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Guns Should Not Be Allowed To Reduce Gun Control

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“We will keep guns out of the wrong hands, enforce our guns laws, and ensure those with serious mental illnesses get treatment”, President Obama stated in January of 2016. Gun Violence has become one of the leading causes of death in the United States resulting in over 32,000 fatalities every year(US National Library of Medicine). For years, politicians have been contemplating methods of gun control in order to reduce gun violence. Republicans have argued that prohibiting mentally ill individuals from purchasing guns is a violation of their second amendment right, whereas advocates of stricter gun laws support President Obama’s regulation to keep guns out of the hands of those who have applied of Social Security benefits through mental illness and those who are incapable of managing their own finances. As President Obama stated that guns must be kept out of the ‘wrong hands’, various arguments have risen over which specific group of people ‘wrong’ refers to. Many consider gun violence to be the action of using firearms to harm others, however a majority of gun violence by mentally ill individuals have resulted in suicide and self harm; more than 90% of those who die from suicide are diagnosed with a Mental Disorder( Mental Health Reporting, University of Washington). Although some may argue that prohibiting mentally ill and disabled people from owning guns is an infringement of their second amendment right, mentally ill people should not be allowed to purchase guns in order

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