The Pros And Cons Of Gun Violence

Gun control regulation is a set of laws and policies designed to regulate the manufacturing, sale, purchase, and use of guns by civilians. Gun control has been a dividing topic, especially over the last decade among Americans. Firearms are a staple of American culture and society. Many Americans own firearms, for recreational purpose in the form of hunting and/or target shooting. Many also own guns as a method of safety and protection in a society characterized by violence. However, we continue to see a trend in mass shootings were guns are too frequently, being used for senseless violence. The mass shootings in Las Vegas and Texas have prompted the country to revive the tireless debate about gun violence and whether we can combat it with gun regulations. The issue specifically stems from the frequency of gun violence in the U.S. The issues of gun violence continue to be fought by both gun rights activist and gun control groups alike both groups lobbying Congress to craft legislation in their respective favors. The debate continues on whether laxer or stricter gun control laws will help protect citizen and limit mass shooting and violent crimes. In my paper, I will show both the pros and the cons of gun control arguing for both opposing views. I will do this using background information as well other supporting facts and evidence. I will conclude my paper with a possible suggestion of solutions to these issues.

This opinion piece from The Washington Post was written by U.S. Senator Chris Murphy from Connecticut. Published days after the recent Las Vegas Shooting, Murphy tells of his past experiences with gun violence urging for stronger gun control legislation. He states that the “phenomenon of horrific mass shootings is exclusive to the United States”, so the solution should be able to be solved by Americans. He argues that our response to “regular mass shootings” has been un-American, and how can a country that has solved the greatest problems in the world, not solve a problem that puts our fellow citizens in harm. “…we choose to be an increasingly distant outlier of exceptional violence”, Murphy states.

“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.

This was the headline in “The New York Times” by Christopher Mele and Manny Fernandez on November 5th 2017. The authors highlights the events that led to a gunman by the Devin Patrick Kelly, 26, opening fire at a congregation worshiping on a Sunday at a rural church in Texas, killing 26 people and scores injured. According to this article, the motif of the attack was attributed to a serious mental health problem and a failed marriage which led to divorce the victim having assaulted his wife and child.

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.

Multiple videos of police involved shootings have surfaced on the internet over the past few years raising the question; should police be carry firearms? A few countries have already disarmed their patrol officers and left only a few specialized armed units. There are some that would believe the same should be done in the United States. However disarming officers would have disastrous results. Police officers must be armed to project force, secure a crime scene, and defend the lives of others.

Gun violence has become an increasingly apparent and critical issue in American society. The most prominent and dramatic examples of gun violence are the shootings that have been occurring recently. In October of twenty-seventeen, a gunman opened fire on a concert in Las Vegas killing fifty-nine and injuring over five hundred in what would be the largest mass shooting in American history. These numbers are astounding but do not change the fact that stricter gun control will not solve the problem. While tragic, these instances they offer insight into what perpetuates gun violence. However, people often use these tragedies to gain political favor and call for more action for gun control, but these instances only reveal that guns are not the source of the problem. According to USA Today journalist John Munn, these type of instances are an example of why more gun control is a necessity. In his article, “Readers sound off: We need to do more on gun control”, Munn wrote, “[Guns are] being used against the general public for the express purpose of mass murder. They’re not hunting tools. They’re not used to protect the innocent.

As Boss (2017) mentions, 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” (p. 164). Gun control has always been a controversial issue. Due to shootings related to culture, schools, robberies, movie theatres, and accidents, guns have become an object of violence, fear, and danger. All people have been affected by gun violence or have heard of an event related to gun violence. The two articles that will be analyzed are Erik Gilbert’s “Stop Worrying About Guns in the Classroom. They’re Already Here” and a testimony by Mark Kelly “Senate Judiciary Committee Hearing on Gun Violence on Gun Violence on January 30, 2013”. After comparing arguments through different premises from both articles, one essay will be chosen superior to the other.

Gun violence is a major flaw in our schools and in communities at large. There were 28 people that died in the Sandy Hooks school shooting on December 14, 2012. At the columbine high school shooting on April 20,1999, there were 15 people that were killed. At the Stoneman Douglas High School shooting on February 14,2018, there were 17 students and teachers that had been shot and killed. Since Columbine, there has been 122 deaths from school shootings.

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.

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.

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.

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