The Pros And Cons Of Gun Control

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.

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.

“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.

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.

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.

Gun control is a ongoing topic in American history that different people with different religious, political and social views have. The three articles that will be explained and argued against in this paper is all making the argument that if more gun control was implemented in today's American society then the violent crimes will shorty drop following the control of firearms. Gun control makes easy prey out of law-obeying people, who lawfully live in America. If criminals want to perform a crime, they will do so, whether or not they can get a firearm. It is illegal to drive drunk, yet people still do it. Marijuana is illegal, yet people still buy, sell and smoke it. Why would someone who does not exactly follow the law against murder

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.

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 this era, gun control has become a very controversial topic. People have debated whether any person should be able to obtain the privilege of handling or carrying a gun. Scholars, teachers, and politicians consistently go over the fact that guns can be a potential threat to society, especially with the current uprising of shootings across The United States. However, they fail to further analyze the feelings of those who believe that obtaining a gun is essential to feel safe and to ensure their survival. Over the years, violence in our communities has increased significantly, which frightens people and inclines them to carry their own gun. There are several factors that can cause someone to want to carry a firearm such as, a recent

Gun Control, the big debate of the 21st century. Varying from idea to idea between different souls, backgrounds, and beliefs. Some people believe that people kill people, not guns. Others believe that guns are the reason the people killing each other. Based on research, data, and facts compiled by myself, this is gun control in it’s best days, and darkest hours.

With mass shootings on the rise, street violence killing by the thousands, and suicide victims climbing as well, gun control laws have been a hot topic in today’s media. There are many state laws and a federal amendment that pertain to firearms. These laws try to restrict and regulate the sale, purchase, and possession of firearms through licensing, registration, and identification requirements (US. Legal, Inc.). These laws are in place to protect people who own or do not own guns from those who would be the most dangerous when in possession of one. However, there are large loopholes in these laws that allow people to get a gun without facing any of the laws’ requirements. It is these loopholes that give people whom wish to harm or kill other, the ability to purchase a firearm when otherwise they would have been prohibited. Stricter and more thorough firearm-related laws need to be put into place, so that previous loopholes will be eliminated.

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

people are killed. The people and politicians warm up to talk about gun control and strict laws,

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.