Essay On Gun Laws

It’s a Mexican standoff. The chaotic outlaw has the damsel in distress in his line of sights until the manly cowboy rides in on a horse, aiming his revolver at the villain’s head. POW! It’s hunting season. The deer hunter in his deer stand patiently waits for the right buck to carelessly wander under his deer feeder, then aligns his scope on the buck’s head. POW! It’s a dark city night. The members of the Bloods gang meet in a local park when rival gang Crips’ Cadillac pulls up with the window down and a Glock showing. POW!
Why is it that something so closely associated with the death and killing seems to be at the heart of American tradition? Even though every other developed country has either outlawed guns completely or put large restrictions, America still has some states with very relaxed gun laws, and many organizations and supporters to keep it that way.
Just look at the facts, despite only containing 4.4% of the population, America owns 42% of the world’s civilian guns. It’s also estimated that there to be more
guns than people (around 28:25) It’s clear that Americans see these weapons as more than just a deadly tool, but something deeper.
What is this deeper meaning?
Well, for a start guns have always been a part of American History. The “wild west” during the 1800s when America kept taking more territory and had less governing control over this land, the “law of the land” would play a big role in keeping ethics in society rather than written law. Just look at the movie The Man Who Shot Liberty Valence for example. Ransom, the lawyer from the east, attempts throughout the film to use law and order to take down the antagonist, Liberty Valence, but in the end resorts to using a gun to take him down himself. Despite playing by the rules, Ransom symbolizes how the West at the time paid little attention to law, at least until becoming a state. While no longer used the same way today, it’s understandable why people still want to stick to the tradition of easy access to owning a gun as it played a unique role in shaping America and can still be used today for some cases of
self-defense.
Of course, others exist who see the tradition of easy gun access outweighing the cause of violence it sparks. They think the easy solution of just banning or heavily restricting access to guns will bring down violence in America, and while that may seem like a logical case, it has actually worked against the United States in the past: for example the homicide rate in America increased when gun control laws passed after JFK’s assassination and didn’t start decreasing until the mid-90’s when states started passing “shall issue” laws that let anyone get a license as long as he or she met all the basic criteria. Since then, gun violence has actually been decreasing over the years.
Recently, though, a new “fad” of gun violence with mass shootings, usually in schools, has occurred, sparking the heated issues of gun control again. It may be easy just to say “Ban the guns!” but as history has shown, the homicide rate does not decrease when new restrictions are imposed. The problem of mass shootings is not the guns but the intentions behind the actions. Is it a mental health issue? Current gun laws not being enforced enough? A lack of morality in our modern culture? Maybe it’s a combination of all three or more, but to try and take away a tradition of Americans will not solve today’s problems and may even make them worse. Guns are and have always been a protected proud tradition in America and with her people.