Gun Control, Do We Need More or Do We Have Enough? Gun control can be a very touchy subject for most people. But there’s no doubt that it’s something we hear about quite often. Especially with the elections occurring, and all the recent shootings and massacres. But what exactly is gun control, and who does it affect? In this essay I will be exploring exactly what gun control is, I will review both sides, and then examine who it affects. Seeing as approximately 270 million U.S. citizens own guns, it make’s sense that presidential candidates would be willing to talk about gun control, and make promises to take action and strengthen or weaken policies, after all they do want that vote. But how much can they really do about gun control seeing …show more content…
So as we can see gun control and the laws and regulations that would go with it would have to do with the ownership, selling, and actual use of the weapon. Here is why you can see most people get uncomfortable with gun control laws, especially ones that have to do with the buying, owning, or use of the gun. Pro-gun control Now I will be examining one side of the story, in which I refer to as pro-gun control. Meaning the arguments that are in favor of stricter gun control, and therefore less selling, buying, owning, and use of guns. I believe the number one argument we hear when discussing gun control is that guns are dangerous and lethal weapons, that do nothing more than hurt people. And I would have to agree completely with these arguments, but just because this is true does not mean that no one should be allowed guns, or their choice of gun. Of course they are dangerous weapons with 8,300 people dying from unintentional shootings between the years 1999 and 2010 (Violence, 2016). Not to mention the average of 268 people shot every day in the U.S. alone (Record, 2013). It’s quite clear why people would be so eager about ensuring gun laws are strengthened to bring these statistics …show more content…
Guns offer protection to their owners, especially when their inside their homes. In a survey it has been noted that guns and their legal gun owners were able to stop approximately 2.5 million instances involving a criminal. This is great news to hear, after all we do want less crime, and less criminals walking around freely. After all what criminal wants to confront someone who they know has a gun. In fact this can be clearly seen in Kennesaw, GA in the year 1982, a law was passed saying the head of household is required to have a firearms in the house. Because of this law, home break ins plummeted down 89%. 10 years later they were still down 72% since before the law had been passed (Lives,
The debate over gun control in America continues to trouble politicians to this day. According to the constitution, the second amendment gives us the right to bear arms (U.S. Const.). Many different interpretations of what precisely the amendment means exist in this country. However, the two main sides include pro gun control and against gun control. In this paper, we will weigh the pros and cons of both sides and with any luck approach a conclusion on what side performs a superior job. People interpret gun control as the problem, but realistically gun control laws do not cause the issues, however the people that enforce said laws do. Scrutiny over gun control reached an all time high recently and addressing the scrutiny helps find the solution.
Gun Control has been a controversy for as long as people can remember. This Controversy has increased recently due to the mass shootings taken place all over the United States. Gun control has its pros and cons, Some believe “Gun control laws state that the Second Amendment was intended for militias; that gun violence would be reduced; that gun restrictions have always existed; and that a majority of Americans, including gun owners, support new gun restrictions.”While others say that the Second Amendment “protects an individual’s right to own guns; that guns are needed for self-defense from threats ranging from local criminals to foreign invaders; and that gun ownership deters crime rather than causes more crime.” To be able to pick a side one must look at the argument from both perspectives, that 's what this paper accomplishes. You must go into detail about this issue and conduct research to form your own opinion.
The only reason for our nation to enact gun control laws is to reduce violent crime. There is no other logical reason for gun control outside of reducing crime. If gun control proves to be ineffective in reducing crime rates then why have it? While researching this I found time after time where statistics have shown laws such as banning handguns to be completely ineffective in reducing crime rates and I also found where allowing the carry of these same weapons resulting in a reduction of crime rates. One of the major aspects that should be heavily considered by those wanting to take away the legal ownership of firearms in the U.S is that we would also be taking them away from the people who have weapons for their intended purpose. Washington DC had a law in place from 1976 through 2008 that made it illegal for residence to possess handguns and also required trigger locks on all other firearms rendering them useless. During this period of time murder rates in DC were seventy six
Gun control is a frequently debated topic in the United States. It is often defined as any sort of law or regulation that restricts or forbids the use, the sale, or ownership of a firearm. People argue that because the constitution allows citizens the right to bear arms, that citizens should be allowed to carry weapons, however, this is often taken out of context. The Second Amendment says that citizens have the right to bear arms in an organized militia, “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” (US Const. amend. II, section 8). Over the last few years, there have been many events that sparked additional debate about gun control. Numerous school shootings demonstrate that weapons need to be regulated and controlled.
In America there are about 200,000 women that use guns every year to protect themselves against sexual crime (Snyder). Gun control is where the government puts laws on someones ownership of a firearm. Gun control is a tricky topic and has the nation somewhat split both ways on it. 62% think that there is little concern for firearm restriction, while 33% say there is a need to worry about it, and the other 5% are indifferent (Ekins). There are two main groups that are feuding on this topic. Group one is the gun activist, leading the pack for them is the National Rifle Association. This group is for guns and limited laws and regulations on them. Their opposition is the President, liberals and many left wing politicians. This group wants to have strict gun laws and allow nobody to own a gun. Although some people believe guns are wrong they need to become educated in the importance of guns: they can provide a way of life, they are a means of protection, and Americans have a constitutional right to bear arms.
After so many heartbreaking mass shootings all over the world, the debate on gun control is at its boiling point! People are outrageously mad about the topic and demand for guns to be banned, however the other side of people are also just as angry and believe that guns are needed for several reasons. Banning guns is going to help out the United States and stop a lot of the main harm. Both sides of this argument have good points in them, however we’re going to break this topic down to see which side is more valid.
Gun Control has been a controversial topic in recent news headlines all around America, because of recent mass casualties, the Sandy Hook Elementary shooting, movie theater shootings, college campuses shootings, and police officer shootings. According to Webster’s Dictionary, the term gun control is defined as regulation of the selling, owning, and use of guns. Many Americans have been conflicted by the controversial issue of gun control because of gun safety, constitutionality, and armed civilians.
Gun control is, put simply, damaging our rights. It has been shown countless times in history that gun control has little to no positive effect on crime in the area that the gun control was implemented. In some cases, crime rates actually rose in those areas. In modern American society, there are several statistics that can prove my viewpoint on this topic as the proper one. A survey of over 18 thousand prison inmates showed that 30% of state offenders and 35% of federal offenders were in the possession of a firearm while committing the crime. Another survey of inmates convicted of felons throughout 11 state prisons had stated that 34% had been “scared off, shot at, wounded, or captured” by an armed would-be victim. 69% knew someone that had been. On another note, there were 40% of these felons that made the choice not to commit a crime due to an armed person in the vicinity. In 2008, over 5 million violent crimes, including rape, assault, and murder occurred in the United States. However, only 8% of offenders were visibly armed with a gun. And while I'm on the topic of violent crimes, only 1 in 12 offenders are sentenced to prison (Agresti).
Gun homicides and mass shootings have taken the spotlight in news headlines around the globe. With such disasters like the Paris theater shooting and Sandy Hook, the push for new and improved gun legislation has become a controversial debate for several governments. The debate revolves around the effectiveness of gun regulations, or gun control. Merriam-Webster defines gun control as the regulation of selling, owning, and use of guns (Gun).
In the United States gun control is a big controversy that has been blown out of proportion the last few years. Anything that has to do with guns in the news, reporters say it is the guns fault. Gun control laws are being changed and morphed for the new society that we live in today. What gun control really means is a group of laws to control the selling and use of guns.(1). Statistics have proven that most people want more control on guns. Many surveys have shown that the benefits of gun control in the United States out way the negative effects. Many people do not know enough about guns to get in on the argument, whether gun control is beneficial to the American people or not.
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
The issue of gun control has come up recently as an important decision opportunity for our country. Many people are asking whether guns really are the helpful tool that many of us have been saying they are, or if they are the killing machines they have recently been publicized as. Gun Control: The Great Cop-out by Jared Machaud and Gun Control and the Constitution by David B. Rivkin Jr. and Andrew M. Grossman effectively display the anti-gun control side of this discussion; whereas The Second Amendment is all for Gun Control by Adam Winkler and Making Gun Control Happen by Patrick Radden Keefe display the pro-gun control side. In my views, guns are a helper in a time of crisis when help is too far away, or unwilling to come. Rather than put more restrictions on guns and gun owners, we should maintain the ability to protect ourselves and our fellow Americans through the use of firearms.
Gun control is a debate topic that comes up every election and when a major event happens that involving guns. Pro-gun lobbyists say “Guns don’t kill people, people kill people” [ (Hagan, 2007) ] the anti-gun advocates want to take away the right to bear arms. This topic has no right or wrong answer it is a preference of the individual. This is why gun control is such a fiercely debated topic.
In the past year, I am sure that you have heard about the issue of gun control. Well, do you really know the full story behind the debate? My goal for this essay is to fully explain everything to you behind this issue and why it is such a big deal in our world today. There are many different problems behind why gun control is such a big issue in the world today, and why some people want gun control and others do not. Through these contrasting opinions on gun control, the world will never fully decide what is completely right.
Mere weeks ago, the lives of 26 innocent people were taken while attending church in San Antonio, Texas. The youngest victim of this massacre was only five years old (Andone, Hartung 1). America’s gun homicide rate is an incredible 25 times greater than other developed countries. Although the right to bear arms is a right held close to many American’s hearts, this does not excuse the fact that there is only a miniscule amount of regulation on these deadly weapons. Due to loosely handled laws regarding gun control, loopholes in the system, and an immense number of deaths due to gun violence, poor regulation of guns is an immense issue that must change.