Gun Control: Why is it a threat to society?
Imagine a world where criminals ran rampant and law-abiding civilians were defenseless. That is a world where gun control is enacted. Many people across the United States believe gun control laws should be put into place to lower crime rates and protect citizens of the country. However, more gun control should not be enacted because it will not help citizens.
Gun control does not deter crime rates. In the twentieth century, gun ownership increased and the murder rate decreased. John R. Lott, Jr., the author of More Guns, Less Crime: Understanding Crime and Gun Control Laws, averred, “The problem with such [gun control] laws is that they take away guns from law-abiding citizens, while would-be criminals ignore them.” John R. Lott, Jr. stated, “States with the largest increases in gun ownership also have the largest drops in violent crimes... The effect on 'shall-issue' [concealed gun]
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According to the NRA, the National Rifle Association, guns are used in self-defense 2.5 millions times a year. Plus, 61% of men and 56% of women said stricter gun laws made it harder for them to protect their families in a survey done by Pew Research. Lawyer Daniel J. Schultz stated, “the Framers [of the Constitution and Bill of Rights] understood that 'well-regulated' militias, that is, armed citizens, ready to form militias that would be well trained, self-regulated and disciplined would post no threat to their fellow citizens, but would, indeed, help to 'insure domestic Tranquility' and 'provide for the common defence.'” “High-powered semiautomatic rifles and shotguns are used to hunt and in target shooting tournaments each year.” (Source 1) All assault rifle bans really did was take away someone’s right to sport. More often than not, these rifles and shotguns are have less firepower than most other
Moorhouse, John C., and Brent Wanner. "Does Gun Control Reduce Crime or Does Crime Increase Gun Control?" CATO Journal 26.1 (2006): 103-24. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 15 June 2015.
John R. Lott, Jr., PhD, author of More Guns, Less Crime: Understanding Crime and Gun Control Laws, stated, "States with the largest increases in gun ownership also have the largest drops in violent crimes... The effect on 'shall-issue ' [concealed gun] laws on these crimes [where two or more people were killed] has been dramatic. When states passed these laws, the number of multiple-victim shootings declined by 84 percent. Deaths from these shootings plummeted on average by 90 percent and injuries by 82
This essay will discuss the pros and cons of gun control. Some U.S. States have already adopted some of these gun control laws. I will be talking about the 2nd amendment, public safety, home safety, and do gun control laws really control guns. I hope after you have read this you will be more educated, and can pick your side of the gun control debate. So keep reading and find out more about the gun control laws that the federal and some state governments want to enforce on U.S. Citizens.
In conclusion, enabling stricter gun control laws will help to keep guns out of the hands of the mentally ill, criminals, and children and teens. With these laws put into place there will be more assurance of the safety of American citizens. It is not necessary to strip citizens of their right to own a gun, but we should be able to make it harder to get guns. If you are someone with a clear record and using a gun for recreation use, you will have no trouble obtaining a gun. In the long run increase the laws on gun control hurts nobody. Despite historic events where governments seized firearms and killed millions of citizens, today we have a different problem, which is making sure guns are in the right hands.
Gun control laws aim to restrict or regulate firearms by selecting who can sell, buy and possess certain guns. Criminals do not obey laws and stricter gun control laws or banning guns will have little effect on reducing crimes. There are many myths about gun control reducing acts of gun violence, which are simply not true according to research. People are responsible for the crimes, not the guns themselves. Taking guns away from United States citizens that use them for many reasons, shooting practice, competition, hunting and self-defense, should not be punished for the acts of criminals. As stated by Mytheos Holt, “Guns in the right hands help public safety. Guns in the wrong hands harm public safety”. Research shows that defensive use of guns discourages criminals and reduces crime (Holt 2). Not only is it wrong to penalize law-abiding citizens, it is against the Second Amendment. It is unconstitutional to pass laws that infringe on the Second Amendment right to bear arms.
Guns and crime seem to fit together like peanut butter and jelly, but is that really the case? There are two ways to look at gun control, but one realization that needs to be made and that’s that guns are powerful. Guns can either be used for defending and protecting people or they can be used to harm and kill people. People have different views on whether guns are being used for protection or being used to harm and kill others. The majority of people that think guns are being used for safety and defense oppose gun control laws. On the other hand the majority of people who think guns are being used to heartlessly slaughtered people are for stricter gun control laws. People opposed to gun control thinking it will be taking away some of their rights; whereas, those in favor of gun control thinking it will help protect people.
Crime and guns. The two seem to go hand in hand with one another. But are the two really associated? Do guns necessarily lead to crime? And if so do laws placing restrictions on firearm ownership and use stop the crime or protect the citizens? These are the questions many citizens and lawmakers are asking themselves when setting about to create gun control laws. The debate over gun control, however, is nothing new. In 1924, Presidential Candidate, Robert La Follete said, “our choice is not merely to support or oppose gun control but to decide who can own which guns under what conditions.” Clearly this debate still goes on today and is the very reason for the formation of gun control laws.
Many gun supporters will say that more guns 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). Luik emphasizes that guns will not make any innocent people killers, it will make crime and death rates go down. They argue that the states with the lowest crime rates are the same states that have a higher gun ownership rate than any other state.
“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.” The right of all Americans to bear arms is a right the Founding Fathers held to equal importance as the Constitution itself. Gun control laws directly violate this right and therefore should not even be under consideration. Even if that issue is overlooked, gun control advocates state that in order to reduce firearm related violence, gun control laws must be implemented to remove the violence caused by firearms. Although this may seem reasonable, the consequences of such laws are ironically counterproductive; they exacerbate the problem instead of fixing it. Besides the fact that the American Constitution guarantees its citizens the right to bear arms, the idea of restricting gun ownership in order to reduce firearm-related violence would ultimately fail given the previous experiments of gun control in England and in numerous states.
While most shootings in the US come from legally purchased firearms, if laws and regulations were made to be much stricter and more regulated, then the amount of people who die from gun violence could go down drastically. According to an article in USA Today, “Federal law allows people 18 and older to legally purchase long guns... With no criminal record, Nikolus Cruz cleared an instant background check via the FBI criminal database” allowing him to purchase a semi-automatic rifle. It was with this gun that Cruz was able to shoot and kill seventeen people at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. Had it not been so easy for him to purchase this gun, then maybe those seventeen people would still be alive today. Ultimately, if it were harder
More restrictive gun laws should be passed now. The Second Amendment protects the people that own guns, but what law protects the people who fear them? People from around the world are getting killed from guns. It has been found that more than approximately 11,000 people are killed from gun violence annually, every year. Four years ago there was a mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary school. The shooter had a mental illness, but was still able to get his hands on a gun. He caused the deaths of twenty six innocent people, including six and seven year old children. What does that mean for criminals or children? Will they be able to get their hands on a gun like him? From last October toddlers have shot at least fifty people in
Gun control does not only take guns away from criminals, gun control also limits law-abiding citizens from protecting themselves and their families when necessary. 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.
middle of paper ... ... Law enforcement and criminal imprisonment have more of an effect on crime than any gun control law. Gun education and hunter’s education also improved. Focusing efforts on the root of the problem has yielded results and lowered crime.
Gun control is an awfully big issue in the United States today. Many people in America don’t agree with the gun control laws that they have today. Gun control laws only take guns and freedom away from law-abiding citizens. Many citizens have their own reasons for owning a gun. Why would the government want to make it harder for people to own a gun? People that own guns aren’t very likely to be attacked by criminals. Owning a handgun is one of the best ways of protection when used correctly. The second amendment states “the right to bear arms”; does this grant everyone the right to own a gun? Gun control laws have not been proven to do anything for citizens. Gun control laws just make it harder for the good guy average Joe to own a gun. Gun control laws are not a good idea, and are taking part in the loss of our freedom that was given to us.
Gun control, as most of us know, is supposed to lower violent crime rates in the country. Although, when you really think about it, it does the exact opposite. If you obey the law, then you will give up your guns, leaving you defenceless to those who will still find a way to have them, also known as criminals.