Gun Control Essay

One of the biggest arguments against gun control is that it does not prevent criminals from committing violent crimes, such as murder. Based on information gathered by Argesti and Smith, this A Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) study showed that when a handgun ban was put in effect in Washington D.C. “the murder rate averaged 73% higher than it was at the outset of the law” (Argesti and Smith). Another report from the FBI showed that when Florida and Texas implemented a right-to-carry law, their murder rates dropped by 30 and 36 percent (qtd. in Argesti and Smith). It is blatantly obvious that areas with high crime will continue to have the same level of crime, even after the implementation of stricter gun control laws.

FBI statistics accumulated on a countrywide level show that in states that have strict gun control laws, there are higher crime rates. If gun control laws have any effect, it may be to increase crime! For instance, New Jersey adopted what sponsors described as “the most stringent gun law” in the nation in 1966; two years later the murder rate was up 46 percent and the reported robbery rate had nearly doubled. In 1968, Hawaii imposed a series of increasingly harsh measures, and its murder rate, then a low 2.4 per 100,000 per year, tripled to 7.2 by 1977. In opposition, states with liberal gun carry laws have much lower crime rates. In Florida the homicide rate dropped from 37 percent above the national average to 3 percent below the national average after the state changed its concealed carry law in 1987. In 1987, Florida’s murder rate was 11.4 per 100,000 compared with the national rate of 8.2. By 1992, the national rate had risen to 9.3 per 100,000 while Florida’s had dropped to 9, and in 1993, it continued to drop another .3 to 8.7 per 100,000. Between 1987 and 1992, rape increased nationally by 14.4 percent. But in Florida, it increased only 2.9 percent and in 1993 rape in Florida decreased .2 percent. Florida issued 204,108 concealed carry licenses during the first six and half years

Current Gun Control regulations do not deter violence and crime. It has been shown that places that have relaxed their gun control laws have a higher crime and death rate. Data proves that homicide rates “[...] among the metro areas whose principal city is in a state that requires some form of permit to purchase a gun, is 4.32 per 100,000 residents, compared with 5.74 among cities in no-permit states”(Bailey). This is evidence that there is a correlation between gun control and death rates. It is also proven with statistical evidence that places with the least amount of gun control have the most violence. Statistics show that “‘none of the states with the most gun violence require permits to purchase rifles, shotguns, or handguns. Gun owners are also not required to register

Gun control laws do not deter crime; gun ownership deters crime. A Nov. 26, 2013 study found that, between 1980 and 2009, "assault weapons bans did not significantly affect murder rates at the state level" and "states with restrictions on the carrying of concealed weapons had higher gun-related murders." While gun ownership doubled in the twentieth century, the murder rate decreased. John R. Lott, Jr., PhD, author of More Guns, Less Crime: Understanding Crime and Gun Control Laws, stated, "States with the largest increases in gun ownership also have the largest drops in violent crimes... The effect on 'shall-issue' [concealed gun] laws on these crimes [where two or more people were killed] has been dramatic. When states passed these laws, the number of multiple-victim shootings declined by 84 percent. Deaths from these shootings plummeted on average by 90 percent and injuries by 82 percent." A Dec. 10, 2014 Pew survey found that 57% of people believe that owning a gun protects

Multiple political figures and citizens of America believe that the solution to America’s gun issue is to make gun laws more lenient. People believe that if America increases the amount of guns accessible to the average citizen then America’s streets will be safer, and there will be less gun violence. This fact is backed by Most political figures and citizens who want more guns in America, as they want them for one large reason, self defense. To support this, author William J Bennett wrote an article supporting the claim that gun laws should

The United States honestly have just too many guns per people. If Americans wasn’t as heavily armed maybe these shootings would lessen or maybe even stop. In the article, Do Countries with Stricter Gun Laws Really Have Less Crime or Fewer Homicides? wrote by Nicholas Gerbis states that the U.S. has the most

Gun-control laws also don’t prevent mass shootings. An analysis conducted by statistician Leah Libresco shows

Due to the increasing number of senseless public shootings involving multiple victims, the controversy between supporters and non-supporter of stricter gun control laws are at an all-time high. The key reason why there has not been a sway in either direction is that there are too many unanswered questions in the argument for or against gun control. Since gun control is such a broad topic, if the argument was narrow down than those in favor of stricter gun control laws would have a chance of persuading the majority. By hindering or prohibiting the purchasing or owning of handguns by civilians, multiple, pointless deaths are avoided. Furthermore, arguments such as people are to blame and guns are the most controllable would fall apart and even the Second Amendment could not back the rebuttal.

Second Amendment doctrine is largely becoming a line-drawing exercise, as courts try to determine which “Arms” are constitutionally protected, which “people” are permitted to keep and bear them, and in which ways those arms and people can be regulated. But the developing legal regime has yet to account for one potentially significant set of lines: the city limits themselves. In rural areas, gun crime and gun control are relatively rare, and gun culture is strong. In cities, by contrast, rates of violent gun crime are comparatively high, and opportunities for recreational gun use are scarce. And from colonial Boston to nineteenth-century Tombstone to contemporary New York City, guns have consistently been regulated more heavily in cities—a degree of geographic variation that is hard to find with regard to any other constitutional right. This Article argues that Second Amendment doctrine and state preemption laws can and should incorporate these longstanding and sensible differences between urban and rural gun use and regulation.

A recent poll shows that America is number one for the highest gun ownership rate internationally. Per 100 residents 88.8 are gun owners. Then it goes on to show that out of the international rate for homicide America was one of the lowest coming in at 4.8 out of 100,000 and coming in number 103 for the international homicide rate. In 1982, Kennesaw, Georgia passed a law that required the head of the household to have at least one firearm in the house. Since that was passed the residential burglary rate dropped by 89% in Kennesaw. These statistics show that the more homes or residents that are armed the less crime there is. “Homicides committed with firearms peaked in 1993 at 17,075, after which the figure steadily fell, reaching a low of 10,117 in 1999. Gun-related homicides increased slightly after that, to a high of 11,547 in 2006, before falling again to 10,869 in

In 2011 gun men shot an Arizona rep and killed six other people. In December 2012 a gun man shot twenty six people at an elementary school twenty of them being first graders and the other six being adults. After these incidents President Obama launched plans to reform gun laws. Gun control supporters believe that these laws will protect themselves and others. What they don’t know is that these laws are acutely taking away their rights and endangering their self. They think by enforcing these laws will reduce school violence and reduce lethal crimes. However, Jordon Carleo Evangelist a writer for the Times Union, uses statistics to show the truth. He says that the “statistics show no clear relationship between strict gun laws and the rate of

My topic for my Senior Paper is, “Do more gun laws lower crime rate?” I chose to do this topic because it is indeed near and dear to my heart. I come from a family of gun owners and because of that I proudly support the 2nd Amendment of the United States Constitution. I also live in a city that is greatly affected by gun violence. Chicago is one of the most violent areas in the country with gun violence and living in such a city and being a gun owner makes me think. Chicago has one of the strictest gun laws, plus a high gun violence and murder rate. Coincidence? I don’t know and so I am trying to figure out if the strict gun laws cities have actually reduce crime. Nowadays guns have been the ones in the media, whether in a good way or bad way. With my research, I want to conclude whether strict gun laws actually help to reduce crime or increase it.

American Politician Sam Brownback expressed his views on gun control by saying, “I don't think there should be more gun control. I think there should be more education.” One of the most prominent issues in the United States right now is whether or not more strenuous and limiting gun restrictions should be put into place to prevent mass shootings and other catastrophic events in the future. Members of both gun lobby and gun control groups fight vigorously for what they believe in. My interlocutor is a statistician from the New York times named Leah Libresco. Her article titled, “I used to think gun control was the answer. My research told me otherwise” is a great example to use as the article documents her shift from being an avid gun control supporter, to coming to the realization that more strict gun laws might not be the answer. Similarly to Libresco, I feel that severe gun control is not the answer to stopping gun violence in America, as focusing on protecting potential victims, and reforming potential killers, and enforcing a ban on large firearms would be more effective.

firearm, this resulted in residential burglaries dropping by 89% (Gun Owners of America C). In

The recent mass shooting in Las Vegas has re-circled the debate on gun control. The scare has increased the worry of the politicians to create more gun laws for the safety of the people. However, ProCon reasons “states with restrictions on the carrying of concealed weapons had higher gun-related murder rates than other states” (ProCon). ProCon releves that when people are told no, they react the opposite. Stating more laws will help lower murder rates lacks validity. Additionally, ProCon evaluates “It was also found that assault weapons bans did not significantly affect murder rates at the state level” (ProCon). Sadly, murder still finds a way. A gun is not the only assault weapon. If one were to say guns are the majority of murder, then they would