When our fore fathers first came onto this land, they were oppressed by their rulers. These brave men decided to stage a revolt against their government and create a new one. They didn’t stage this massive revolt with words or negotiation, but with blood shed on both sides. Our fore fathers rose to victory through warfare and guns. They then decided to make a bill stating the basic rights that everyone in the country should have. There were ten of these basic rights, including the freedom of speech, press, religion, petition, the right of free speech, and most importantly, the right to keep and bear arms in order to protect their families, hunt for food, and defend their freedom. However, in these times of increased violence with guns, is …show more content…
It has been a tradition in this country since the constitution was written by our fore fathers. Americans have the right to protect their loved ones, their possessions, and themselves. Liberals want to outlaw handguns or restrict the sale of weapons that can easily be concealed. Firearms are the most deadly instruments of attack, and thousands of citizens accidentally die to guns every year. State constitutions of forty-three states guarantee citizens the right to use weapons in self-defense without penalty. Most of the states with this law believe that every citizen has the right to bear arms in defense of himself. A study by the National Safety Council shows that accidental death by firearms is near the bottom of the scale among causes of accidental death. Dave Kopel states, “Accidental deaths involving firearms has decreased from three thousand in 1967 to eighteen hundred in 1986, and is still decreasing” …show more content…
The people that do not put in the time to actually research the laws and rights we have as Americans do not truly understand the basic rights of owning a firearm. One of the most misunderstood concepts is that more guns cause more violence. This is a false assumption because more guns does not mean more homicides. If someone wanted to kill another through whatever sick reason will do so with or without guns. Gary Kleck a revered criminologist emphasizes “In 1973, the handgun stock was 36.9 million and the homicide rate was 9.4 per 100,000. In 1992, the handgun stock doubled to 77.6 million, but the homicide rate dropped to 8.5 percent per 100,000” [2]. According to criminologist Gary Kleck, guns are fired in only about 24 percent of cases in which they are used for self-defense. Another argument is that police kill 500 innocent people every year. These are skilled and trained individuals. So you can imagine the assumptions made for citizens that have no training or knowledge about firearms. It is your responsibility to get the proper training to prevent accidental deaths. Most states will not allow licensing of a handgun without a certified course. The courses are easy to pass, but to truly be safe you have to apply yourself and really learn the information. It’s important to take these courses to learn about the safety and
In America there are 89 firearms per 100 people (Moore) so it is safe to say most people will come in contact with a firearm in their lifetime. But when you do, will you know how to handle the situation? Guns can be deadly when abused and used incorrectly. There is a way to reduce the unnecessary deaths.
There have been several incidents where a child in the household has mistaken a gun for a toy and have mortally wounded himself and others with it. There have also been occasions where careless gun owners have left their guns loaded and have accidentally shot someone. Studies have shown that four people die each day due to accidental gun fire. Anti-gun users have pointed out that states that have relaxed their gun laws have had an increases in homicides. Also just because its anyone’s right to own a gun does not mean that they went through any sort of training to be able to use that gun. Most anti-gun users argue that most of these people who buy guns need to be properly trained before they can operate a gun, in order to prevent innocent and unnecessary harm or
Guns are not the trouble, people are. The United States is #1 in world gun ownership, and yet is only 28th in the world in gun murders per 100,000 people. The number of unintentional fatalities due to firearms declined by 58 percent between 1991 and 2011 Based on these facts, one can see the guns not the causes of gun violence. moreover, civilians who get permits take gun safety courses and have criminal background...
The 2nd Amendment of the Constitution 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.” They feel like their basic right is being restricted by not being able to carry. “Many states have adopted the “stand your ground” legislation, which asserts that a person may justifiably use force in self-defense when there is reasonable belief of an unlawful threat, without an obligation to retreat first” (Aronowitz and Vaughn 57). Pro-gun activist also think that having guns on campuses for protection will likely reduce the amount of mass shootings. Pro-gun activist believe that you can’t always rely on the police for
Nelson Lund, JD, PhD, Professor at George Mason University School of Law once stated, "The right to self-defense and to the means of defending oneself is a basic natural right that grows out of the right to life …. many [gun control laws] interfere with the ability of law-abiding citizens to defend themselves against violent criminals”. When we 're born, we are born with the right of life, and with the right of life came the right to self protection. There has been many laws that contradict the right of life just as the right of self protection. Justice Stevens once stated that “The Second Amendment’s structure was notable for its omission of any statement of purpose related to the right to use firearms for hunting or personal self-defense”. Justice steven noted that the second right amendment covers us from self defence and hunting. Self defence is a really big topic because of the fact that most people die on the hands of others because they have nothing to defend themselves with. A report from New York Times once said that Wayne Lapierre, N.R.A executive vice president once stated that “The only only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun, is a good guy with a gun”. Reports were found that in Newtown connecticut in a public school, none of the school employees were armed and they had no defence when it came down to a school shooting. People were harmed and
This is caused because the more guns there, are the less violence there is. Dangerous criminals will think twice about robbing someone that has a gun. A victim with a gun is no longer a victim because they can not fight back against the attacker. Therefore, they can save their lives and save lives of the public which need help at that moment. Lott states, “The estimated annual gain from 1992 from allowing concealed handguns was over $5.74 billion” (House Report). This states that when a decline in violence goes down the amount of money goes up. Concealed guns can only benefit everyone in multiple ways. Concealed weapons can help create the feeling of safety and reduce violence. No one wants to live in
Violence related to guns is a prominent issue in America. Guns are a means to an end; meaning guns have played a strong role in suicides, murders, and injuries. In the past decade there has been an average of 400-500 thousand incidents of firearms per year (Gun Violence). The number of injured people from firearm incidents in the United States per year for the past decade is 400-600 thousand people (Gun Violence). These statistics are absolutely shocking to anyone. The amount of violence and crime that comes from guns is enormous. It is imperative that proper gun control is put into place by means of background checks and proper training. It can almost be certain that the number of incidents of accidental discharges from children and the number of victims affected by gun crimes in general can be highly reduced.
As of 2013, all 50 states allow concealed carry of handguns (Concealed Carry Reciprocity Maps), although a few states don’t require a permit and the standards for licensing vary greatly from state to state. In the U.S. most states are “Shall Issue” states. This means they will grant anybody a permit that meets certain guidelines such as being 21 or older and not having any felony convictions, a history of mental illness or domestic abuse. A handful of other states are “May Issue” states. In these other states, such as Maryland, a permit will only be issued if you can prove you need it. This can be a large obstacle and these states will usually only issue permits to people in the public eye, wealthy individuals that are well-connected or business owners frequently transporting large sums of cash (Concealed Carry Reciprocity Maps). Although the requirements and standards are different wherever you may live, one thing holds true- concealed carry permit holders are rapidly growing. The market for handgun training, concealed carry courses and smaller, more concealable handguns have opened up. When concealed carry was first gaining popularity there were two very different schools of thought. Some thought that violent crime would decrease, as criminals would fear the everyday person that just may happen to be armed. Others thought that having people carrying around concealed handguns in public would lead to an increase in violent crime with people losing their temper and shooting each other. When analyzing the data and crime trends, it is clear that with this influx of concealed carry permit holders there has not been a corresponding increase in violent crime.
People who do not research the owning of handguns and form their opinion off of what they see on the news are left in the dark. One of the most misunderstood concepts is that more guns cause more violence. This is false more guns do not mean more homicides. In 1973, the handgun stock was 36.9 million and the homicide rate was 9.4 per 100,000. In 1992, the handgun stock was 77.6 million but the homicide rate dropped 8.5 percent. In 1994, the U.S. bureau of justice static's made a survey that stated 100,000 lives are saved by handguns. According to criminologist Gary Kleck, guns are fired in only about 24 percent of cases in which they are used for self-defense.
... stricter gun control, the states are moving in a different direction. The reason behind this action is that the constitutionality of tighter gun control laws is becoming a question. Once the Supreme Court of the United States answers this question on the legality of infringing on the right to bear arms we will know what our exact right is.
Gun admirers have statistics that will prove their side on guns saving lives. According to one study by Lott “… for each additional year that laws allowing people to carry concealed handguns were on the books, robberies decli...
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.
The right to bear arms is guaranteed in the constitution by the Second Amendment. Liberals are looking to amend the constitution any way they can. They want to ban handguns or at least restrict sales. Studies have shown that gun control cannot stop people from committing the crime.
Those who argue for gun control usually state guns are a part of most violent crimes. However, this is not always true. While it is true that limiting gun ownership with laws could prevent individuals from possessing guns, it does not prevent people from illegally having or using guns. Those who carry guns legally are not the problem. According to Mark Gius, the author of “Gun Ownership and the Gun Control Index”, “…only about 25% of total violent crime is committed by a person using a gun, no inferences...
“Their best defense against injury is to put no defense and give them what they want” (Kates). Critics may argue that concealed handguns are not an effective form of self defense. To the contrary, robbery and assault victims who used a gun were less likely to be attacked or suffer injury, “Neither a martial art skills nor chemical sprays provide a real option for victims faced by attackers who are stronger or armed” (Kates). People feel safer when they carry a concealed weapon because they feel that criminals will avoid attacking them. Citizens want to conceal carry a handgun because every day there are dangerous individuals who prey on the weak. In addition to that, concealed handguns are an effective non-lethal form of self defense a majority of the time. Gary Kleck from the Federal Bureau of Investigation “estimated that, 2 million to 2.5 million victims annually use handguns to repel criminal attackers” (Kates). The surprise of being armed is the advantage for the victim, which the victim has the disadvantage of knowing the time and place of being attacked. Concealed carry actually provides protection to citizens that do not carry because the criminals are not sure who is able to defend themsel...