Argumentative Essay: Gun Control Laws Only Impact Law-abiding Citizens

Tom is running full speed, maybe even for his life. It is a perfect summer night in San Jose, and Tom and his work partner just left work minutes before. They were walking through a “bad neighborhood” when some thugs started hassling them, and yelling obscenities at them. Tom and his friend walked by them quickly soon to be chased by the thugs. The thugs were threatening Tom and his friend’s life. Tom and his friend continue to run till the reach a busy intersection where Tom pulls out a semi-automatic handgun from his backpack and points it towards the thugs. As soon as the gun is leveled the thugs retreat leaving the two men alone. If there had been no gun Tom and his friend would have been seriously beaten or even killed. Tom did not have a permit for the gun, and might have not been able to get one without a special reason (Rauch 731). People like Tom need to be able to get gun permits, but it is so difficult because of all the criminal activity in America. Gun control laws are pointless and are only binding on the law-abiding citizens.

The “waiting period” method of gun control is basically a two-step process. The first step in the procedure is that the person wanting a gun goes to the gun shop to buy a gun. Then, he/she must wait one to two weeks while the government performs a small background check for past criminal activities, disorderly conduct, or lack of mental/emotional stability. During this time, if the purchaser of the gun wanted the gun for a “quick crime” it is hoped that they will not still want to cause bodily harm after a few weeks of waiting around. Another dumb law is that is in effect in California is that if you want to carry a concealed handgun, “you have to prove that you have some special reason to carry”(Rauch 731).

The problem with this method of gun control is that it stops the ordinary citizen from purchasing a gun quickly. It still does not stop criminals from buying guns. They purchase them through "dummy buyers" that have clean backgrounds. So when the criminal enters the law abiding citizens house with deadly intentions, the innocent victim can’t defend his family cause he can’t get a gun cause he was arrested for drinking and driving 10 years ago before he was even married, so therefore him and his family become victims.