions to solving the problem of violent crime due to the possession of firearms. This paper introduces three different views concerning gun control. The first illustrates the freedom to own firearms. The second view advocates the complete restriction of firearms owned by citizens, and the last one presents a modified freedom of possessing firearms. Each faction seeks to have its position supported by national legislation.
What is gun control? Who is affected by gun control? Why should someone care about gun control? Imagine going to a concert with your friends and family, you guys are laughing and having a good time when all of a sudden someone starts shooting up the place. Are you thinking to yourself if guns were banned this wouldn't have happened? Or are you wishing you had a gun to protect everyone from what is happening? Gun Control has been an issue since the beginning of time, there are some people who think we need it and others who say we have the right to bear arms. With gun control a lot more lives could be saved and people won't have to be scared of a mass shooting happening somewhere. Children can feel safe when going to school and they won’t
Imagine sitting in Mr. Holiday’s English classroom or eating at a favorite restaurant, and you realize people are carrying a gun holstered that is loaded. Would that make you feel comfortable and safe? The Second Amendment of the United States Constitution 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" (“Second Amendment”). In other words, citizens of the United States have the right to carry guns for protection. The United States of America is an advanced developed country and we do not have adequate gun safety laws in place even after countless shooting massacres that have occurred over the years. The government allows individuals to
In my government and economics class, an assignment was given to decide whether we were pro-gun control or not. Choosing a side was burdensome and I didn't want to favor the side with less supporting details. As I did my research, it led me to choose pro-gun. I researched other viewpoints about this complicated controversial topic. I agree with those that believed obtaining guns is a way to keep yourself and your loved ones safe. I started off my essay implying that I was pro-gun and having possession of a gun is necessary. Also, stricter gun control laws are not necessary because the laws do not deter crime. I developed various types of questions such as "What kinds of guns should be banned? How easy is it to obtain a gun? Are more gun control laws necessary? Do mass shootings differ from other types of gun violence?".
As deciding to what topic I would choose to write a research paper on, the choice was quite simple. The major topic of many discussions today are about guns, gun control and how deadly they can be. The question at hand in my book is simple, are guns bad or are people bad? I believe that legal citizens, who can pass a background check with no prior felonies, should be entitled to the right to purchase and obtain a firearm. With that being said, there are quite a few loopholes in the current system. I tend to use the reference of drugs as an example. Drugs are illegal for anyone to purchase, but when an addict wants a fix they always have an ample supply from a local drug dealer. If guns do eventually get banned in the United