Gun Control Laws

There are many reasons why the average citizen should own guns. Gun controls laws have long been a controversial topic in England, the United States, and just about every country that has guns. Gun laws should allow civilians to own to protect themselves from criminals. Many people and states have different perspectives considering gun control laws. Gun laws should not be increased because gun violence would increase due to civilians not possessing firearms.
Gun control laws should allow all citizens to protect themselves with guns. Crime rates would definitely decrease if most citizens were possessing firearms. Criminals tend to go after defenseless people or citizens that do not own guns. They simply do not like the thought of the
other person having a gun to defend themselves with because they do not want to get shot. A well renowned gun author and editor, Joseph von Benedikt, explains in his book “Firearms for Personal Protection” that it is important for civilians to not only own guns, but to buy the right firearms and know how to use them properly. One of the firearms Joseph von Benedikt recommends is described in his book as, “Current, high-performance 9mm ammunition makes it one of the finest self-defense cartridges available” (Benedikt 22). There are other semiautomatic pistols that will work well for self-defense but Benedikt says that the 9mm is a good choice because it is widely available at a lower cost than other bullets. Also, it is easier to control for a beginner because it is not as powerful as a .357 magnum or .44 magnum. Benedikt also writes about how to be safe with a firearm. He list some important rules about safety but the main points are to always keep the gun pointed in a safe direction and keep the gun unloaded until ready to use (Benedikt 106). These straightforward rules keep common accidents from happening while handling a firearm. Criminals buy guns all the time illegally through the black market, which is why people like Joseph Benedikt write books about guns for self-defense. The general populous needs to understand that if criminals want guns regardless of gun control laws, they will find a way to obtain them. The civilians have the right to own and bear arms under the Second Amendment so that they may be used for protection.
The civilians of the United States can buy and use guns because of the Constitution.
More specifically, 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 bear arms, shall not be infringed” (US Constitution, Art.II, Amendment 2.). This is very important to all United States citizens because of two reasons. Firstly, the government would have too much control over the people if the people did not have a way to fight back. Secondly, firearms are used to deter unwanted people away such as a rapist, criminal or intruder. Also, in a very drastic case, if a foreign army invaded the United States citizens would be able to protect themselves. Most people would have guns to fight back because of the rights stated in the Second Amendment. Some civilians take the Second Amendment quite seriously and an infringement on their guns rights using harsh gun control laws will stir up a large amount the populous. Joseph Blocher is a professor of law who studies the first and second amendment which make his opinion on the second amendment accurate. Joseph writes, “Some acts of violence—like some ideas—will be undesirable, but they will be deterred or stopped by desirable acts of violence, such as those involving justified self-defense” (Blocher 352). Guns are readily available to the general public, but whether or not the people who buy guns do good or bad with them
is ultimately their choice. He explained that someone will always be there to counter act the violence with a violent act of justice. Gun control laws should stay how they are so that the right to bear arms is preserved along with the right to overthrow government if it gets too much power and control.
Criminals will not be affected by the change from flexible gun controls laws to harsh gun controls laws. Gun trafficking happens often because criminals want the guns, not because there are loose gun control laws. They will still buy and sell guns illegally for two reasons: money and power. Also, there are not enough laws enforcing harsh enough penalties for possessing illegal guns. James Orlando is an Associate Analyst for the state of Connecticut. James Orlando writes that every state varies with penalties for illegal possession of firearms and that they can be quite lenient (Orlando 1). He is trying to say that criminals are only getting a slap on the wrist for the crimes they have committed. This means that they will simply get out of jail in six months or a year, pay the two-thousand dollar fine and continue to buy and sell guns illegally as they were doing before they went to jail. Because of the forgiving penalties, shootings at schools, workplaces, or movie theatre take place. Nadia Nedzel is a professor and an associate of law who works at the Southern University Law Center. Nadia writes “The third possibility, repealing the gun-free zone laws, shows the most promise in deterring these horrible crimes, because potential shooters would not know who else might be carrying a gun” (Nedzel 433). Allowing teachers or other administrators at a school to carry a gun would deter an assailant. Teachers would then be able to protect their students and possibly the school if they could conceal carry. Although Nadia’s argument sounds promising, there are people who completely disagree and would rather have strict gun control laws.
Some citizens altogether believe that stricter gun control laws will lower crime rates.
David Hemenway, director of the Harvard Injury Control Research Center, brings up many valid points that prove loose gun control laws are not favorable. David writes “Guns are not used millions of times each year in self-defense (Hemenway 1). This is absolutely true because some people use firearms for recreational uses. Two more important facts are stated on the Harvard Injury Control Research Center by David Hemenway. He writes “Criminals who are shot are typically victims of crime” (Hemenway 1). He is trying to say that criminals are not often shot by law abiding citizens but other criminals. He explains that “Guns in the home are used more often to intimidate intimates than to thwart crime” (Hemenway 1). This can be a bad use for a gun and furthermore strengthens the case that some citizens should not be allowed to own guns. Patrick J. Charles has written and edited many books on the Second Amendment which validates his knowledge about the right to bear arms. Patrick explained that in England in the seventeenth and eighteenth century, ““Such proposals failed, however, because they would “arm the mob” and thus were considered “not very safe for any government”” (Charles 1). Essentially, he is explaining that the England government gave too much power to the people by giving the people guns. The England government did not want the people to overthrow the government so they
increased the gun control laws.
Gun control laws should remain the same to ensure that crime rates will not skyrocket. In the end, gun controls laws should allow most citizens to own guns to protect themselves. They are protected by the Second Amendment and provoking harsh gun control laws means higher crime rates and an infringement of the people’s rights. More citizens need to own guns in order to protect themselves and their families from an assailant or a criminal.