Issues with Gun Control

Picture this. A loud noise wakes you up in the middle of the night. Is someone in your house? You’re not sure. Then you hear another noise: a faint scraping sound. Someone is moving around downstairs! You walk across the room, pick up a small handgun, and go downstairs. You confront a man going through your home. He lunges at you, but as he sees the gun, he stops mid-assault, and runs away. This could happen to anyone. We think, “Oh, that won’t happen to me,” but the truth is, a home is broken into every thirteen seconds. (Source: safeguardtheworld.com) Think what could have happened if you had not been able to defend yourself. The power to defend yourself is the reason that people have guns. The government should not ban rifles, shotguns, and handguns, because the truth is, there is no reason to take away guns as long as there are criminals out there waiting for that to happen.

Let’s take a look at what gun control laws are in effect right now. In North Carolina, you can own a rifle or a shotgun without a permit. You can own a handgun after completing a thorough background check (which includes making sure that you aren’t insane and that you aren’t a convicted felon, among other things), and it is illegal to own a machine gun. In the United States, you need a federal license to sell guns, and a background check must be completed before a sale. These background checks are a good idea, but they are more than often not verified because of irresponsible gun salesmen. Also, in 1976, Washington, D.C. passed a law placing heavy restrictions on guns. The law was overturned in 2008, but while the law was in effect, the murder rate in Washington rose by 73%. And in Britain, the government bans all handguns. The British crime rate is more ...

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...t do I actually want lawmakers to do about gun control? The answer is simple: nothing. Nothing at all. Gun laws right now are as they should be. Guns are allowed with a permit, which makes it very difficult for psychopaths such as the Columbine shooters to obtain them. If anything, the permit needs to be better enforced. Don’t change the laws, just enforce them better.

Gun control is a very large and very controversial issue in our country today. Disarming civilians, though, is not the way to deal with armed criminals. The government should let us keep our rifles, shotguns, and handguns, because we have proven ourselves by means of a background check to be responsible citizens. If we ban guns, we lose our best chance at defending ourselves from criminals who get guns illegally. Ask yourself: do you care about your safety? Then defend your right to defend yourself!