Pros And Cons Of Stricter Gun Control Laws

The only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun, is a good guy with a gun. If gun laws become opposed to the law, then only criminals will have guns. Stricter gun laws will not stop a madman from killing. In fact, 34% of mass shooters were prohibited from owning weapons; although, a surveyed showed 57% of gun owners believe guns are too easy to buy and 35% of people who carry guns would make Americans feel safer. Gun control will only affect the law-biding citizens simultaneously as the demand of illegal weapons on the black-market increases. Background checks will only restrict criminals from legally buying a firearm, but that does not stop a mentally ill person; which are usually the ones to start a shooting massacre. The second amendment literally states “the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed.” Protected by the second amendment, it will be hard to regulate guns because now every single individual has a right to bear arms. For example, the Texas Baptist church shooter was gun downed by an armed citizen. Had there been stricter gun laws in Texas towards not being able to have a concealed firearm in public, the shooter could have gotten away. People should have the right to exercise the second amendment; therefore, gun control will not work because criminals will always find a way to obtain guns, supply and demand on the black market will increase and there are more existing weapons than people in the U.S.

More gun control might lead to fewer suicides by gun. Between 1999 and 2013 there were 270,273 firearm suicides in the United States, accounting for 52% of all suicides in those years. Firearm related suicides accounted for 61% of gun deaths in the U.S.A. between 2000 and 2010. Gun control might lead to fewer gun deaths, but it will not lead to fewer suicides. As my father says, “If someone is so mentally deranged that they think taking their lives is the best solution to their problems, they will commit with anyway possible”

Guns are a major problem in our society and the numbers of these gun-related murders are continuing to rise. On top of the murders you also have people losing their lives through misfire and gun-related suicides. The total death toll of all gun-related deaths averages over 30,000 per year in the U.S. (http://blogs.kqed.org/lowdown/2013/03/07/u-s-gun-deaths-visualizing-the-numbers/). I believe that enforcing stricter gun laws will contribute to getting these numbers lower. The numbers do not lie, we as a society have a problem with gun-violence and we need to do something to fix it.

The United States should make stronger gun control laws because it is possible that guns can get into the wrong hands. Imagine an unstable person carrying around a gun, anyone is at risk. “In 2007, Seung-Hui Cho, a student at Virginia Tech, used two guns to kill 32 people and wound several others in two attacks two hours apart on the college campus in Blacksburg. Cho, who had a documented history of mental and emotional health problems, had nonetheless been able to purchase guns because the state of Virginia had failed to share his history with NICS.” (“Gun Control”, 2016, pg. 5) Thirty-two families will suffer from losing their loved ones because there was not an extensive background check. There are mentally ill people who are not seeking treatment that legally buy guns

The topic that I have chosen to write about is should there be more gun control laws be enacted. What does gun control do you may ask? Gun control is any kind of firearm that is bought or sold. What will be in the essay will be different things of Pros and Cons on the different things that gun control is in. The gun control law should not be enforced more is should be managed better for people who do not know what they are doing. The Second Amendment protects the people the rights to own guns. As us the people we have the right to bare arms for the need of protecting ourselves.

In today's society there is the question ‘Should there be more gun laws?’. The advancements in military weaponry is nothing short of astounding. With these advancements though, come the ramifications of their inventions. More and more, the nation is seeing these weapons in actions. People are fearful and demand more laws, but that is not the answer to this dilemma. More gun laws would not resolve this problem for numerous reasons; more gun laws would lead to more violence, the United States alwardy have an excessive amount on gun laws, and the nation looks at the object not the person. The United States have to address these issues before a change will happen.

One of the most controversial issues in our society today is the topic of private gun ownership and gun control laws. This controversy has arisen mostly due to the different ways that the second constitutional amendment is interpreted. The amendment states that "a well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right to the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed" (Lott, 2000). On one side of the issue, there are those that believe that the amendment guarantees the right of individuals to possess and carry a wide variety of firearms. On the other side are those that contend that the amendment was only meant to guarantee to States the right to operate militias.

You’re in your house and someone breaks in. Oh no, gun control laws said you can’t have a gun! You have no protection, so you’re dead within seconds. This is why the U.S. does not need tougher gun control laws. We need guns for protection, we should have the right to conceal one at all times, and the second amendment says we can have a firearm.

Another consideration is whether firearm violence is more a matter of harm to self or others. Suicides account for 61 % of all firearm fatalities in the United States in 2010 as recorded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (qtd. In Bowen, Injury 2015). In spite of such evidence, Gallup polling data from 2013 showed that 48 % of adult Americans blame the mental health system a great deal for mass shootings in the United States, whereas fewer 40 % blame easy access to guns; an inadequate mental health system is perceived as the top cause of mass shootings (qtd. In Bowen, Saad 2013).

Some say that more gun control laws would reduce gun deaths. The website, procon.org, Should More Gun Control Laws Be Enacted, February 26, 2016, says, “There were 464,033 total gun deaths between 1999 and 2013” (p 6). Of these deaths, 58.2% were suicide, 37.7% were homicides, and 2.2% were unintentional. Guns are the leading cause of death by homicide with 66.6% and by suicide with 52.2%, and are the 12th leading cause of all deaths. The study published by American Journal of Public Health found that "legal purchase of a handgun appears to be associated with a long-lasting increased risk of violent death" (p 6). Guns are related to a lot of deaths, and are among the top weapons associated with all deaths. Also, just legally owning one increases a person’s risk of dying

Although, many Americans believe they have the right to bear arms and use guns for protection. According to the article, “American deaths in terrorism vs. gun violence in one graph” the author Julia Jones states “The prevalence of guns go a long way toward explaining America’s terrible record – they are used in two – thirds of all murders. This demonstrates, guns are the most common weapons that are used in most of all the murders that are occurring. Due to the fact that guns are the most common weapons, it makes the United States have a horrible record. According to the same article “American deaths in terrorism vs. gun violence in one graph” states guns play a large role in suicides too. The article, also states that in 2013; 21,175 Americans killed themselves with guns, while 11,208 were killed by others. This means, people buy guns to take their lives away without a hesitation. This also means, people die no matter with a gun, either they commit suicide or someone kills them. As shown above, there wouldn’t be so many gun attacks and suicides if stronger gun control laws should be

Throughout the past 20 years, the purchase of guns have increased drastically but at the same time, crimes with firearms are down a shocking 69% (Snyder). Gun control is often used to create laws for the intention of reducing gun injuries or death by gun and might involve background checks or creating difficulty to own a gun altogether. Some believe strict gun laws will help America reduce murder rates. However, others believe gun control will remove the right to bear arms as an individual. America needs to refrain from enforcing gun control because citizens have the constitutional right to own guns and gun control will fail to decrease murder rates which would better be decreased by a basic education of gun safety.

The second amendment to the Constitution upholds the right of the people to keep and bear arms. Throughout American history there have been many regulations placed on gun ownership, but they prove to be ineffective as almost anyone can obtain a gun through both legal and illegal methods. Many gun control legislations meant to regulate gun ownership have been stalled in Congress. Recent events in the past decade, such as the Las Vegas shooting in October 2017 and the Sandy Hook shooting in December 2012, seem to provide more than enough reason for stricter gun control laws in the United States, but there is not much progress being made to establish stricter laws as both sides of the debate cannot come to a fair compromise. If the United States were to adopt stricter gun control laws, there would be fewer mass shootings, a lower firearm-related injuries and accidental death, and less violent crime. For these reasons, the United States should pursue new gun laws to create a safer environment for everyone.

Gun control supporters believe that the number of guns available to the American public is much greater than it should be. There is estimated to be over two hundred million guns among the three hundred million citizens in our nation. The advocated of gun control believe that more guns lead to more crime. The number of gun related deaths in the United States is about thirty times that in the United Kingdom. This means that per every 100,000 deaths 2.9 are gun related in the United States, where as it is 0.1 in the United Kingdom. Additionally, half of the deadliest shootings in the world have occurred in the United States. Gun related crimes in the United States did decline in the 90’s but since 2005 they have been on the rise again with about 30,000 people a year dying as a result of a firearm. In 2015 there were 5 mass shootings in the United States, killing 40 people and injuring 42. This number is up from 2014, with two mass shootings.

Most homicides in the United States are committed with firearms. Approximately 270 firearms are owned by Americans scales to about 90 guns for every 100 people. Annually, the misuse of these firearms cost thousands of lives. Stricter gun control is a step into putting a halt to mass shootings. Not only should gun control keep being enacted, but the process to obtaining a gun should be stricter because it would be an immense effort to keep gun violence down and effectively save more lives.