We Need Stricter Gun Control Laws

The use of gun violence is not uncommon in the U.S especially with all the mass shootings that have happened in just the past year. The U.S is ranked number one for homicides by guns with more than 10,000 homicides each year. What is the answer to reduce gun violence in America? Gun control. The U.S should have stricter gun control laws because it will reduce gun violence in America. the history of gun control dated back all the way to 1968. The gun control act, this allowed law enforcement officers to regulate gun control in order to decrease crime. Although this act was not perfect as it left out those who worked in farming, hunting, ranching and target practice. The brady handgun violence prevention act of 1993 required those purchasing

Countries with strict gun control laws have less gun violence than the U.S. Let's take a look at those countries, in Switzerland and Finland gun owners are required to acquire licenses as well as pass background checks that include mental and criminal records, along with other restrictions and requirements (“gun control”). In 2007 Switzerland ranked number three in international gun ownership rates with about 3,400,000 guns in total and in 2009 Switzerland had twenty four gun homicides and two hundred and fifty three gun suicides (“Gun Control”). Finland ranked fourth in international gun ownership rates with about 2,400,000 guns total. In 2007 Finland had two hundred and thirty gun homicides and 172 gun suicides (“Gun Control”). In canada in order to purchase a gun a person must have a possession and acquisition licence (PAL) for restricted firearms. Canada for instance has significant gun ownership rate but low gun violence rates why? Because of their gun control system of purchasing a gun takes time unlike the U.S where you get it in minutes after reviewing your background (Lee M. and Stingl,

“All freedoms, even those guaranteed by the US Constitution, are subject to reasonable limits, as the rulings of the United States Supreme Court have shown time and again” (Ballaro, Beverly and Finley, Laura). the majority of adults, including gun owners, do support common sense gun control, 83% of all adults surveyed approve of background checks for private and gun show sales, 56% of all adults surveyed approve of assault weapon bans and 53% of all adults surveyed approve of high-capacity magazine bans, 90% of adults with a gun in the home approve of laws to prevent the purchase of guns by the mentally ill, and 60% approve of a federal database to track gun sales (Gun Control). “The need for gun control as a public safety measure carries particular urgency in the United States, which, according to one 2006 study, is home to more gun-related violence than all but 12 of 112 countries investigated” (Ballaro, Beverly and Finley,