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

“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.

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.

Listen, gun control laws are as old as America, reaching as far back as the early Colonial period. In fact, the first gun control law came less than one year after the endorsement of the 2nd Amendment. It was called the "Uniform Militia Act of 1792." This act was written so that every "able bodied white male citizen" between the ages of 18 and 45 had to be registered with the state militia and was required to "provide himself with a musket or firelock, a bayonet, and ammunition." It was not a question of whether or not you had the right to bear arms, but rather that you would be required to. This bit of history is significant for two reasons. First it shows the intent of our forefathers that every citizen was considered part of the militia, therefore, no citizen could have their right to bear arms restricted by the government. Second, the Act entitled "white males" as citizens (and thus, part of the militia) taking away the newly declared Constitutional rights of slaves and even free African-Americans.

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 Second Amendment is not an unlimited right to own guns. Gun control laws are just as old or older than the Second Amendment (ratified in 1791). Gun control is an argument much debated in the United States of America today. Recent events such as the shooting in Connecticut elementary school and the shooting in a Colorado theater at an early morning screening of "The Dark Knight Rises" have persuaded many government officials to support gun control laws. However, many government officials still hold to the 2nd Amendment, which bluntly states, "... the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed." This being part of the Constitution, it bears a lot of credibility. However, I don't believe this is right. The government should not control guns rights to extremes, but it shouldn't let us have too much freedom.

“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 gun control controversy initiated in the 2010's after the amount of mass shootings in the United States began to rise exponentially. The shocking amount of gun related incident sparked a desire for more control. Two arguments are based on what restrictions should be active when buying a gun. These restrictions are formally known as gun control. According to New York Times, gun control is defined as: "a broad term that covers any sort of restriction on what kinds of firearms can be sold and bought, who can possess or sell them, where and how they can be stored or carried, what duties a seller has to vet a buyer, and what obligations both the buyer and the seller have to report transactions to the government." Recently, the debate has no clear winner, with both sides having loads of facts and statistics to support their claim. Throughout this expository, you will discover the advantages and disadvantages of higher gun control, and the effect that guns have on crime rates.

The handgun control debate demonstrates, a division into two sharply contrasting groups or sets of opinions or beliefs. In parts, of the country, shooting and hunting are a way of life for others they have no use in everyday life. Many people believe the gun violence problem could be fixed by passing stricter gun laws. This sparked a national conversation on gun control because mass shootings are becoming common in today's society. Many businesses are introducing universal background checks, and barring gun sales to people convicted of violent offenses. Gun control solutions are deeply divided along political lines. Gun control ownership vs protecting gun rights is the main deliberation. I believe in a society with hundreds of cultures, differences and arguments can arise out easily. It's best to control gun ownership rather than protecting the right of Americans to own guns. Guns give people power, with power inevitably becomes abuse. When President Obama called for new gun restrictions, the majority of gun owners feared that the federal government wanted to take away their right to own firearms; that increased

Gun control, it’s a common topic that gets thrown around debates very often, whether the second amendment should remain legal or it should be banned in the United States. I, among many law abiding citizens, prefer to keep the second amendment within our government just like it has been since our founding fathers signed the Declaration of Independence. However, with this law still in place, it also means anybody over a certain age, depending where they live in the United States, can buy a gun. This puts me on edge because not everybody in our nation is a very self-controlling person, regardless of their gender, ethnicity, religion, and so on. This brings back those tragic moments in our generation such as the Newtown School Shooting, where a man walked into an elementary and shot little boys and girls, and also teachers. Or that time when the man shot many innocent bystanders inside the Pulse Nightclub in Orlando with a rifle and handgun. That is why there should be strict background checks for anyone who is going to buy a firearm, because it’s important to know just who exactly is going to buy a gun.

"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." - The Bill of Rights.“The 21st century” a backdrop for the War On Terror, has since changed that view on the right to bear arms enough to call for major gun reform. Orlando, Florida 50 killed and 53 injured June 12, 2016. San Bernardino, California 16 killed and 24 injured December 2, 2015. The media slanders two weapons of so called “terror”, the infamous AK-47 and the AR-15. The AK-47 a soviet made weapon a by product of the cold war, and the AR-15 a weapon invented to combat the AK-47. Both weapons are used in many mass shootings, in fact the New York Times calls both assault rifles

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.

Since 1791, the United States has allowed citizens the right to bear arms; citizens have depended on the ability to carry and use firearms. What if that just, went away? Every citizen would give up their firearm and there would be nothing for civilians to use to protect themselves with, at least, not something that they are used to carrying or having in their homes. The government should not restrain the ownership, the use, or the concealed carry of firearms for the reason that owning guns has shown to lower crime rates; keeping guns prevents the Second Amendment from being violated; and banning guns does not prevent criminals from disobeying the law.

Now we come the 20th century, with the first Federal firearms law passed by Congress, the National Firearms Act of 1934 (McNiff, 2017). This was a result of the Prohibition-era crimes by gangsters peaked with the infamous Saint Valentine’s Day massacre of 1929. This was an era marked by the Thompson submachine gun and sawed-off shotgun. Then in the second half of

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).