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The Pros And Cons Of Gun Control

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On January 5th, 2016, an emotional President Obama broke down in tears as he introduced new gun control executive orders. He was clearly upset at the amount of innocent people whose lives had ended by being shot. The image of his emotions made many Americans realize: are our current laws not enough? Although gun violence has been on a steady decline for the last few decades, the U.S. is still the global leader in gun violence and ownership, according to U.S. News(McPhillips). Some people do not like that title associated with their country, so they push for gun control laws. Ideally, the best way to end gun violence is to abolish the 2nd Amendment, and illegalize guns. However, that would be an unheralded task. Banning guns would be impossible. First, if a gun ban is ever put into effect, it will, without a doubt, end in failure. “Fundamentally, it would be illegal for the US government to ban guns, as laid down in the Constitution. It’s easy for us to say, ‘Just change the law then’, but it’s a little more complicated than that.” says Rich Cooper, according to “Hexjam”. The process of enforcing new laws for guns, abolishing the 2nd Amendment, and making sure this is right decision, would, if done correctly and to the fullest extent, take a very prolonged period of time to finalize. Even if this is accomplished, it would most likely be short term. In January 20, 1920, the 18th Amendment of the United States, which made alcohol production, transport, and distribution illegal, took effect. It became an official amendment because the government wanted to stop problems such as violence, immoral behavior, and poverty that result from alcohol consumption. At first, it seemed successful, as alcohol consumption decreased significantly. However, the rise of underground markets resulted in the consumption level to be higher than before the amendment took effect. It ended in failure. The same thing would happen with guns and firearms. The government can try to pass a gun ban, but the underground market will just grow in wealth. Gun violence can rise higher than before the ban took effect, like alcohol consumption did with the 18th Amendment. In addition, the black market is too powerful for the government to control.

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