The Pros And Cons Of Gun Control

The Second Amendment of the United States Constitution reads: "A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed." Courts have universally agreed, however, that the right provided by the Second Amendment is not absolute and that many kinds of gun legislation designed to protect public safety remain valid ("Gun Safety & Public Health," 2013). The ongoing debate between the gun rights versus gun control has caught more attention as number of cases involving gun violence increased significantly. In one study, it stated that major mental illnesses are associated with increased risk of violent act. In recent years, there were several news headlines on

“Gun are designed to kill. They have no other function” (Bowman and Newton). Today, there is a major debate whether or not guns should be legalized or stay legal. The Second Amendment allows people to right to bear arms, but many people disagree with that and to express their opinions, both sides protest. Guns have a long history in the United States. They were made for military purposes and are now used for anything a individual wants to use it for, like for example hunting. Stricter gun control laws should be enacted because they will cause fewer deaths, save money, and for increased public safety.

The Constitution states the second amendment as, “A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.”1 This amendment gives the people the right to own and carry guns for their protection and for the security of their homes. There are many controversies surrounding the issue of people owning guns and gun related violence because of the second amendment. One of the biggest controversies is the regulations on gun control regulating what type of guns people may possess and what kind of registration is required. The tenth amendment says, “The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.”2 The second amendment (along with all the other amendments) is under federal jurisdiction; therefore the states do not have power in this case.3 The second amendment gives the right to all American citizens to bear arms, therefore, the States do not have the power to regulate what type of firearm they may possess and how they carry or keep it.

As opponents against gun control have numerous reasons as to why guns should not be restricted amongst the American public but pointed to the Second Amendment to the United Constitution as the main reason why gun control should not be permitted in the U.S. However, what these critics do not want to accept is that since 1980, several crucial events in the United States have led to excessive gun control movement. Remarkably, it takes a lot more than one appalling catastrophe to influence Americans that more attention should be taken into monitoring the number and types of guns the public can get access to. However, some major shooting calamities in the U.S such as assassination attempts on President Reagan’s, Columbine, Virginia Tech, and Sandy Hook have all triggered majority of Americans to take a stance in favor of gun control legislation. The first key push in the direction of the gun control movement begun during the era of Ronald Reagan presidency since he happened to be of one of the most “pro gun” presidents in American history.

Gun Control has been a long debated, and hot topic among the American population for many decades. The 2nd Amendment to the United States Constitution states that, “The right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed”. Both sides of this debate have very logical arguments for increasing gun control or lessening gun control. These arguments tend to spike shortly after active shooter events, eventually having some type of legislature passed to prevent these atrocious acts from happening. But ultimately active shooter events continue to plague the United States, and much of the world.

The argument of gun control has always been a focal point of many politicians and concerned citizens. The current argument is based on a foundation that is hundreds of years old, and is one that reflects on the contemporary values of our society to this day. During what is now referred to as the constitutional convention of 1787, the United States enacted a series of laws that protected the people of the United States of America. The protections that were granted to us, became known as the constitution. In 1789, Virginia Representative James Madison introduced a series of proposed amendments to the newly ratified U.S. Constitution in a document known as The Bill of Rights. The most controversial of these rights commonly referred to as the 2nd amendment, it states, “A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed” (billofrightsinstitute.org).This text has been the focus scrutiny by both state and federal government, as well as politicians that are looking to align their ideals with the views of the people. Many would argue that, with the evolution of firearms, the historic amendment to the constitution shall be considered null and void; or, that this amendment was referring to long guns such as rifles or muskets, and that with the development of high capacity magazines and fully automatic rifles, criminals will take to the streets to wreak havoc on anyone in sight. However, the argument that needs to be considered, is whether or not the current legislation that is being proposed by Democratic party is actually going to prevent crime, or allow it the opportunity to flourish.

“I have a very strict gun control policy: if there is a gun around, I want to be in control of it” (Clint Eastwood). Every year according to ATF statistics, over six million guns are sold on average in the United States alone. As of 2015, gunviolencearchive.org reported 46,350 incidents related to firearms. Out of those incidents 11,664 deaths were attributed by a firearm. “Staggering numbers on both fronts with no resolution in site. The second amendment states “A well-regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed” many have challenged this right, and it has become one of the most controversially debated subjects to date.

The Second Amendment of the Constitution has drawn a great deal of criticism especially in recent years. The topic of gun control is controversial throughout these past few years because of the many mass shooting being committed through the the use of guns. The Second Amendment States, “A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.”(“Guns and Violence”, 2016) I came about this issue because of the recent events that took place involving guns causing a mass shooting done by a person legally allowed to get weapons. This even made it seem as if weapon killing innocents are the norm in the United States because of all the mass shooting that have taken place throughout the past few years. I wanted to do research on what would happen if there are gun control laws placed in the U.S government, would it make America a safer place or a more dangerous place. “Expanding background checks for gun purchasers to a wider range of gun sales was also judged effective and popular. It is an idea that was considered by Congress in 2013, but failed to win enough votes to become law (Bui, 2017).” This quote got me thinking why do people not want to limit gun control if it might help the safety of Americans. Gun laws need to be changed so that guns are harder to obtain for those who are not deemed fit to hold a gun and allowed for those to carry as a method of protection from the government from overpowering us and from criminals.

Although I did not agree with the article How Gun Control Advocates Could break the NRA’s Blockade by Ronald Brownstein, it states some points that were hard to refute about gun control and that helped shape my argument. My stance on gun control is that we should not ban guns as a whole, but have more of a centralized approach on how people can obtain a gun. Being an American citizen allows you with certain alienable rights that are outlined by the Bill of Rights. We as a nation were given these rights at the creation of our great nation based on the fact that all men were created equal. Some of the rights that are given include things such as, freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom of the press, and the right to bear arms. The Bill of Rights was made because they wanted to place specific limits on government power. The author of the article is suggesting that we as a nation should ban all types of guns. This topic of banning guns or not banning guns is important because in recent events there has been a lot of mass shootings that have ended lives too early. These mass shootings are becoming more and more common the number of people that have been killed by guns within the last year has been four hundred and sixty-one. Also, there have been over three hundred mass shootings in the last 477 days.

Violence. Murder. Sadness. These words describe a situation that has been occurring in the United State more frequently, a mass shooting. The thought of something so horrible happening to someone close or even oneself is hard to imagine. However, knowing that that possibility of a shooting happening is raising more concern on gun laws. The debate is one that is difficult to answer; there are those who, almost literally, love their guns more than their children and there are those who love their children more than guns. Both sides make valid arguments and can be quite convincing as well, although, to provide a unanimous solution we must analyze both perspectives. The question is then brought to attention; what are the perspectives on the gun

Gun control laws are an ongoing process that varies from location, to time of history. Throughout history different laws and regulations have been made about gun control across all continents on earth. These laws change frequently and will continue to do so till the end of time. Many people are either for or against these laws depending on their religion, moral beliefs and location. Although increasing gun control is used for the protection of citizens, it could be deemed unnecessary to many because it simply doesn't work, there are too many unreasonable laws, and is unconstitutional. Instead we should learn from other countries across the world.

The results of the United State’s lack of regulation are evident through many events in our country. From horrifying mass shootings to suicide, guns only encourage violent behavior. According to the Centers for Disease Control in 2014, approximately 33,000 people die each year because of gun-related homicides, suicides, and accidents in the United States. As previously stated, advocates for gun rights argue that guns don’t kill people, people kill people. However, this idea has been proven not entirely true. In December of 2012, a Chinese man walked into an elementary school and attacked 22 children with a knife. While the act was extremely tragic, the use of a gun would have worsened the already violent situation. If a gun had been

Gun control has become a pretty big argument. More now so than it ever has before. About 68% of registered voters want there to be stricter gun laws. That totals to be about 2 out of 3 people chose to have it (Shepard, Steven). As to where 25% chose to keep gun laws from being stricter (Shepard, Steven). The other 7% are the people who could care less (Shepard, Steven). I personally think that gun control is a bad idea, it's just another thing the government wants to be able to say yes or no to.

Watching the news of yet another school shooting in the United States is heart breaking to everyone. The devastating responses on social media reflex how traumatized are the students, parents and school’s staff. Many questions are without an answer yet, such as why this phenomenon occurs only in the United States? Is the gun control is the solution? As the students currently are seeking to change, what is the root of the problem? And finally, whom to blame?

For many years, people have been pushing the American government to implement new laws that deal with gun control. Supporters of the argument claim that increased gun control will drastically reduce the crime rate in America. Nevertheless, a majority of gun control arguments are formed from strict control of data and emotional appeal. The mainstream media picks up these stories and broadcasts them to viewers without providing any context to them. While gun control activists assert that gun control is necessary, the American government should not ban guns because of the following reasons: potential vulnerability of innocent people being shot at by criminals and the inability for people to defend themselves against their own government.