Handguns in America: To ban or not to ban.
Americans should be able to have, own and carry handguns if they feel the need to protect them. It’s a statement that is a topic of major debate and has been for years. There are proponents and oppositionists with regards to handgun laws and rights. Both sides have strong, seemingly valid arguments. In the end, we should have that choice.
One of the strongest arguments for banning handguns: An increase in the availability of handguns equals an increase in crimes using handguns. “Handguns were used in murder more than all other weapons combined.” Page 75 (Every handgun is aimed at you) Josh Sugarman is for banning handguns arguing, the higher number of handguns, and the higher number of crime. That fact may be accurate according to the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reports. However, who is to say about the likely hood of the murder occurring regardless if the gun was available or not. If someone has a gun, they are more likely going to use it. But if someone is murder-minded, they will commit the murder, regardless of the weapon. To argue this point further, John R. Lott Jr. in his book The Bias Against Guns, mentions a study from 1977 to 1992. The research showed that the states that adopted right to conceal laws had a decrease in crimes with guns immediately following the passing of those laws. (pg 228 the bias against guns)
Suicide and handguns: “….the ready availability of handguns in the moments of despair takes thousands of lives each year.” (page 35 Every handgun is aimed at you) The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention states that: “Firearms account for 50 percent of all suicides. Death by firearms is the fastest growing method of suicide.” Just as the murder-minded individual h...
... middle of paper ...
...ection of this site, deals specifically with statistics on firearms and suicide rates.
Sowell, Thomas. "RealClearPolitics - Judges, the Constitution & Gun Control Laws." RealClearPolitics. Creators Syndicate Inc., 29 June 2010. Web. 10 Mar. 2012. The author is a general columnist and writes political articles including publishing weekly articles in Forbes magazine. He is a respected top economist. His article shows the author’s view on how stricter laws will increase gun violence.
Sugarmann, Josh. Every Handgun Is Aimed at You: The Case for Banning Handguns. New York: New, 2001. Print. The author is the executive director/founder of Violence Policy Center. He has published two books on the subject of guns and has written many articles for several newspapers across the country. This book looks at gun violence in America and why we should completely ban handguns.
A growing number of publicized tragedies caused by gun violence have caused a great stir in the American community. Recently, President Barack Obama has made proposals to tighten the regulation of and the restrictions on the possession of weapons in America to lessen these tragedies. Should the legislative branch decide in favor of his proposals, all American citizens who do or wish to own the type of weapons in question or who use current loopholes in existing policy would be directly affected. His proposals, which are to “require background checks for all gun sales, strengthen the background check system for gun sales, pass a new, stronger ban on assault weapons, limit ammunition magazines to 10 rounds, finish the job of getting armor-piercing bullets off the streets, give law enforcement additional tools to prevent and prosecute gun crime, end the freeze on gun violence research, make our schools safer with new resource officers and counselors, better emergency response plans, and more nurturing school climates, [and] ensure quality coverage of mental health treatment, particularly for young people,” have been cause for a large amount of recent debate (whitehouse.gov).
John Luik author of the article “The Increased Availability of Guns Reduces Crime” and Sabina Thaler the author of the article “The Claim of Increased Gun Availability Reduces Crime is Unfounded” are two examples of people having different opinions on such a debatable topic. Both authors talk about guns taking people’s lives, Thalers article focuses on guns taking innocent people’s lives, and Luiks article focuses on guns being innocent people’s protection. Many gun supporters will say that more guns will bring down the crime rate. These same believers will give facts stating that the more guns in a state, the less likely gun owners will use them. “The chances of innocent people being the victims of violent crime, including murder, decrease—not increase—when access to guns is made easier” (Luik).
One of the biggest reasons that handguns should not be banned is because of the Second Amendment. 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.” People who argue that guns should be banned state the Second Amendment was not intended for the regular civilian, but rather the militia. This is where they are wrong. The Supreme court has taken a case like this in Heller vs District of Columbia. Heller had been caught using a handgun and sued the U.S. on the right for civilians to bear arms. The Court decided and interpreted the Second Amendment as the right for all the civilians to bear arms and not just the militia. Also along with amendments and acts, there are two different acts that put restrictions on who can and cannot buy guns. The Gun Act of 1968 and the Brady Act both put different restrictions on who can buy guns. The Gun Act of 1968 has te...
Imagine... you are driving down the street to see your loving family. You stop at a gas station and a guy comes in. He has a bandana and bad intentions. All of a sudden, he loads a pistol and aims it towards you. What are your options? Try to visualize, a guy going to see his wife and kids, but when out of nowhere a person pulls you aside and then points a pistol at you. Over the course of years, ninety-three United States citizens are killed with guns. Due to these reasons, it seems it is necessary to get rid of guns because of the 21,175 suicides, 505 deaths due to accidental/ negligent discharge of a firearm. Guns should be banned for civilian use, due to too many deaths from unregistered users, misuse, and increased crime rate.
Because any confrontation may become fatal with weapons other than concealed handguns, the likeliness that these confrontations have daily deadly outcomes is low, so it is just as implausible that banning handguns will prevent these outcomes. Raven Clabough reports for the New American Magazine, “according to the FBI, more hammers, clubs, and other blunt objects are involved in murders than rifles or shotguns. In 2011, 323 murders were committed with a rifle and 356 with a shotgun, while a staggering 496 were committed with hammers and clubs…Also in 2011, 1,694 people were killed by ‘knives or cutting instruments,’ far more than rifles and shotguns combined,” (Clabough). If taking away American citizens’ right to bear arms, the government should also place a ban on hammers, clubs, and steak knives. These items accumulate more murders than the firearms did. This statement provided by the FBI proves that any confrontation can turn deadly using everyday household items that any person of any age or criminal background has access
The Reasons for the government attempting to ban the vast majority of firearms comes from all the violence that is caused using them. The government’s aim is to make a safer environment for the people. That is a reasonable goal, but most crimes are dealt using illegal firearms. Banning firearms most likely wouldn't cause much of a decline in gun related crime. Majority of the crimes are done by people who have had a prior past of criminal activity. Guns are not the reason for the violent crimes. The crimes are caused by the typical person with a violent past with them. Most people would agree that the firearms they have are used either for recreational activities or home protection in times of need. So they believe that without firearms, they are defenseless. Most will also tell anybody that the weapons aren't the ones causing the harm.
The first reason handguns should be outlawed for ordinary citizens is because their main purpose is simply to kill other human beings. Why would our country allow us to have the right to own an object that is deadly? Our government seems to want to protect us. For example, seatbelt laws and motorcycle helmet laws were created to protect our lives. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) enforces pollution laws to keep us safe and healthy. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) inspects food and tests drugs to make sure American citizens are not harmed by nasty food and dangerous drugs. Yet, our government allows just about anybody to own and walk around with guns. It does not appear our government really cares about our safety. If it did, handguns would be outlawed for the general public, because their only purpose is to kill people.
In America guns have been a part of the country’s society since it’s birth. Throughout history the citizens of the US have used firearms to protect the nation, protect their families, hunt for food and engage in sporting activities. The issue of Guns and gun control is complex. Weighing the rights and liberties of the individual against the welfare and safety of the public has always been a precarious balancing act. In the United States, gun control is one of these tumultuous issues that has both sides firmly entrenched in their positions. Those parties in favor of gun ownership and the freedom to use and keep arms, rely on the fact that the provision for such rights is enshrined in their constitution. In this climate of growing violence, rife with turmoil and crime, gun advocates feel more than ever that their position is justified. As citizens of the “Land of the Free” possessing a gun is a fundamental right, and may even be a necessity... Anti- gun lobbyists point to the same growing violence and gun related crimes in an effort to call on the government to take action. By enacting more laws and stricter control, these people not in favor of guns feel society would be better safer.
Gun control has been a controversial issue for many years. A vast majority of citizens believe that if gun control is strictly enforced it would quickly reduce the threat of crime. Many innocent people feel they have the right to bear arms for protection, or even just the pleasure of hunting. Americans have a constitutional right to own hand guns and stricter laws and licensing will not affectively save lives.
Take a look at the history of our country and the role guns have played in it. According to the second amendment gun ownership is perfectly legal and guaranteed as a right. There were and are good reasons for this, luckily they are still practiced today. Back in the day guns used to be for hunting and, on the occasion self defense. But when the colonists of this country had enough of British rule, they picked up there own personal guns and went to war and the British saw first hand how powerful the rough band of average American gun owners were. Our forefathers knew that the general population if armed would be key in winning the war. And it was.
“A handgun ban is not realistically enforceable. Confiscating guns would require house-to-house searches and alienate the very individuals whose compliance is essential to the success of any regulation. If gun ownership were prohibited, organized crime would step in to provide the firearms that will continue to be procured with criminal intent” (Done Kates). Over the past decade, the media has reported an increase in the severity of violent crimes as individuals have killed and hurt many others, including kids. Since 2006, there have been over 200 mass murders in the United States.
The United States today can be a scary place. Someone that is disgruntled, has a mental health issue, radicalized through terrorist propaganda or for any other reason can take up a firearm and mass murder innocent people. It can happen anywhere, anytime, anyplace. Anyone that pays attention to any news or newspapers has probably heard something about gun control. It’s a hot topic in this country and around the world. There are a lot of problems with gun control and regulating guns in the United States. Before you can talk about solutions you need to isolate the problems keeping the solutions from being realized. The people who are for and against guns do have common solutions but there is strong opposition
Should handgun ownership be banned? I don't believe so. You would think America would learn from examples from other countries. When you take away handguns the crime rate rises. American citizens need to know their rights, responsibilities and safety of owning a handgun.
The ability to obtain guns has contributed to higher suicide rates, and gun control laws will limit the access to obtain the...
... middle of paper ... ... Responsible citizens should have a right to carry a gun in order to protect themselves from those who obtain it illegally. All in all, responsible adults should have the right to carry a concealed handgun.