Essay On Gun Control

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Gun Control in the United States
Gun control is a very heated issue within the country. There are advocates for both sides for wanting stricter gun control and less gun control. Firearms are such a big part of American history that it has been included in our constitution as one of our inalienable rights. The people who want stricter gun control believe that making it harder to get guns and limiting the types of guns people can use makes everyone safer since there’s less firearms in the public. Those who want more lax gun laws believe that it acts as a deterrent and as a safety measure to protect innocent citizens and themselves. As with most gun control debates there is always a lot of statistics involved in the argument. Taking a look at numbers helps to see if gun control laws are effective or not. The argument for more lax gun control laws makes more sense and has the statistics to back it up.
Gun laws control what firearms may be purchased, who may purchase them, and restrict the use of firearms. Lawmakers believe that this will reduce the prevalence of guns which in turn reduces the violent crime rate. This is the belief that less guns equals less crime. A total of 478,400 fatal and nonfatal crimes were committed with a firearm in 2011. Out of all those crimes, homicides accounted for 11,101 of them (Planty 2013: 1). The issue of controlling firearms could be considered a form of human rights infringement. Some firearms advocates consider that owning firearms is an issue of having the right to defend themselves. Putting stricter gun control laws in place only affect law abiding citizens. Criminals inherently do not follow the laws so it makes sense that gun control laws will not affect them. Background checks and mental hea...

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...since they are far superior than a handgun due to their low recoil, accuracy, and ammunition capacity. If there were three armed robbers breaking into your house, would you choose to be armed with a handgun or rifle? Most crime is committed with handguns. Homicidal behavior is influenced by drugs, alcohol, socioeconomic factors, and mental state rather than the availability of a firearm. Criminals obtain guns illegally and will not follow gun control laws since they are criminals. Gun ownership does not increase aggression in a law-abiding citizen. The ability to open carry and conceal carry should be allowed with permits. Background checks should be a necessity. About half of U.S. households have at least one gun. Around 2.5 million times a year a crime victim uses a gun for self-defense (Kleck 1999: 275). Guns are used to protect oneself and they represent freedom.

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