Argumentative Essay: Where Did Gun Control Begin?

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.

The Second Amendment of the US Constitution protects individual gun ownership. The Second Amendment of the US Constitution reads, "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 ownership is an American tradition older than the country itself and is protected by the Second Amendment; more gun control laws would infringe upon the right to bear arms. Justice Antonin Scalia, LLB, in the June 26, 2008 District of Columbia et al. v. Heller US Supreme Court majority opinion syllabus stated, "The Second Amendment protects an individual right to possess a firearm unconnected with service in a militia, and to use that arm for traditionally lawful purposes, such as self-defense within the home." The McDonald v. City of Chicago (2010) ruling also stated that the Second Amendment is an individual right. Lawrence Hunter, Chairman of Revolution PAC, stated, "The Founders understood that the right to own and bear laws is as fundamental and as essential to maintaining liberty as are the rights of free speech, a free press, freedom of religion and the other protections against government encroachments on liberty delineated in the Bill of Rights."

Gun control in the United States has been a hot debate for years. In the year 2015 there were 372 mass shootings in the United States ( (Rienzi, 2016), sparking even more debate. 22% of Americans own firearms (Rienzi, 2016) and firmly believe in the second amendment of the constitution. Surely, an agreement on gun law reform can be met while also protecting the second amendment. Right?

Our second amendment clearly 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,” (amendment). But, what does that mean today? How does one start to form a way to relegated gun control when it clearly states in the Bill of Rights we have the right to bear arms? Does, the idea of every citizen of America have the right to bear arms without any control? The point of gun control is to protect the next generation of American citizens from ever having to worry about their safety. When the Bill of Rights was written down, the Founding Fathers were trying to create a better society where there was no King and people had greater freedom. For my research project I am going to focus on what people know about gun control and their point of views on how to better regulate gun control.

Gun control and the process to possess firearms more difficult has been a controversial topic in politics for decades. Imagine how the founding fathers of the United States would feel about many modern day politicians proposing for more gun control. Disarming Americans will strip law-abiding citizens from protection of the crazy criminals who will not obey the law. Founding fathers; George Washington, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, Alexander Hamilton, and many others would be unimpressed at these politicians removing pieces from the Constitution slowly.

Recently, on October 1st at a concert in Las Vegas, a man unleashed a halo of gunfire from a hotel room, injuring 500 people and killing 59. Making it the deadliest mass shooting in American History. This sparked controversy among many that gun control was more urgent now than it ever was before. A lot of propaganda was shown to increase awareness, including; social media posts, news channel coverage, newspapers, but more prominently, advertisements. One advertisement specifically deals with moms shedding some light on what's truly dangerous for their children. While the other is more safety oriented, including what could harm children and what could happen if a child got a hold of a gun.

Do you want to always feel safe in your home, at school, or at work? Well, increasing gun control laws will rip that sense of security away from you. Gun control does not work; it endangers the citizens of the United States because the crime rates will rise like they have in Chicago. Politicians do not know how to fix gun violence, gun control has failed miserably and it is unconstitutional.

The current gun control policies in the United States were implemented to ban gun possession by high-risk groups. They are to restrict the sales, transfers and purchase of guns to criminals, minors and the mentally ill. The laws restrict carrying guns in public areas, enforcing laws such as weapon permits and special licensing. The laws require licensed gun owners to register the weapons before they can be legally owned or possessed. There are restrictions and bans on certain guns on certain hand guns and automatic weaponry. Finally, the gun laws both state and local require a license by the federal government to sell guns.

The Second Amendment of the US Constitution reads, "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." Owning a gun has been an old American tradition. So old it is older than the country itself and is being protected by the Second Amendment; more gun control laws would break apart of our rights, which is the right to bear arms. The Second Amendment defends a persons right to own a gun without having to be a police officer, and to use that right for lawful purposes, such as self-defense within that person’s home. The right to possess and bear laws so fundamental it is as fundamental and as critical to maintaining liberty as are the rights of free speech,

Gun control is a very controversial topic on the modern American’s mind lately. Over the last few years, this topic has become increasingly more heated because of the recent horrendous events that have occurred in the United States. Gun Laws is a touchy subject no matter where you go inside of the states. The recent mass shootings at the Pulse nightclub and the Route 91 Harvest Music festival have forced gun Laws to be put under the microscope. People on both sides of the argument are joining in to make the United States a safer place. I don’t know whether harsher gun laws will limit the quantity and size of mass shootings or whether it will deter future shooters from committing a crime. Would looking at other countries Gun laws such as Australia help us reform our own laws more fluidly?

The issue of gun control is a fiercely debated topic in the world today, but it’s particularly prevalent in the United States. Due to the upsurge of mass shootings and gun violence, many people are questioning whether or not restrictions on gun purchases should be stricter. Despite concerns many people have, the government does have a system in place to help regulate just who can get their hands on a gun. Like every system, it could be improved. Regardless of your stance on the issue, it’s hard to argue against developing a better system for screening applicants.

In Middleton, Idaho a toddler accidentally shot an infant in the face with a loaded handgun Monday afternoon. Investigators say the 10-month-old and 3-year-old were in a vehicle and were temporarily left unattended. Police say the toddler found a loaded handgun in the vehicle and unintentionally fired the weapon on the 10-month-old child’s cheek. While this story is shocking, gun deaths are pretty common. In 2010 unintentional firearm injuries caused the deaths of around 606 people (not including intentional), (kboi2.com). Statistics say that 32,000 deaths are gun-related per year in the United States. Gun control has become an aspect of the political world that is constantly changing based on how gun rights activists and gun control supporters argue and provide for sufficient reasoning for their cause. Two recent ads, one which shows a picture of a gun, and another that uses a picture of two children, one holding a book and the other, holding a gun. Both convey a powerful message, but ultimately the second is more effective, due to its comparison between the importance of safety.

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

The battle over gun control has been the topic of debate for many decades and continues to remain a political and social issue. In the United States, the term gun control “refers to any action taken by the federal government or by state or local governments to regulate, through legislation, the sale, purchase, safety, and use of handguns and other types of firearms by individual citizens.” (Lee). The questions of how much gun control is appropriate, the nature of background checks, mental health, purchase accessibility, among others, have been opposing in viewpoints over the years. More recently, mass shootings such as the Columbine High School massacre, the shootings at Virginia Tech, the Charleston church shooting by Dylann Roof, and the Bryce Williams/Vester Flanagan anchor shootings have considerably fueled the gun control debate even further.

"The long, difficult history of gun control." Washington Post. 23 Dec. 2012: A8. eLibrary. Web.