Argumentative Essay: Stricter Gun Laws
Freshman Composition I
February 8, 2013
Word Count: 907
Gun laws are one of the most heavily argued topics in America today. The main reason for the overwhelming response to the debates is that America is split on this topic; 53% want stricter gun laws while 43% don’t, (Lightman). Recent shootings have made gun sales spike because people are worried about new gun laws; this leads to a greater circulation of guns. Any individual over the age of 18 can purchase a gun in the state of Florida without first going through a background check, . There are two major sides in today’s “gun debate”. First and foremost, is the most obvious solution to deal with gun violence; place more restrictions on ownership and add requirements to getting a gun. In general, most pro-gun law activists, want guns to be regulated more strictly–no guns for mentally ill people, ban on assault rifles, requirements to education classes on gun safety, make weapons safer, ban on high capacity magazines, and tougher background checks , . On the opposite side of the spectrum, people who are against gun laws believe these new restrictions could intrude on their natural born …show more content…
rights as an American citizen and don’t want any change to gun policy. In general, most anti-gun law activist believe that new gun laws may go too far and leave them defenseless and at the mercy of criminals or hinder them from hunting. The obvious solution to resolve the “gun debate” is the best solution; stricter regulations on gun ownership and distribution.
Making stricter gun laws are the most viable solutions to stop gun violence related tragedies–The shooting in Connecticut, Virginia Tech tragedy.
Increasing security on the sale of guns makes it more difficult for people with mental issues–or criminals– to use them in harmful ways. Most well-developed countries have stricter gun laws than the United States; they serve their purpose well. In the past year there have been over 30,000 gun related deaths in America while there was only 112 in Great Britain, France, Germany, Japan, Switzerland, Sweden, Denmark and Australia combined, . If the United States adopts some of the same gun restriction that these previously mentioned countries have, we can expect a drop in violence in America. If guns are harder to get, it is harder for criminals and mentally ill people to misuse
them.
The opposing arguments on stricter gun laws are mostly stemmed from worries that there will be an intrusion on their natural born rights promised in the second amendment. 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.”. This means that for the purposes of defense, citizens should be able to have weapons to defend themselves. People are worried about their security–and rightly so!–however most pro-gun law ideals will still leave room for people to defend themselves and dangerous war weapons will be out of reach to criminals and the mentally ill. Another concern of anti-gun activists is not having the right weapons to hunt; however, the types of guns most people hunt with are rifles and similar weapons that would not be affected by the proposed stricter gun laws, .
Some of the main ideas for stricter gun laws include, stricter regulations to obtain guns, tougher background checks, ban on assault rifles, requirements to take education classes on gun safety, make weapons safer, and ban on high capacity magazines, , . Stricter regulations and tougher background checks on guns means people who have a history of violence or mental illness will not be able to own guns. “Eight of the nine killers in mass shootings last year had histories of mental illness. Few are believed to have been under the care of a mental health care provider or part of an organized community support system. None were blocked from legally purchasing a weapon.” . These statistics show that people, who shouldn’t have guns, can get guns; this is why these new regulations are needed. Gun education can go a long way in preventing gun violence. These classes can teach a gun owner the basics of safely using their gun, how to keep it out of the hands of people who shouldn’t have it–children, criminals...– and when it is appropriate to use a gun, . A ban on assault rifles and high capacity magazines is required because these weapons of war are not needed for use of the general public and could be very harmful if the wrong hands got ahold of it. The last major change needed is making guns safer. An example of a safer gun could be making a safety so that when you remove the guns clip, it couldn’t fire the bullet in the barrel; this prevents accidental discharge. Another example could be making biometric technology standard in new guns. Biometric technology recognizes who is holding the gun and makes it so that only an authorized user can fire it.
If used correctly, guns can reduce violence instead of raising it; to do this, new regulations need to be put in place. Through these new regulations, a safer America is born.
Works Cited boomshigidy. http://www.debate.org/opinions/does-there-need-to-be-stricter-laws-for-gun-control. n.d.
Chastain, Russ. http://hunting.about.com/od/deerbiggame/a/aa063098.htm. n.d. 9 Febuary 2013.
Constitution. http://www.law.cornell.edu/constitution/second_amendment. n.d.
DWYER, DEVIN. http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/OTUS/gun-control-debate-sheriff-targets-mental-illness-link/story?id=18435882. 8 Febuary 2013. 10 Feburary 2013.
Fisher, Max. http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2012/12/14/chart-the-u-s-has-far-more-gun-related-killings-than-any-other-developed-country/. 14 December 2012. 10 Febuary 2013. floridacincealedcarry. http://floridaconcealedcarry.com/Forum/showthread.php?14051-How-do-i-legally-sell-a-gun. n.d.
Lightman, David. http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2013/02/07/3838780/majority-want-stricter-gun-laws.html. n.d. 7 Febuary 2013.
—. http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/02/07/3221620/majority-want-stricter-gun-laws.html. n.d. MCCLATCHY NEWSPAPERS. 7 Febuary 2013.
Perkel, Marc. http://gilroy.patch.com/blog_posts/new-gun-law-ideas-that-actually-might-work. n.d.
February 8, 2013
Word Count: 907
Gun laws are one of the most heavily argued topics in America today. The main reason for the overwhelming response to the debates is that America is split on this topic; 53% want stricter gun laws while 43% don’t, (Lightman). Recent shootings have made gun sales spike because people are worried about new gun laws; this leads to a greater circulation of guns. Any individual over the age of 18 can purchase a gun in the state of Florida without first going through a background check, . There are two major sides in today’s “gun debate”. First and foremost, is the most obvious solution to deal with gun violence; place more restrictions on ownership and add requirements to getting a gun. In general, most pro-gun law activists, want guns to be regulated more strictly–no guns for mentally ill people, ban on assault rifles, requirements to education classes on gun safety, make weapons safer, ban on high capacity magazines, and tougher background checks , . On the opposite side of the spectrum, people who are against gun laws believe these new restrictions could intrude on their natural born …show more content…
rights as an American citizen and don’t want any change to gun policy. In general, most anti-gun law activist believe that new gun laws may go too far and leave them defenseless and at the mercy of criminals or hinder them from hunting. The obvious solution to resolve the “gun debate” is the best solution; stricter regulations on gun ownership and distribution.
Making stricter gun laws are the most viable solutions to stop gun violence related tragedies–The shooting in Connecticut, Virginia Tech tragedy.
Increasing security on the sale of guns makes it more difficult for people with mental issues–or criminals– to use them in harmful ways. Most well-developed countries have stricter gun laws than the United States; they serve their purpose well. In the past year there have been over 30,000 gun related deaths in America while there was only 112 in Great Britain, France, Germany, Japan, Switzerland, Sweden, Denmark and Australia combined, . If the United States adopts some of the same gun restriction that these previously mentioned countries have, we can expect a drop in violence in America. If guns are harder to get, it is harder for criminals and mentally ill people to misuse
them.
The opposing arguments on stricter gun laws are mostly stemmed from worries that there will be an intrusion on their natural born rights promised in the second amendment. 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.”. This means that for the purposes of defense, citizens should be able to have weapons to defend themselves. People are worried about their security–and rightly so!–however most pro-gun law ideals will still leave room for people to defend themselves and dangerous war weapons will be out of reach to criminals and the mentally ill. Another concern of anti-gun activists is not having the right weapons to hunt; however, the types of guns most people hunt with are rifles and similar weapons that would not be affected by the proposed stricter gun laws, .
Some of the main ideas for stricter gun laws include, stricter regulations to obtain guns, tougher background checks, ban on assault rifles, requirements to take education classes on gun safety, make weapons safer, and ban on high capacity magazines, , . Stricter regulations and tougher background checks on guns means people who have a history of violence or mental illness will not be able to own guns. “Eight of the nine killers in mass shootings last year had histories of mental illness. Few are believed to have been under the care of a mental health care provider or part of an organized community support system. None were blocked from legally purchasing a weapon.” . These statistics show that people, who shouldn’t have guns, can get guns; this is why these new regulations are needed. Gun education can go a long way in preventing gun violence. These classes can teach a gun owner the basics of safely using their gun, how to keep it out of the hands of people who shouldn’t have it–children, criminals...– and when it is appropriate to use a gun, . A ban on assault rifles and high capacity magazines is required because these weapons of war are not needed for use of the general public and could be very harmful if the wrong hands got ahold of it. The last major change needed is making guns safer. An example of a safer gun could be making a safety so that when you remove the guns clip, it couldn’t fire the bullet in the barrel; this prevents accidental discharge. Another example could be making biometric technology standard in new guns. Biometric technology recognizes who is holding the gun and makes it so that only an authorized user can fire it.
If used correctly, guns can reduce violence instead of raising it; to do this, new regulations need to be put in place. Through these new regulations, a safer America is born.
Works Cited boomshigidy. http://www.debate.org/opinions/does-there-need-to-be-stricter-laws-for-gun-control. n.d.
Chastain, Russ. http://hunting.about.com/od/deerbiggame/a/aa063098.htm. n.d. 9 Febuary 2013.
Constitution. http://www.law.cornell.edu/constitution/second_amendment. n.d.
DWYER, DEVIN. http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/OTUS/gun-control-debate-sheriff-targets-mental-illness-link/story?id=18435882. 8 Febuary 2013. 10 Feburary 2013.
Fisher, Max. http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2012/12/14/chart-the-u-s-has-far-more-gun-related-killings-than-any-other-developed-country/. 14 December 2012. 10 Febuary 2013. floridacincealedcarry. http://floridaconcealedcarry.com/Forum/showthread.php?14051-How-do-i-legally-sell-a-gun. n.d.
Lightman, David. http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2013/02/07/3838780/majority-want-stricter-gun-laws.html. n.d. 7 Febuary 2013.
—. http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/02/07/3221620/majority-want-stricter-gun-laws.html. n.d. MCCLATCHY NEWSPAPERS. 7 Febuary 2013.
Perkel, Marc. http://gilroy.patch.com/blog_posts/new-gun-law-ideas-that-actually-might-work. n.d.