...Despite efforts to successfully enforce strict gun control laws, crime rates have not decreased, which nullifies the arguments of gun control supporters. Gun control supporters claim that making gun control laws stricter will reduce crime rates and get rid of gun violence mostly. They believe if guns are taken away from the public, then there would not be any guns to be used in violent gun crimes. The truth is that this would only take the guns away from the law abiding citizens, leaving the rest to be illegally transferred from criminal to criminal, most likely used against those who no longer have guns to defend themselves with. According to Gun Facts, most violent crime is committed by repeat offenders. “Dealing with recidivism is key to...
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...Gun Control On Thursday, May 9th, a two-year old boy was found dead after shooting himself in the head. The boy had found his father’s handgun while the father himself was occupied with other things; his son was just a few feet away. This little boy is not the first kid to shoot himself. Accidents like this are just one of the reasons to why guns should be restricted in the United States. Gun access has become very easy for people and that has caused many problems. Nowadays, people can buy guns online and in local stores such as Wal-Mart! At the age of 18, a person can legally buy a long gun, and at the age of 21, a person can buy a handgun. As of today, Americans own between 262 million and 310 million firearms as reported by Hill, Edward. The Gallup Organization estimated that 44 percent of American households own at least one gun. The large amounts of guns and people who own them have caused many tragedies and violence. It is impossible to pick up a newspaper or listen to the news and not learn about a mass shooting or an accidental gunshot. Fifteen of the 25 worst mass shootings took place in the United States in the last fifty years. In the past year, there have been 16 mass shootings in the United States, leaving at least 88 people dead. These shootings occurred at local places such as malls, theaters, courthouses, and even elementary schools. Many suspects of these shootings had no criminal background but did have an easy access to guns. For example, the young man...
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...America has the highest amount of gun related deaths each year in the world. “In Germany 381, in France 255, in Canada 165 in the United Kingdom 68, in Australia 65, in Japan 39 and in the United States, 11,127” (Moore Michael, 51:15-51:48). Since the United States has the highest number of deaths, it is important to have gun-control laws that restrict people from owning dangerous firearms like machine guns. Gun-control laws should support both sides of the debate. Of course, both sides will not be completely happy with the laws created, but America should have a balance. In 2008, a poll was taken stating: “Adult poll respondents’ views on the meaning of the Second Amendment; An individual’s right to bear arms: Republican 51% and Democrats 41%” (The History of the Right to Bear Arms). Today, the United States is more divided on gun-control than it has ever been. 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”(Milestones in Federal Gun Control Legislation). Unless the Second Amendment is changed, we cannot take the right from others to own guns. However, the government should regulate the types of gun Americans can own and who can own a gun because times have changed and American’s mental health system is broken. Decades ago, the United States was once a country where a gun was considered to survive and protect. “As Americans civilized the wilderness...
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...Gun Control in America Alicia Buford COMM 215 Instructor Bruce Massis May 20, 2013 Did you know that in the United States that there are almost as many firearms as there are citizens (Wadman, 2013)? Consequently, the second amendment of the constitution gives each American citizen “The Right to Bear Arms.” The right to bear these arms is a just that, a right but, along with that right comes responsibility. Since the days of the pioneers, firearms have been an element of the American tradition as defense and a means of hunting or activity. However, as we progress through the 21st century the use of guns has changed significantly. Some of the reasons for the change are the steady increase in crime and the battle for the right to have possession of hand guns. Due to the number of gun owners in America, one might think that we have a strong affection for guns and gun ownership rights. This could not be further from the truth. Americans views towards guns have shifted significantly. In a 1998 Harris Poll taken a year before Columbine, shows that almost 70 percent of Americans favor “stricter gun control” (Contexts, Fall, 2003). So what should we do about this? I believe that stricter gun control legislation should be the solution to much of the gun violence that is plaguing our nation. Restricting the right to bear arms, especially assault weapons should make our communities safer. Granted, many people in community all across this country own guns. A large...
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...Is gun control an important issue in the United States? The true issue is whether or not gun control will make a difference in society. Discussions on the topic tend to revolve around three major points: human behavior, moral principles, and legal boundaries (Lee and Stingl). Gun control is a controversial issue that from a pro gun control perspective has the good intentions of reducing gun-related violence. However, research shows it will have no effect, and in fact it could make matters worse. Those who are opposed to gun control believe if you restrict law abiding citizens from owning guns then the only people that will have them will be the criminals. The debate for more gun control is backed up with a strong argument and valid points....
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...America, guns have been a part of the country’s society since its birth. Throughout history, citizens of the US have used firearms to protect the nation, protect their families, and to hunt for food. The challenging issue of gun control takes a harmonizing act of extreme measures. Weighing the rights and liberties for each individual against the welfare and safety of the public has always been a risky balancing act. In the United States, gun control is an issue that has both sides firmly imbedded in their beliefs. The parties in favor of gun ownership and the right to keep and bear arms rely on the fact that provisions for such rights is protected by the constitution. In this time of turmoil and growing violence, gun advocates feel more than ever that their position is justified. The issue of gun control continues to remain a controversy. A large number of citizens believe that if gun acts are strictly enforced, that violence and the threat of crime will reduce everywhere. On the other hand, a large amount of society feels that they deserve the right to bear arms and will stop at nothing to protect their second amendment. Society benefits from firearms in the hands of responsible citizens. Attempts to keep firearms away from these citizens do more harm than good. Americans want to know, how far is too far when it comes to passing laws restricting the second amendment? After all isn’t this “The Land of the Free”? The Second Amendment to the Constitution of the United States of America...
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...Arguments on Gun Control Arguments on Gun Control Introduction Gun control is law and policy which has been developed for the purpose of restricting the import, production, shipment, possession, use and sale of the firearms. There are variations in the laws and policies of gun control around the globe. There are strict gun control policies in United Kingdom. On the other hand, the gun control policies in United States are modest. Many people claim that the gun control policies are very effective and there should be strict control on the implementation of these policies. On the other hand, a group of people thinks that the gun control policies are not so effective and there should be no strict policies on the firearms. Thus, the both sides provide their arguments on the issue of gun control. The main aim of this paper is to persuade against the policies of gun control. The paper is comprised of both the arguments in favor and against of the gun control policies. Discussion It is so easy to understand that without guns or rifles, killing of criminals would have been much more difficult to consummate, which is sometimes hard to explain how it is possible that guns are legal in the largest and most powerful democracy in the world. But it is undeniable that easy access to firearms greatly facilitates this sinister task (Amo, 1989). The criminals have committed one of the latest killings with firearms that shook Americans, 14 Dead Colombine students in 1999...
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...ARGUMENT ESSAY Gun Control in Canada The shooting at the National War Memorial and Parliament building in Ottawa, Canada, last month has led to considerable discussion of the country's gun laws. Unlike the U.S., Canada has some of the toughest gun regulations in the world and no equivalent to the 2nd Amendment to the Constitution, which protects U.S. citizens' right to bear arms. In 1977, Canadian Legislation of Gun Control was passed by the Canadian Parliament regulating long guns for the first time, restructuring the availability of firearms, and increasing a variety of penalties. Canadian firearms law is primarily federal, and therefore national in scope, while the bulk of the firearms regulation in the United States is at the state level; attempts to introduce stricter legislation at the federal level are often defeated. The importance of this issue is that not all North Americans are necessarily supportive of strict gun control as being a feasible alternative to controlling urban violence. There are concerns with the opponents of gun control, that the professional criminal who wants a gun can obtain one, and leaves the average law-abiding citizen helpless in defending themselves against the perils of urban life. Is it our right to bear arms as North Americans? Or is it privilege? When looking at the 1977 Canadian Legislation of gun control, it is easy to see that there is some bias and assumptions present. For one, it assumes that left to its own devices the legislation...
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...In the United States, gun control should be enforced because it will decrease suicide deaths. According to Jacob Sullum, ¨Limiting access to guns makes each attempt more likely to fail, thus making it more likely that people will survive and not attempt to harm themselves again¨ (Jacob Sullum). Sullum proves that by keeping guns a difficult item to get, the less suicide attempts there would be. Suicide can only be done once, a bullet can kill you only once. By committing suicide with a gun, everything will happen all at once and effectively. Those who want to take their life away would have an easier time using a gun than using pills or a razor. Gun control will prevent people from being able to purchase a firearm and make it harder for them...
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...Halusek Persuasive Research Paper In America, guns have been a part of the country’s society since its birth. Throughout history, citizens of the US have used firearms to protect the nation, protect their families, and to hunt for food. In the United States, gun control is an issue that has both sides firmly imbedded in their beliefs. The parties in favor of gun ownership and the right to keep and bear arms rely on the fact that provisions for such rights are protected by the Constitution. No legitimate study in the US has ever shown that gun control has any positive impact on crime. Society benefits from firearms in the hands of responsible citizens. In this time of turmoil and growing violence, gun advocates feel more than ever that their position is justified. The issue of gun control continues to remain a controversy. A large number of citizens believe that if gun acts are strictly enforced, that violence and the threat of crime will reduce everywhere. On the other hand, a large amount of society feels that they deserve the right to bear arms and will stop at nothing to protect their second amendment. The challenging issue of gun control takes a harmonizing act of extreme measures. Weighing the rights and liberties for each individual against the welfare and safety of the public is a risky balancing act. Attempts to keep firearms away from these citizens do more harm than good. People believe that the banning of guns is the way to save lives, this statement is incorrect...
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...Consequences of Gun Control “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 for of all Americans to bear arms is a right even the Founding Fathers held to equal importance as the Constitution itself. Whether or not gun control laws work, the fact of the matter is that these kind of 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 ... LaPierre, Wayne. Guns Freedom and Terrorism. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2003. Print. Lott, Jr. John R. More Gun Less Crime: Understanding Crime and Gun Control Laws. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000. Print. Moorhouse, J.C. and Brent Wanner. “Does Gun Control Reduce Crime or Does Crime Increase Gun Control?” Cato Journal, 26(1), (2006): 103-124. ProQuest. Web. 30 Jan. 2012. United States. Committee on...
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...or have permission to hunt on. They also don’t shoot at large events like concerts. I know that most people will do the same by following the laws. I’m against gun control laws because of the second Amendment, the ‘black market’, and gun control didn’t work in other countries. The Second Amendment protects my right to own a gun. It’s just like my First Amendment with freedom of speech. It's a given right to everyone. Some people misuse the right of guns just like the right of free speech. If the United States creates more limitations, the citizens are going to be more agitated, causing in more crimes involving guns. I would rather have the same laws and strictly enforce them. For example, the United States has a law forbidding shipment of firearms. Though companies, like Amazon, can get liensnc to ship firearms through mail. Citizens cannot ship firearms to other people if it doesn’t follow a strict list of rules and guidelines. Some of the rules are not labeling the box as a firearm, separate shipping boxes for ammo and gun, and handguns cannot be shipped....
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...Shooting for an answer (Gun Control Laws) Many may argue that weapons such as a gun and a crime go hand in hand. If it is so then does that mean guns lead to crimes? Gun control laws are meant to minimize crimes and help protect citizens but are they really doing this? The debate about gun control is no new topic to us and has been evolving over time. Now back to the question, do gun control laws really do what they are suppose to do? I personally believe that these laws don't work. They only affect law-abiding citizens and criminals as we all know aren't in that category. If a criminal wants to use a weapon such as a gun and knows they cannot legally acquire one they will still find a way to obtain one, of course illegally. Some may argue that by allowing more restrictive gun ownership and or use laws will help reduce gun related crimes, suicides and homicides in our country. Yet more than 30,000 American citizens die each year due to gunshots wounds, which in return is the highest homicide rate from guns in the world (Deborah White). Here are some facts about gun uses in America. About 80 million Americans, representing 50% of the U.S homes, own 223 million guns, easily the highest private gun ownership rate of any country in the world (Deborah White). An article on Wikipedia states that "Gun uses in the United States is associated with the majority of homicides and over half the suicides". Each year about 4.5 million firearms, including approximately 2 million handguns...
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...morals are constitutionally and biblically correct. Cruz has views on same sex marriage, education, and taxes. However a few issues really stand out, including border and gun control. It is easy to see that Ted Cruz wants our country to be safe and abide by the second amendment of the constitution. Cruz is the best candidate because he has the smartest resolutions to help restore our country, while morally abiding by constitutional laws. Ted Cruz wants what is best for our country. His ideas and plans make the most sense...
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...there no correlation between gun control and decreases in violent crime, but in fact it is the opposite. Many areas where guns are illegal have a higher rate of violent crime. My perspective on this subject was reaffirmed in every way while researching and writing this paper. 3) The most difficult thing I encountered while writing the paper was determining how to cite the various sources I was using. Many sources come from online news agencies. Also I was unsure how to cite some documents such as the Constitution and Bill of Rights. 4) I actually did not really enjoy this assignment because the topic I chose fills me with such emotion. I should have perhaps chosen a subject to which I had no emotional attachment. It infuriates me that some people are willing to just give up our rights, thinking that will make things better. 5) I almost did not write about this topic when I saw how many students were already writing about it. But after reading some of the posts on the forum and recognizing what appears to be ignorance by many people about why this is such an important subject, I felt compelled to voice my opinion. This subject is very dear to me, as I am always prepared to fight for our constitutional rights to be upheld. 6) I cannot think of any further relevant information. Gun Control is Unsafe and Un-American There is much discussion recently on the subject of gun control. These discussions should not even be taking place. The United States Constitution and the Bill...
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