Argumentative Essay: Gun Control In The United States

Gun control is a controversial topic. People constantly debate whether there should be more or less government control over gun ownership. The American people have the “right to bear arms.” People against gun control feel crime will only get worse if their rights are taken away. While others for gun control think crime rates will drop. This paper examines the two different point of views.
Gun Control are laws that regulate or restrict the ownership of firearms by members of society. The Second Amendment of the United States Constitution states, “A well-regulated Militia being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bare arms shall not be infringed” (Agresti, 2014). In today’s society, gun control has been heavily debated. Some believe the government needs to
have stricter regulations to prevent crime. While others think gun control is not the answer to lessening violence in America. As a gun owner, I am very interested by this debate. I own a gun because I want to protect my family. I teach them to importance of safety but also not to be afraid. I think people are responsible for their actions, guns are not to blame for violence. The government should not regulate gun ownership.
I consider it to be unconstitutional for the government to take away individuals “rights to bear arms.” People have the right to own a gun to defend their own property and self.
Upon doing research, it was unbelievable to find out how gun control can dramatically increase crime. For example, “In 1976, the Washington, D.C. City Council passed a law generally prohibiting residents from possessing handguns... During the years in which the D.C. handgun ban and trigger lock law was in effect, the Washington, D.C. murder rate averaged 73% higher while the U.S. murder rate averaged 11% lower (Agresti 2014).” This data shows strict gun laws do not prevent crime. Criminals do not care about the law and will find ways to obtain firearms. The more gun control is forced by the government, the more harm it does for law abiding citizens. Chicago’s gun ban is another prime example of the negative effects of gun control. In 1982 Chicago banned handguns, as a result the murder rate by handguns increased 40% (Agresti 2014). If I was a criminal, I would prefer my victims not to have any means of defending themselves. It would allow me to commit a crime without worry of getting shot
at.
Gun ownership is not only for self-defense, “it expresses a rugged individualism where people can stand up to the government, with arms if necessary (Chemerinsky, 2004).” It is an individual’s right and freedom to own a gun. This type of freedom is what makes us different than other countries. If ever needed, it allows us to revolt against an unjust government.
On the opposing side, people see guns as a dangerous weapon and it is the cause of most death in the United States. “According to the federal government’s National Vital Statistics Report, 11,001 people were murdered with a firearm in 2001. Another 924 died as a result of accidental shootings. An additional 16,455people used guns to kill themselves (Gold, 2004).” It is alarming to find out the number of deaths related to guns. The more firearms are available, the more gun related violence occurs. Gun violence due to suicide and accidental shootings are shockingly high. Sadly, many of these accidental shootings involve young children. Gold also states that gun deaths are steadily decreasing due to various factor such as, gun ownership decreasing, more children and adults are taught gun safety, and gun control laws making it harder to get fire arms. The more education people receive about gun ownership could create more positive prospective of firearms.
The US has a large problem with the illegal acquisition of guns by high risk individuals; most violent crimes occur because guns end up in the wrong hands (Ridgeway, 2012). Gun control advocates seek to regulate gun dealers to prevent illegal transfer of firearms. I can agree with this position. Crooked gun dealers should be stopped.
Gun control is a controversial topic. Some people see gun control as a violation of their rights. They believe gun laws will not prevent crimes to drop. Others believe that gun ownership should be strictly regulated to prevent gun violence. I consider it our right as Americans to own a firearm to defend ourselves. I also think some type of regulation for gun owners are needed such as, background checks and mandatory gun safety classes. I understand people want to find ways to prevent gun violence, and restrict criminals from getting access to firearms. Criminals are always going to find a way to get a gun, so we should not make it easy for them to make us victims. Guns are abundant in our country, and it strikes fear into many people. People argue the more guns we have in our society the more violence it will cause. Instead of stricter gun laws, I think it would be more positive to educate people about guns and gun safety.

Work Cited
Agresti, J. D. (2014, May 1). Gun Control. Retrieved from Just Facts Foundation: http://www.justfacts.com/guncontrol.asp
Chemerinsky, E. (2004). Putting the Gun Control Debate in Social Perspective. Fordham Law Review, 477-485.
Gold, S. D. (2004). Gun Control. Tarrytown: Benchmark Books .
Ridgeway, G. (2012). Interpreting The Empercal Evidence of Illegal Gun Market Dynamic. Journal of Urban Health , 779-793.