The Gun Laws And Banning The United States

Gun violence kills 33,000 Americans and injures over 80,000 people per year. It is ridiculous how much damage guns have brought to not only us, but the world itself. From Columbine, to Sandy Hook, to the movie theatre to the Oregon Community College shooting, it has just been ridiculous. This is all because we in America believe it is okay for people to carry guns and for them to be used if “needed”. If they were always banned to begin with, we would never have had this problem. The private ownership of handguns should be banned in the United States. Handguns have been proved to be dangerous to society in recent events, they are the deadliest weapon in America, and lastly, guns cost Americans hundreds of extra dollars that could be avoided if they were banned.

Furthermore, more gun laws would not stop a criminal from possessing a gun. Criminals already don 't obey the law. Background checks are an absolute must. Background checks should prevent a gun from getting in the wrong hands of the wrong person. Many criminals clan they like the gun control laws because it leaves the victim helpless and without a gun. If every home had a gun, less criminals feel power over victims by possessing a gun. By everyone having a gun, it equalizes the un equal.

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.

The violence in the United States is a big issue, but making more gun laws is not the answer. It is an inevitable fact that making it harder to get access to guns would only lead people to turn to black markets and more underhanded deals. In an article for the Los Angeles Times, James Q. Wilson writes, “It is virtually impossible to use new background check or waiting-period laws to prevent dangerous people from getting guns. Those that they cannot buy, they will steal or borrow” (Wilson). Dramatic changes within gun controls laws would, in itself, make more people mad and possibly lead to riots. In many people's minds, more gun control laws would mean to taking guns away. Gun control laws within themself are not a bad thing, the extent to which they are taken within a nation

A majority of the American people feel that gun control laws will help reduce crime rates because the waiting period would allow time for a person’s temper to cool down. They also feel that gun control will prevent repeat offenders because when a person tries to purchase a handgun, he will have to fill out a lengthy questionnaire. The questionnaire will include questions about the buyer’s past, for example, if they have a criminal record or a record of any mental illness. If there is a criminal record in that person’s history, he will not be able to make the purchase. Restricting handgun ownership would also reduce crime, because guns are used most often in robberies and murders (Mayer 28). They are very easily concealed under a coat, or even in the waistband of pants.

But, looking at this idea from a global standpoint, one could infer that other countries that uphold a strict “zero gun tolerance policy” still have higher crime rates than that of the United States (Kates, et al., 2006). According to Kleck and Patterson (2006), a huge issue for criminals is the ability to purchase guns illegally. Even with policies in the United States requiring background checks for gun purchases, the government will not be able to limit a criminal’s ability to attain guns (Kleck, et al., 2006). In Koper and Wilson’s study (2006), evidence is found to support how law enforcement aims to proactively reduce possession of illegal firearm with tactics such as gun detection patrols, surveillance of probationers and parolees, weapon reporting hotlines, etc. But, these gun control laws show to be ineffective with over 80% of incarcerated gun offenders having possessed guns illegally prior to confinement; while, more than a third of these offenders were already on either probation or parole when arrested for a firearm crime (Koper, et al.,

Background checks can’t predict when or where the next mass shooting is going to occur. “Mass shooters can’t be stopped because we never know who they are until they make themselves known” (Jundo). (6) It is argued that stricter background checks would be an ineffective solution because nobody has the ability to predict the next mass shooting. (2) Gun advocates believe that giving more people guns would make people feel safer, and more civilians would be able to stop crimes. (5) Although it is true that background checks won’t predict who the next mass shooter will be, that is just part of the reason why background checks are important. People who oppose background checks need to look at the bigger picture. Giving more people guns would promote a more violent society. (5) According to Mother Jones, the number of mass shootings stopped by armed civilians in the past 33 years is zero (Gilson). (5) While increasing the number of armed civilians has not shown to decrease gun violence, background checks have been proven to lower overall gun related violence. Background checks ensure that the majority of people buying firearms aren’t

Over the past couple of years, being able to access a gun has been too easy for criminals. They have been able to easily pass background checks. This is why there needs to be stronger background checks to protect people from criminals. Also, gun laws do not need to be too strong so that no one can protect themselves. “In 2002 at the Appalachian School of Law [in Grundy, Virginia]. Hearing shots, two students went to their cars, got their guns and restrained the shooter until police arrested him”(Guns Save Lives). This is an example of why having guns could help. If there were laws that prevented these 2 students to own guns, the whole situation could have been worse. There could have been more deaths but instead, since they had guns, they were able to control the situation and protect themselves. Lastly, Americans have always had the right to bear arms. “The right to bear arms has been a long American tradition. From the time the colonists settled on North American soil, Americans have held weapons to protect themselves”(The History of the Right to Bear Arms). If there were always laws then America would not have been America. Changing this would just lead more people to be mad and cause more problems. It will be better off if the laws remain the same. Limiting the amount of gun laws will allow people to own a gun and protect themselves and having stricter background checks will make it harder for a criminal to acquire a

The history of guns has long been embedded in our society and culture. Back in the old days, people used guns for the hunting of food. Most people in those days also would use guns as their main source of income as wells as for the protection of themselves from Indians, wild animals, and other enemies. There had less rules concerning the purchasing of guns and the handling of it. However, the times are really changing and the intents of civilians to do things are sometimes not for the better. According to the viewpoint essay “Stronger Gun Control Laws Will Save Lives” by Christine Watkins, Watkins states that there are “400,000 crimes committed every year,” and “the United States has the highest rate of firearm deaths (more than 30,000 each year) among twenty-five high-income nations.” Firearms are very dangerous, and having guns does not necessarily mean that it will protect a person from enemies. It is the government’s responsibility to protect its citizens, not the citizens themselves. There would be a reduction of gun-related deaths and incidents by having stricter gun regulations and performing more thorough background checks or gun owners.

Crime cannot be prevented by gun control. Criminals can steal firearms, use a fake ID, or illegally manufacture firearms. A criminal can easily work around a background check if they don’t have a serious offense on their record. Also states with a higher gun ownership rate have a lower violent crime rate. On average when states makes stricter conceal and carry laws they see a spike of 10% in violent crimes(proton.org). Owning a gun is a deterrent for criminals, because when a criminal knows that many people in an area own firearms they are less likely to try to break entry in that area.

According to the lecture on Gun Violence, there are currently over 300 million guns in the possession of private citizen. Americans have over 75 guns per 100 people, whereas other western countries range from 5 to 30 guns per 100 people (2007 small arms survey). Gun violence is a major issue in the United States due to lack of gun control. The lack of gun control makes handguns too readily available to citizens, allows those who should not own a firearm the ability to purchase firearms, and no policy on secure storage of firearms. As a result, I conclude that a combination of restriction of private ownership of handguns and stricter background check and storage policy would eliminate some of the violence caused by guns. To decrease gun violence

would find a way to obtain a firearm regardless of the law. Crime rate does not originate from the accessibility of guns, but rather the actions of an individual that has disregard for life in today 's society. There will always be ways for the offender commit crimes with or without guns.

Most recently the country of Australia put a ban on all weapons and required its citizens to turn in for disposal millions of weapons that included family heirlooms, hunting weapons and personal protection weapons. In the years following this regulation, there has been a significant rise in the crime rate that is arguably the result of citizens being unable to protect themselves and deter criminals. Another country, Mexico, has far more strict laws on gun control than the United States and studies show that there were 10 gun homicides per 100,000 people in Mexico compared to the United States having 3 per 100,000 people (Chalabi). With just this bit of information, it can be deduced that more gun control does not solve the issue of deaths by guns or result in lowering crime

Even if possessing a gun is illegal, criminals will always have a way of possessing a gun. According to a study done by Mark Judge in 2015, “Of the 70 who admitted to having access to a gun, the survey found that only two (3 percent) were purchased directly from a gun store. Most had gotten their guns illegally: “adults who are entitled to possess a gun are more likely than not to buy from an FFL [licensed dealer].” Criminals can effortlessly obtain a gun with money through the black market. They are very unlikely to walk into a gun store to buy a gun. Therefore background checks do not affect criminals at all. Many gun control advocates have thought of methods to restrict guns to criminals such as background checks, limiting the size of magazines, and regulating the type of guns. In the article, Making Gun Control Happen, written by a pro-gun control advocate Patrick Radden Keefe deems that, “One obvious change would be to mandate a criminal background check for all gun purchases.” The more gun control laws, there are, the easier is it for criminals to act out their crime due to there being a less of a chance for a citizen stopping the criminal with a

In America, mass shootings are increasing every year. “According to the Brady Campaign, 31 Americans are murdered with guns every day on average.” (Kelly) “On average, every day, 55 people kill themselves using a firearm and 46 people are shot, or killed, with a gun by accident.” (Kelly) “Nine out of ten Americans agree that we should have background checks nationwide.” (Kelly) “Right now, our current background check system only applies to about 60% of gun sales which mean 40% don’t do background checks.” (Kelly) “About 270 million firearms are owned by Americans, which would be about 90 guns for every 100 people (Smart Gun Laws).” Guns are getting in the hands of mentally ill people and children which just isn’t very safe.