Persuasive Essay On Gun Control

Should the average citizen be allowed to own guns? Should they be able to protect themselves? When people hear these questions, some fight it, but others will quote the constitution, “the Second Amendment guarantees every responsible, law-abiding adult the right to own guns for defense of self, home, and family.” The Second Amendment guarantees gun ownership. The government should not take guns away; they are property, just like anything else. The process of taking guns away from all Americans would be detrimental. They would be taking away the peoples basic rights guaranteed by the constitution. Guns have many uses; guns are used for hunting, recreational shooting, and can be used for self-defense. More guns are owned per citizen in America

In some countries, such as Japan, “you cannot own a gun or rifle . . . You can own a shotgun only through very rigorous licensing laws.” These methods work for Japan; their crime rates are very low. However, it does not work quite so well for everyone. Countries like this either have a very low crime rate or a very high crime rate. Britain also has very strict gun control laws. They have had these laws for a long time, “for about thirty or forty years . . . despite that, in a country where only four percent of the households legally have guns, their murder rates are higher now than they were before the strict gun control laws went into effect.” Even though Britain has strict gun control laws, they still have many criminals that are using firearms to commit crimes. Another example of a country that has very strict gun control laws is Jamaica. They have some of the most enforced gun control laws in the world, they “enacted very strict gun control laws, which include house-to-house searches randomly, secret trials . . . mandatory life sentences for possession of a single bullet.” These laws are among the strictest laws in the world. Every country has different gun laws and they also have different murder rates. Switzerland has a very different method; every male in a certain age group is required to join the militia. They also have a very low crime rate, “Switzerland . . . actually has a lower murder rate than Japan. They have strict gun control laws, but in a completely different way . . . and as part of your duty in the militia you are given a fully automatic assault rifle which you take home.” Every male who is issued an assault rifle is trained and tested for marksmanship. Someone who is a good marksman is “a person who shoots, esp. a person who shoots well.” Every male from twenty to fifty years of age, is required to be a competent marksman. In Switzerland, it is very easy to purchase a firearm.