Gun Control Must Reduce Violent Crime

Gun ownership in the United States is one of the most controversial issues today. The US ranks #1 in gun ownership based on number of guns per capita with 112.6 guns per 100 residents (2014). Lately, there is the so-called American gun crisis due to a series of mass shootings that are becoming more frequent and deadlier. Now, and more than ever, gun ownership is on the hot seat after the shooting in San Bernardino, California. And with this, we tackle the debate over concealed carry – its pros and cons.

As it is well known gun violence is a major problem in today’s society, places like Chicago and New York City have a serious epidemic on their hands. It is not uncommon to hear about an incident where a gun was involved in these big cities on a day to day basis, but it’s not just the big cities, these type of things are happening nationwide. There has been an argument for many decades whether the cause of such violence is due to the lack of gun control laws or the restrictions put on firearms. Both sides of the isle will argue, the more liberal individual will tell you there is not enough while the conservative individual will tell you the laws put in place are too strict.

The author makes several main claims throughout his articles such as, “national news stories are virtually never done on permit holders stopping mass public shootings,” and “the proposals put forward by gun control advocates wouldn’t have stopped this attack.” The columnist firmly believes in the power of the second amendment and as such, he wants to limit the amount of new laws that control how much the people can hold and use weapons. The claims listed are claims of fact and policy respectively. He gives several examples of how these different prevented mass shootings were not widely advertised and how the ones that were not stopped were all over news stations to convince people that guns are not helping the common people. The author then proposes that the changes that gun control advocates propose will not make a difference and begins to give reasons why which makes this a claim of policy. He says that making a change will not make any change so the laws should be left the same as they are now, or they should be more inclusive to allow more people to carry a concealed weapon.

Recently, the topic of gun control has been at the top of everybody’s list in regard to what this country needs to focus on. With the recent tragedies in Las Vegas and Orlando, some may claim that giving more people the ability to carry a concealed weapon would deter some criminals from committing crimes due to fear of failure. This theory was discussed and tested in an article by David Fortunato entitled, “Can Easing Concealed Carry Deter Crime?” This article shows results of many surveys and case studies completed within the US regarding topics like types of permits, ease of issuance, and the perceived number or carriers per state. It then goes on to break down this data, and draws a conclusion from it that may surprise some.

Charles W. Collier’s article, “Gun Control in America: An Autopsy Report”, dives into the controversial topic of gun ownership and gun control in the United States. He uses recent shootings, including the George Zimmerman case and the Connecticut elementary

Gun issue is not only a big problem from United States, it’s also a big problem around the world. With more and more people buying guns, gun violence increases everywhere. “ Guns are more lethal than more other method, people try” he adds “ Americans own an estimated 300 million guns” (nytimes.com). As gun ownership increases, the arguments about gun control can be easily found online in America. “Over the past 25 years, Americans’ support for stricter gun control laws has been generally declining even as the number of mass shootings is on the rise. While some high-profile shootings have resulted in calls for increased restrictions, that support has proved fleeting thus far. Gun control is one of the most sharply divisive issues in the U.S. today”(Perez-Pena). America does not have strong gun control law, which cause many criminals to possess guns and commit crimes. “ The vast majority of guns used in 15 recent mass shootings including at least two of the guns used in the San Bernardino attack, were bought legally and with a federal background

While achieving a balance between a law abiding citizens’ right to own guns and keeping guns away from criminals may be challenging, it is something we should all strive for. A victim’s inability to protect themselves or the one’s they love, will always be an issue with certain laws. Those laws which restrict gun ownership would essentially hinder one’s ability to protect themselves and leave them wide open for an attack. We have seen these stories in the news day after day. McDowall states, “Restrictions on carrying concealed weapons are among the most common gun control policies.” (193). When it comes to concealed carry, Mc Dowell states, “These statutes limit who may have a deadly weapon-usually a handgun- hidden on their person when outside the home.” (193). On a daily basis, you can see reports of

Tighter gun laws will reduce gun violence because it would be harder to access guns. According to the ATF (Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives), “Thirty percent of guns involved in federal illegal gun trafficking investigations are connected in some way to gun shows” (“Gun Show Loopholes Should be Closed”). This shows that a high number of crimes and violence done by guns are done by illegal guns bought at gun shows. All this crime can be stopped if we put a ban on gun shows. In addition, the article also contained a experiment they used to test the credibility of these sellers, they used undercover agents as buyers, and went to Ohio, Nevada, and Tennessee. Out of 47 sellers, both licensed dealers and private sellers, 63%

Coming from a family that owns guns, the topic of gun ownership has become more pertinent than ever. From a young age, my grandfather instructed me on the proper care and usage of firearms. However, due to a death within the family years ago due to gun violence, the repercussions of the Second Amendment have become more palpable. Approximately 73% of the 16,459 homicides could have been avoided in 2016 solely if guns didn't exist, and 11,961 lives potentially saved according to data calculated from the Federal Bureau of Investigation dataset. Whether or not the people of the United States agree with more gun control, the choice of allowing guns to the public puts everyone at a potential risk of encountering a firearm related crime. The glaring need for improved gun control within the U.S. became apparent in the recent

Having a gun readily available can empower an individual to commit a violent crime by escalating the level of violence and potentially produce a murder had no firearm been available. (Conklin, 2013, p. 226). In Japan, their policy of ownership of firearms is stringent. Nevertheless, in Switzerland, traditionally interpersonal disputes are not settled using guns. Accordingly, Switzerland has a low rate of criminal violence. (Conklin, 2013, p. 226). There is “little to no conclusive evidence to show that gun ownership among the larger population is, per se, an important cause of criminal violence” (Conklin, 2013, p. 226). Furthermore, it would appear that armed citizens do have a deterrent effect on crime. (Wright, Rossi, 1983, p. 1). In summary, my opinion is that gun control of law abiding citizens is not the answer to effectively reducing crime in the United States; controlling how the offenders obtain guns could be.

No: Armed civilians are unlikely to stop crimes and are more likely to make dangerous situations.

There are many instances where you turn on the television and there is something about gun control and how it is an ongoing situation in the United States. There are many instances in America that there were people that had guns that shouldn’t be able to pick on up and it goes terribly wrong. Opponent of the gun control law say that it is very pointless to put restrictions on firearms since criminals don’t follow the law anyway. Also, gun violence isn’t always committed by criminals, in more than one way there have been many instances that somebody that has never done anything bad in their whole life will commit a crime. (barret, paul.1)

Founding Father Benjamin Franklin once said that, “Those who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.” The great American republic was founded on the principle of liberty for all. The Bill of Rights, which is a pillar of US democracy, clearly stipulates that all citizens have the right to bear arms. It is senseless to sacrifice this fundamental right for a false illusion of safety. We can reference previous periods of history in which the government placed restrictions on products and examine how ineffective they were. Furthermore, we can look at the absence of a correlation between strict gun control measures and reducing violent crime rates in US states. It is time to ensure that our Constitution is upheld to protect the ideals of American democracy. The proposal of restricting US citizens from purchasing firearms is invalid because they are protected to do so under the Constitution, strict government regulations on other harmful products have not been effective in the past, and the idea that gun control laws limit violent crime is a misconception.

After every highly publicized mass shooting, the topic of gun control becomes a political hot potato being juggled by the senators, congressman, and even the sitting president of the United States. It followed the usual pattern of condemning the shooter, questioning the ease in which the shooter was able to obtain guns, and with most mass shootings, proposing a ban on assault files used in the shooting. But within a few months, when the news agencies move onto other headlines, when all the hashtags on Twitter fall out of use, we forget about the gun control measures we were so passionate about and move on with our daily lives. This is when the lawmakers backed by pro-second amendment constituents swoop in and briskly cut down the proposed

The United States of America has encountered many problems due to the increase in amount of gun owners which has contributed to the rise of crimes and problems that we face today. Our nation has about 65 million people who own a frightening 240 million firearms. This ridiculous amount of firearms in our nation creates a need for gun control. Gun control laws such as the Brady Act can help solve gun problems and make America a safer place to live.