The Pros And Cons Of Gun Control

With an increase in the number of mass shootings that have occurred in the United States in the last few years the issue of gun control laws has become a prevalent topic of debate throughout American society. This debate stems from two opposing arguments over gun control. Some feel gun control laws are fair and not the contributing factor to these mass shootings, whereas, others feel that there is an urgent need for strict laws in order to end the problem of mass shootings. There are numerous pros and cons to the enforcement of stricter gun control laws but we must note a few things: stricter gun control laws would interfere with the second amendment, it is not the gun that kills it is the individual, and it is ultimately not laws that are

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

Over the last few years, homicides due to firearms have seen a large increase in commonality and the debate over gun ownership is as impassioned as ever before. On one hand, avid gun owners cite the 2nd Amendment and their constitutional right to bear arms as reason to maintain possession over their firearms. On the other hand though, many fanatics believe that guns should not be accessible to any member of society, exempt of course for only members of the law enforcement or their country’s military. However, weighing all the possible options and providing resources for stricter gun control laws could help save the lives of many countless victims. Currently, there are over 33,000 gun related deaths per year, coupled with over 370 mass shootings

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.

Mass-shootings — defined by the FBI as four or more murders occurring during the same calamity, with no distinctive time period between the homicides (Serial Murder) — have stricken across the United States at the rate of about one every two weeks since 2006 (Database of Mass Shootings, 2006-2013). This abysmal statistic has rightfully triggered much debate concerning gun restraints. The theory of gun control pertains towards any efforts intended to regulate, define, or limit the possession, production, sales, and use of guns. Since its conception, the Second Amendment — guaranteeing the “right to bear arms” — has been wildly controversial. Gun control advocates suggest that confining gun ownership would reduce the number of violent

Gun Politics in the U.S. are defined by two distinct groups: those who are for tighter if not outright ban on guns. And those who want to preserve every American’s rights to bear Arms under the second amendment. This of course led to disagreements when it came to the interpretation of laws and court cases related to firearms. Among other things related to the issue, like the effects gun control has on crime and the public safety (Rozsa, 2017). Debates regarding the access to firearms by the general populous and gun violence in the United States have been characterized by the concerns about the rights to bear arms and the responsibility of the government to serve the needs of its citizens. Such as the prevention of crime and

On October 1, 2017, a gunman opened fire on a large crowd of concertgoers on the Las Vegas Strip, killing 58 people and more than 500, making it the deadliest mass shooting in modern American history. Following yet another mass shooting we find ourselves as society asking the same questions of gun control and whether we are doing too little to prevent these now eerily common instances. Although many will agree with Nevada Sheriff Joe Lombardo, “I don’t know how it [the mass shooting] could have been prevented.” others preach that more rigorous gun laws could have lessened the death toll or maybe even prevented this tragedy. I believe that more demanding gun control laws especially relating to assault rifles and gun ownership procedures would help decrease if not prevent many of these mass shootings.

A story the world has been talking about is the shooting in Virginia that killed two people and injured another. People with a mental illness should not be allowed to have guns. If people can be tested by their doctor to see if they possibly have some type of mental related issue and they come back positive then they should be prohibited from having guns period. According to the passage Guns and Mental Health “…an individual is prohibited from buying or possessing firearms for life if he/she has been ‘adjudicated as a mental defective’ or ‘committed to a mental institution’” (4). As a nation, we should have learned our lesson by now, and we should be doing something to prevent this from reoccurring again.

The debate between gun-control and gun-rights advocates is one that is fought on many fronts and has intermittently raged on for many years. Today, one such battlefront is that of national concealed carry: gun-control advocates see an armed citizenry as one with more potential for conflict and unnecessary killing while gun-rights proponents see it as a source of deterrence for violent crime. Yearly in the United States, roughly 12,000 people die because of gun-related homicides, and many more are wounded in hostile situations involving firearms. While implementing regulations that prevent certain individuals, like felons, from owning and using firearms certainly are worthwhile, the process for individuals who qualify to own guns should not be arduous. They should be permitted to legally purchase and carry concealed weapons for their own protection, as it is not the citizens who obtain firearms through legal means that are likely to incite a violent incident. Those who intend to do harm to others will do so by whatever means necessary, and that includes buying or stealing a weapon illegally. It is evident that gun-control laws have not stopped gun violence: lawmakers need to empower law-abiding citizens by allowing them to utilize their constitutional right to defend themselves and others with a concealed firearm.

Gun control legally measures to license, control, or restrict the ownership of firearms by members of the public. In Virginia it is legal for anyone at the age of 18 to carry a handgun without a permit withstanding other applicable laws. Many people believe that you should not be able to have a firearm and that gun control should have tighter laws to protect America and our community, but I believe that having gun control and having laws on guns put us all in danger and make it a harder to protect our loved ones as well as ourselves.

Over the years there have been many debates about whether or not gun control is a good solution for the United States. As a result, two very distinct sides have formed: one for gun control and one against it. Recently, the pro gun control side has argued that the many school shootings were partly a result of our country’s minimal gun control. To many this may seem like a reasonable argument, but in reality it is an overgeneralization; there are many other factors that play a part in horrific events like school shootings. Those against gun control have argued that gun control laws are a violation of citizen’s constitutional rights often saying things like, “to take away the right to have guns is no different from the attempt of the British to “disarm” the colonists during the Revolutionary War” (Hanson 68). But which side is right? Many would say that neither side is completely correct, but when the facts are presented it is obvious that gun control is not a good solution because “guns don’t kill people, people kill people”, self-defense is the number one reason for owning a gun, and because the gun control laws that are being instituted do not work (Zimring 13).

In the wake of mass shootings, accidental deaths, and aggressive gun owners the United States has to reconsider the extent of the 2nd Amendment. Following the Sandy Hook Elementary tragedy gun related incidents in public place have only risen. Limited steps to preventing these horrific events have been taken and that has only allowed the problem to worsen. Some of the biggest problems with the United States’ 2nd Amendment are poorly executed background checks, excessively destructive assault weapons and bullets, and the overall prevalence of gun violence. This system needs to looked at and changed in support of saving lives of innocent Americans.

There is no doubt that gun control is a topic that creates conflict between political parties, families, states, cities and neighbors. It is also obvious that all sides of the debate use information they gather to promote their own agendas and their own personal views. But what exactly is gun control? Who in society is responsible for gun control issues to have come to the forefront of one of society's biggest and most political debates? One could reasonably argue that criminals are what prompts the most interest in gun control and more importantly, gang members. According to National Gang Intelligence Center (NGIC) analysis, "Gang-related crime and violence continues to rise. “Many believe that gang members are responsible for an average of 48 percent of violent crimes in most jurisdictions

America has recently taken part in a lot of shootings. The culprits were either arrested or killed and a few went as far as taking their lives before the police could even respond to the scene. America as a whole keeps losing children, brothers, sisters, parents, and friends from this ongoing issue. With all these shootings looming above us, is gun control necessary?

One of the most fascinating policy issues that have peaked my interest in the last few years is gun control. Not because of liking or disliking guns. Not because of liking or disliking control. But because of the struggle governmental control is having through our means of regulation. When we think of gun control, we often think about the black and white debate of where one may sit on the topic. It's very difficult to take an objective approach regarding the topic; lobbyists tend to look at facts in which will support a specific argument and bias. Looking at it from that perspective, a valid argument can be made for both sides. For an example, we can compare two different countries where both have "proof" for both sides of the argument. Then it's easy to say, "in country X, gun violence is low because of strict gun laws" or "in country X, gun violence is low because of the protective benefit."