Gun Control : A Middle Ground

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In 1982, a survey of male inmates from eleven different penitentiaries, stated that sixty-nine percent of the prisoners knew another criminal that had been scared off, wounded, or decided not to commit a crime because they thought the victim had a gun (Agresti and Smith). As The United States heads to the end of 2013, current gun control debates are striking the nation, leaving everyone to develop their own positions on which side of the debate they want to be on. Gun control is defined as efforts to regulate or control sales of guns; however, most of what we hear from other people is that Obama wants to take away every gun in the nation. That’s not entirely true. Obama’s proposal to Congress is a law that would increase background check protocols, ban assault weapons, high-capacity ammunition, and armor-piercing bullets. The proposal also provides more funding for additional police officers on the streets, first response training, mental health programs, and school emergency plans. The second amendment to the US Constitution shows that it is unconstitutional to have complete and total gun control. The second amendment states that “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.” This means that it is the right of an American citizen, abiding by the constitution, has the right to bear arms. Currently, there are over three hundred and seven billion people residing as American citizens. Within the homes of these Americans, forty five percent have a registered gun in their household. As a diverse nation, there are many reasons why there are guns located within a household. Sixty percent stated the gun is used for protection against int... ... middle of paper ... ... and kill people. Mass school shootings don’t happen because the gun wakes up one day and says, “Hey, I’m going to go shoot up Sandy Hook today.” No. Things like that happen because law enforcement isn’t being as strict as they need to be with gun laws that have already passed. This issue is a rising debate in our nation, which seems to go either way. Stricter enforcement is necessary to help rising problems in our nation today. It is essential that background checks are enforced more and to make sure military weapons be left to the military; there’s no need for people to have automatic guns located within their household. However, shotguns and hand guns should be left to Americans. The second amendment protects the American public’s right to bear arms. If something isn’t decided soon, then people will see rising problems in the future. Works Cited (Snyder)

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