August 22, 2010
Unit 5 Individual Project
ENG107-Shana Koh
ABSTRACT
Gun laws have changed over the past few years. There are many laws pertaining to the legal and illegal possession of a fire-arm. The gun laws are pretty strict. In most cities they are not being enforced and too many individuals are being murdered for no reason at all. This paper will explain the numerous laws and the reasons for those laws.
Gun laws have become a popular topic in the news today. Everyday there are stories on the news of people getting shot either purposely or by accident. It has become easy for individuals to obtain a concealed weapon. Gun laws are the cause of much violent crime in America, and the best way to resolve the problem is to change the laws so that owning an illegal firearm carries a very stiff prison sentence for first time offenders. There are eleven known facts on the topic of gun control. The facts are overwhelming and make a person really think of what is going on in America today. 1. In 2005, a total of 3,027 young people were killed by firearms in the U.S. 2. About 81% of murder victims aged 12 to 24 years old was killed with a firearm in 2005. 3. In the same year, firearms were responsible for 52% of deaths for African Americans. 4. Firearms are the second-leading cause of death (after motor vehicle accidents) for young people 19 and under in the U.S. 5. The rate of firearm death of under 14-years-olds is nearly 12 times higher in the U.S. than in 25 other industrialized countries combined. 6. About 34% of households in the U.S. contain a gun. This translates into a loaded goal in one in every ten households with children, and a gun that’s left unlocked and just “hidden away” in one in every eight family homes. 7. The risk of homicide in the home is three times greater in households with guns. 8. The risk of suicide is five times greater in households with guns. 9. Suicides accounted for 55% of the
References: http://www.dosomething.org/tipsandtools/11-facts-about-gun-control http://www.newsbatch.com/guncontrol.htm http://www.buzzle.com/articles/gun-control-facts.html (Naik, 5/28/2010) http://article.nationalreview.com/437283/gun-control-laws/thomas-sowell (Gun-Control Laws), (Sowell, Thomas June, 2010) New York Times, June 28, 2010