What is gun control? Gun control is a law that regulates the sale, transfer, manufacture, possession, modification, and use of firearms. Over the years, gun control laws have gotten much stricter and more heavily enforced. These laws have started to take effect in hopes of limiting crimes, shootings, and many other gun related catastrophes. Despite its sole purpose to only do good, gun control has proven time and time again to be unsuccessful. Gun control laws actually leave the innocent defenseless, infringe upon the second amendment, are overall ineffective, and increases crime. There is one thing about gun control that not many people understand, it doesn’t apply to the “bad guys.” Some might argue that with gun control, criminals …show more content…
"That 's why it 's important that law-abiding citizens have access to the ability to protect themselves. California, for example, has strict gun laws. France has very strict gun laws." Also, there is already a black market for illegal substances such as drugs, bombs, and other weapons; what’s going to stop the criminals from illegally obtaining a gun? Nothing, they’re criminals. Doing illegal things and breaking the law is what they do best. That’s why the solution that Diantha Parker and Ryan McCarthy provided in their New York Times article is worth looking into: While acknowledging that it might be an unpopular view, many readers felt that laws should allow more Americans to be armed. “We need more concerned citizens trained and carrying a gun,” wrote P.J. White of Chicago. Many of these readers identified themselves as gun owners. “Yes, I have a CWP [concealed weapons permit],” wrote Joan W. Nicholson of Sonoma, Calif. “Gun buyers must register and get gun permits through their local or state police departments,” she added. “We are required to register our cars and pass a driving test for a driver’s license. It seems a no¬brainer to require similar laws for gun …show more content…
It doesn’t stop criminals from killing, guns from selling, the transferring, manufacturing, or modification of guns. A good example would James Holmes story. One of the most well-known mass shootings was that of Aurora, Colorado. On July 20, 2012, a man named James Holmes had entered a movie theater with the objective to shoot as many civilians as possible. Unfortunately, twelve people died and what was to blame, James Holmes? Nope, the easy access to guns was what most people believed to be the cause of this tragic event. Well, according to Meg Wagner on NY Daily News in
First of all, gun control punishes only innocent citizens, not the dangerous felons. Criminals wanting to purchase a gun can easily obtain a pistol illegally from the black market, so gun control is practically useless to the unsafe villains who threaten public safety. Statistics show that in the U.S, 645,000 times in each year, innocent people ...
The problem with this method of gun control is that it stops the ordinary citizen from purchasing a gun quickly. It still does not stop criminals from buying guns. They purchase them through "dummy buyers" that have clean backgrounds. So when the criminal enters the law abiding citizens house with deadly intentions, the innocent victim can’t defend his family cause he can’t get a gun cause he was arrested for drinking and driving 10 years ago before he was even married, so therefore him and his family become victims.
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.
In America guns have been a part of the country’s society since it’s birth. Throughout history the citizens of the US have used firearms to protect the nation, protect their families, hunt for food and engage in sporting activities. The issue of Guns and gun control is complex. Weighing the rights and liberties of the individual against the welfare and safety of the public has always been a precarious balancing act. In the United States, gun control is one of these tumultuous issues that has both sides firmly entrenched in their positions. Those parties in favor of gun ownership and the freedom to use and keep arms, rely on the fact that the provision for such rights is enshrined in their constitution. In this climate of growing violence, rife with turmoil and crime, gun advocates feel more than ever that their position is justified. As citizens of the “Land of the Free” possessing a gun is a fundamental right, and may even be a necessity... Anti- gun lobbyists point to the same growing violence and gun related crimes in an effort to call on the government to take action. By enacting more laws and stricter control, these people not in favor of guns feel society would be better safer.
“States that passed ‘shall-issue’ laws between 1977 and 2010 had a 2% or more increase in the murder rate, and at least 9% increases in rates of rapes, aggravated assault, robbery, auto theft, burglary and larceny…,” (Source 5). Although guns possibly could promote more crime if they are allowed to be publicly transported, most criminals do not buy weapons legally, which requires a background check of the buyer before the dealer can sell the gun. Smart culprits usually buy guns illegally or know as the “black market”, which cannot be prevented by any constitutional law. Buying guns illegally is just as easy as buying illegal drugs, therefore, tightening gun laws will not affect the crime rate in the
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.
“It’s not gun control we need, it’s sin control” (Si Robertson). The government can’t control what people do with their firearms or who has them in their possession. Gun control does not decrease crime. With or without guns people will still find ways to harm others and even with a gun ban people will still find away to either make or buy a gun illegally. With a gun control law in place there is no good way for citizens to protect themselves. Even though some may say it that it will stop some of the crime, there are many reasons that prove that gun control doesn't decrease crime.
The government wants to put restrictions on owning certain firearms, like rifles. It is said that if the United States lowers the amount of guns owned by civilians than the rate of firearm based crimes will be reduced. This cannot be any further from the truth, a study that was published in the Harvard Journal of Law and Public Policy proves that countries with very strict gun control laws have many more crimes than countries with little to no gun control regulations. (Little) Just to further support this theory; in the United States people are 80 times more likely to use a gun to prevent a crime than to commit one. (Little) If strict gun control laws are implemented than an increase in crime and murders will most likely be the consequence. One of the scariest views about gun control is that all nations who have slaughtered their own citizens first disarmed them. Adolf Hitler once said “To conquer a nation, first disarm its citizens.” (Quotes) In no way is that saying that the citizens of the United States will soon be killed by their own g...
After the many shootings in schools over the past two years, many people believe guns should be made illegal for civillians to posses or purchase guns. While this may make it difficult for minors, drug addicts, and people with mental deficiencies to get hold on a gun, The Constitution allows all citizens to possess arms to defend themselves, their families', and their property. However if guns were made illegal, there would still be people who would smuggel guns. If a burgular were to smuggle a gun in to someone's home, that man or woman should be allowed to posses a gun to defend theirself.
Americans have made it clear they reject most government intrusions on their basic civil rights, including the right of gun ownership. According to an April 18, 1994 study by Penn and Schoen Associates, Inc. as many as 85 percent of American adults said they are unwilling to forfeit basic civil liberties even if it could enhance their personal safety. 75 percent agreed that police and the justice systems couldn’t protect them; people said they have to take more responsibility for safeguarding themselves. 62 percent said the need for personal guns ownership is increasing, and a majority is unwilling to accept laws that restrict gun ownership greatly.
Laws have been proposed to try to help this issue, like Bill H.R 4269. Some of the laws are harmful and should not be passed. The bill proposed by Representative David Cicilline bill H.R. 4269. It puts a ban to many firearms and only excludes a certain few. Also the bill would criminalize the sale or transfer of many firearms already in circulation. That would mean criminals would have a greater access to guns
There is one reaction that is always to be expected after a mass shooting, and that is the call for an increase in control. This can be defined in numerous different ways, and can include a great deal of different aspects. People who call for an increase gun control in the wake of mass shootings are, in general, people who believe that more guns means more crimes. Gun control advocates cite studies that state, “Higher gun prevalence is associated with an increase in homicides, and suicides, and possibly even more residential burglaries” (Ludwig 17). Often times, after mass shootings, those in favor of more gun control look to countries like Australia, Canada, Great Britain and Japan, and their strict gun policy and cite this as the direction
Something to also consider is although we have many gun laws, not all are enforced. For instance, the Brady Bill gets easily nullified. This bill enforces a waiting period and a background check to buy a firearm. One example of the bill being nullified is, some states nearly nullify the federal law by removing individuals from the NCIS list, which is a list that prohibits certain people from buying weapons if they have completed their sentence. Another way the law is nullified, is buying a firearm through an unregulated forum. Through an unregulated forum a person, like Adam Lanza, is able to avoid background checks, waiting periods, and other reasons. (Record, and Gostin 568)
There is no single answer to end the debate on gun control. Many variables must be examined but the evidence presented cannot be ignored. Gun control does not end violence, but makes the law-abiding citizens more vulnerable. In the 1878 Arkansas case of Wilson v. State, a judge stated, “Common sense dictates that inanimate objects, such as guns, are not responsible for human behavior. We don’t hold a match responsible for arson or a camera responsible for pornography. We rightly hold the people who misuse these tools liable. The same should be true for guns.”
Gun control only takes guns away from law-abiding people and it does nothing to stop criminals from buying illegal guns, who are unlikely to obey the law and register their guns at all. Most of the time the term gun control is improperly used. The definition of gun control is the government regulation of possession and use of firearms by private citizens. The government is using it as way to take our right to bear arms away from us.