The Pros And Cons Of Gun Control

Everyday ninety Americans are killed with guns. Thirty-one of those are from homicides, fifty-six are suicides, two are unintentional, and only one is from legal interventions. That is 12,000 gun murders every year in the United States alone. On April 22, 2016, a family of eight in Pike County, Ohio were murder execution style . This operates as a catalyst for the gun control epidemic. The political repercussions to this is that it could violate the second amendment of the Constitution. Based on current research, to decrease the United States death murder rate from criminal gun violence, stricter gun regulations and background checks are mandatory.

According to the CDC , America’s gun murder rate is more than twenty-five times the average

of other developed countries. Gun violence influences society in various methods: medical costs, costs of the criminal justice system, security precautions, and reductions in the quality of life because of the fear of gun violence. Numerous people misunderstand what gun violence is and what it entitles. Gun violence is violence committed with the use of a gun (Oxford Dictionary). Whereas criminal gun violence includes homicide, assault with a deadly weapon, suicide, and attempted suicide (Oxford Dictionary).
According to the Second Amendment of the United States Constitution, people have the right to bear arms.

The idea of having the “right to bear arms” (Section I: Gun Violence, P1) is being exploited more and more over the years. Guns have become so effortless to get and mishandled. People wish to protect themselves, but it is the guns themselves that are the actually weapon. Guns are seen as protection, but what are they protecting: people, homes, families, and even death. Gun violence is a major issue today because more and more people are starting to abuse and acquire guns without a permit. People need to understand that if more restrictions are in place then people will feel safer and not feel the need to have a gun on them at all times; but guns are not always the answer. In Section I of the Gun Violence in the United States , guns have been used in almost fifty percent of suicides and are the choice of twenty-eight percent of serial

killers.
Being cautious and careful are words that should be taken into the hands to government. A study done by the CDC reported, that as of 2014 firearms replaced poisoning as the most common method in suicides (Masters, P7). In the study, it also reported that more guns lead to more suicides. Since guns are so easy to obtain the suicide rate has risen from 16,599 in 1999, to 21,334 in 2014. Looking at this study by the CDC, the government should take act and try to prevent these suicides from happening. Legislation requiring insurance and regular safety inspections for gun owners, just as car owners are required to maintain. This would encourage accountability and safety. It would also defer some people from owning guns because they think they can; because of people thinking they are above the law it is the time to take action and put a stop to people believing they can do whatever they want.
People buy guns to feel safe, but once they bring a gun into their family it becomes a threat.

Thus brings up another controversy as to whether as to if children should be taught to shoot a gun. Every year three percent of deaths are accidental, most of them are children who end up playing with guns. In an article published by the Huff Post, it states that “keeping a firearm to defend your family makes no sense if that same firearms puts family members or visitors to your home at risk” (Weisser, P4). This statement shows that having a gun can be a good ideal if everyone in the family knows how to properly use a gun. Most of the time children do not the proper use of a gun, and think that it is a toy putting people at risk. Children because of this should be taught how to use a gun and if the parents do not feel comfortable teaching their children then they should not give a gun into the

house.
Someone dies from gun violence every sixteen minutes in the United States. Gun violence is such a problem in the United States because of culture and access. Unfortunately gun violence is deeply embedded in the American culture. Guns are seen as symbols of power and are misused to obtain wealth, prestige, and domination. The solution to this problem is gun manufactures should be required to utilize secured active RFID transmitters on all firearms so they can always be tracked and accounted for (Mindich, P12). Another step could be implemented with all the “smart” technology available today, making guns only able to be activated by an owner’s finger and palm prints.