Pros And Cons Of Gun Control

Only this month, 59 were killed and over 500 people were injured during a country music concert in Vegas in what is now known as the deadliest mass shooting in American history. Last year, 49 were killed and 58 were injured in a gay nightclub in Florida. In 2012, a mass shooting in Sandy Hook Elementary School took 27 lives, 20 of them being first graders. The list of these unthinkable and stomach-churning acts is quickly turning endless, forcing us to rethink why we truly have the right to bear arms. Many defend the second amendment by claiming we need this right for self defense, which is the most wretched part.When we look at what we have lost compared to what we have earned in this fight to keep the right to bear arms, this privilege does not seem worth the sacrifice of so many lives. In today’s world, we do not defense through guns but from them. Our policymakers keep trying to reach a compromise by putting in place certain regulations. “Some states require would-be gun owners to fulfill a firearms safety course in order to obtain their license.” “Such training courses, however, even when not required, are very advisable for the would-be gun owner, as they ensure that he or she has all the necessary information on liability issues, on safety, and even on care and maintenance of the gun” ( How to Get a Gun License 1). This lack of attention illustrates that despite the multiple tragedies that have taken place in our nation, some states do not even require a simple safety course that ensures the safety of our people. Furthermore, it is required that one must pass a background check. The questions asked on the test are the following:

The question of how to make our communities safer has a list full of solutions which seem to never end. The great debate begins with have any of these solutions worked, or have the right solutions been put to play. Gun control is a very popular topic today, and rightfully so. The media has shined light on mass shootings that have claimed many lives and destroyed families. The question is on who, or what does the blame fall on. Are the gun owners the responsible, or are the weapons themselves to blame? A solution that has been set forth concludes that in order to become a firearm owner, mental stability should be proved. Should government enforce mental health evaluations for gun purchase?

According to a report by the Switzerland-based Small Arms Survey, the United States has about 35-50 percent of the world’s civilian-owned guns and has less than 5 percent of the world’s population. With no restriction and so much freedom, firearms can be distributed throughout the United States illegally and obtained as easy as buying it from a person, disregarding all gun laws. Implementing stricter background checks can help reduce the amount of crime relating to gun violence. It can also keep firearms away from those who shouldn’t have possession of them.

Across the nation, many states have begun to reassess their mental health policies and how they affect gun control. One state in particular is Maryland. In 2012, Maryland began a legislative task force to investigate the access of individuals with mental illness to regulated firearms (Maryland, 2013). Under current state law, access to firearms is denied to anyone who has been confined to a mental health facility for more than 30 consecutive days. The law also states that the individual must be determined to be dangerous to themselves or to others along with their mental illness in order to be denied access to firearms. The other question asked is what access law enforcement officers should have to mental health records. In an article by Gostlin (2011) he states “Successfully reducing firearms-related

Another article looks at the Tucson shooting where six individuals were killed as an example (Kaveny, 2016). While the author agrees that the constitution protects the rights of gun owners, she makes the argument that semiautomatic weapons were not what the founding fathers had in mind though and that these type of weapons should not be allowed to be owned by the public (Kaveny, 2016). The author also believes that it would be beneficial to have to obtain a license to own firearms and to purchase insurance for possible damages along with further funding for mental health patients to help keep these mass shootings from happening again (Kaveny, 2016).

Eighty-nine people depart from this earth due to gun violence in the US every day. From school children, to victims of domestic violence, to people going about their daily lives, this status quo is unacceptable. On Tuesday January 5th, 2016 President Obama announced that he would send proposals on reducing gun violence in America to Congress. His spokesman, Jay Carney, mentioned that this is “a complex problem that will require a complex solution.” The ability to own a gun is considered by some a birthright of Americans. However, with crime rates involving handguns rising each day it has become quite clear. Handgun laws must become stricter in order to reduce homicide and crime. The question is, “which solution in most effective in decreasing gun violence?” Gun control is a major conflict that is constantly reoccurring and the US is seemingly divided over it.

The mounting deaths and associated trauma from mass shootings should motivate us to take action to make needed reforms to our gun laws, focus law enforcement resources on combating illegal gun possession and invest in prevention initiatives proven to reduce gun violence. Assault weapons cause more harm than good when they are able to purchased and owned by private citizens. And while most who do own and use these powerful weapons for harmless, recreational activities or a sense of protection, the fact is that when they fall into the hands of individuals who are not mentally sound enough to possess something of such force, the result is one of horrific tragedy. The government must take into consideration the hundreds of innocent people who have lost their lives as a result of these dangerous weapons, and work on ways to prevent

Gun control has become an increasingly controversial topic in the nation due to the continuous debates relating to gun control and whether or not laws should be passed to make it harder for guns to be obtained. Guns serve for a variety of purposes that range from good to bad. Guns are not for everyone. Some individuals cannot handle guns properly, and some choose to use guns inappropriately. Lately, guns have become more of a problem in our society. There has been an increasing amount of shootings that have taken many lives and have wounded people emotionally, not just physically. Although guns are used for protection, firearms are reportedly used more in crimes. More and more shootings are breaking out across the nation. As a result, the

The New gun laws should be to make people responsible for allowing guns to meet the hands of people with mental illnesses. Gun show owners as well as the dealers at these gun shows should fall under federal crime laws for breaking these laws with stricter punishments. The parents, or owners of these guns that fall under the hands of these crazed gunmen should be at fault/ liable, and should also be punished to full extent of the law for being so irresponsible. These actions would save so many innocent lives. This should be the focus of these new gun laws, rather than regulations on guns. Guns don’t kill people, people kill people.

To start with, training and licensing should be mandatory for any individual looking to purchase and shoot a firearm. Accidental deaths due to guns is a very prominent thing in America and the main cause behind this is because of untrained gun owners and untaught children. Here is a devastating story that show how untrained gun owners and arrogant children are a deadly combination: “Cassie Culpepper, 11, was riding in the back of a pickup with her 12-year-old brother and two other children. Her brother started playing with a pistol his father had lent him to scare coyotes. Believing he had removed all the bullets, he pointed the pistol at his sister and squeezed the trigger. It fired, and blood poured from Cassie’s mouth” (Luo & McIntire, 2013). The father in this story should never

A full background investigation is needed if a person desires to own a firearm. Some people may believe a person with mental illness would warrant them from not receiving a license to

In the same way that a hunter’s safety course must be taken in order to receive a hunting license, a general gun safety course should be required in the event of a purchase of any gun. Nicole Hockley stated, "Do something before facing fatalities." This is showing how involving a general gun safety course to our society would be decreasing the amount of deaths we would have, making us feel more heroic. In reality, it is better to do something than just sitting with your hands, cross behind your back, and seeing how innocent lives are disappearing. The safety course must be strictly taken in person, as an online course could potentially become a scam. This will ensure that a person is fully qualified to own a gun. The safety course could include topics such as proper handling of the weapon, the immorality of killing a fellow human, and how to properly secure a gun against theft, among other things. The idea behind taking this course is that it would weed out those who wish to purchase a gun for foolish or violent reasons. By lengthening the process of the purchase with a gun safety course, guns will be less likely to fall into the wrong hands. For example, as George O’Malley mention, “Many people can just walk into a gun store and, after signing what they need, walk out with a weapon with the ability to kill. The people at the store who sell guns do not even notice if they are legible to carry a weapon.” It will also ensure that gun owners have

Individuals with mental illness should not be able to purchase firearms. Jason Matejkowski explains, in his article entitled, “Exploring the Potential of Stricter Gun Restrictions for People with Serious Mental Illness to Reduce Homicide in the United States,” how individuals with mental illness are now limited to purchasing firearms due to mass shootings: “Recent mass shootings at the hands of individuals purported to have a serious mental illness (SMI) have motivated efforts to reduce gun deaths in the US by further limiting access to firearms by individuals with a current or historical mental health problem” (363). In addition, “With regard to relevant firearm laws, both federal and state laws forbid the selling or disposal of firearms and ammunition to an individual who ‘has been adjudicated as a mental defective or has been committed to any mental institution’ or is ‘mentally incompetent’” (363). To reduce the number of deaths that occur each year, there should be stricter laws about who can purchase firearms.

There are many issues when entering the world of buying a gun. When purchasing a gun, citizen should be required to take class to learn more about how to handle and operate the gun they choose. Many accidents happen when guns are purchased and people don’t know how to handle them or how to properly store their weapons. Not only should citizens have to have training class to obtain a gun, Law enforcement does too. Law enforcement officer are required to take several hours of training classes so that they are well trained on operating a gun (Johnson). Adults who own guns and support gun control don’t have an issue with things such as background checks (“Gun Control).

I believe if you are a safe, responsible person, you should have the right to own a gun. However, I do believe there should be background checks for everyone. If you are a criminal and have a bad record, you should not be allowed to buy a gun or depending on your conviction be limited to what kind of gun you can buy. There should be a system of security checks that need to be done in order for one to buy a gun to help prevent guns being in the hands of criminals.