Topic: Gun Control 
 Whether it’s on the front of a magazine or scrolling across the bottom of the news channel screen on your television, we all are familiar with the topic of gun rights and gun control. The issue sparks controversy around the United States of America, and it’s asinine to realize how much argument four letters can create. People tend to forget about the Bill of Rights that was created by James Madison and the safety guns provide for the citizens of the United States. They fail to realize what the country would be like if it didn’t allow its citizens to own guns. Surely gun control would have a few benefits, but the consequences would be much more devastating for the country if gun rights were taken from the citizens of the United States. Anyone who meets the proper criteria has the right to own guns because the Second Amendment states that you can possess guns, and the right to possess guns provides an overall safety net for the country and its people. 
    

An individual who meets the proper criteria has the right to own guns, because the Second Amendment gives citizens this right. The U.S. Constitution says, “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.” The U.S. Constitution is a document that is the supreme law of the United States and gives U.S. citizens individual rights. Rights are defined as “Legal, social or ethnical principles of freedom or entitlement.” Fellow students, if you are denied these rights, then your own lives are at stake. You will no longer be able to protect yourself in a crisis because you are not properly equipped to do so. Evidently, individuals should have the right to own guns, because the Second Amendment gives citizens this privilege, and the citizens should be properly armed to protect themselves.  
    

As the Second Amendment states that individuals have the right to own guns there are many other reasons that are evident as to why citizens should have this right. The right to own guns is metaphorically a “safety net” for the United States and its citizens. Gun control laws would prevent citizens from protecting themselves and others in a critical situation. According to Libertarian Party, “A responsible, well-armed and trained citizenry is the best protection against domestic crime and the threat of foreign invasion.” Also, Marco Rubio, a U.S. Senator, spoke out against gun control laws in his 2016 presidential campaign and quoted, “If God forbid, ISIS visits our life, our neighborhood, our school, any part of us, the last thing standing, the last line of defense could very well be our ability to protect ourselves.” Self-defense is defined as, “The defense of one's person or interests, especially through the use of physical force, which is permitted in certain cases as an answer to a charge of violent crime.” If there were to be gun control laws, then it would eliminate a way for the United States citizens to defend themselves in a terror attack. If our United States government went corrupt and a foreign invader such as ISIS were to attack our mainland, we would have no line of defense to protect ourselves as a whole country. However, if citizens had proper gun rights, then we would be able to form an army and defend ourselves from a foreign invader. None of this is possible without the use of guns. As stated previously, if you are denied the right to own a gun, then your lives are at stake. If there was an attack, you would have no way of successfully defending yourself. As you can see, guns provide an overall “safety net” for America and its citizens because they provide a way of self-defense.  
    

On the contrary, the substantial number of opposers to the topic of gun rights believe that more gun laws would decrease gun deaths. According to wisqars.cdc, “There were 464,033 total gun deaths between 1999 and 2013: 270,237 suicides; 174,773 homicides; and 9,983 unintentional deaths.” Also, according to a March 2014 study, “When gun ownership went down in the United States, overall suicide rates went down.” The solution to this problem is quite simple and does not involve total gun control. Gun control is not the prime solution to these deaths because many Americans will be angered by the U.S. government. It would lead to protests, riots, fights, civil wars, etc. Instead of total gun control, the government should require thorough background checks and require extensive safety regulations. If the government thoroughly researched everyone’s background history, then the mentally unsafe people will not be in possession of firearms. Also, if the government required higher safety regulations, then accidental gun deaths would be less of an issue. This could help decrease the number of deaths by guns drastically. Total gun control would only hurt America by angering its people, and that is why it is evident that the United States government should require more thorough background checks and have more extensive safety regulations. This would make both sides of the so called “Gun Control vs. Gun Rights” debate much more agreeable. These two solutions would allow gun rights supporters to continue to keep their firearms, and it would also help fix the problem of gun deaths in the United States. 
    

With these solutions in mind, it is evident that United States citizens with thorough background checks should have the right to own guns, because it is stated in the Second Amendment that citizens have the right to bear arms, and it will provide an overall “safety net” for the United States citizens. People who support total gun control believe that it will lower the amount of crime and deaths, but they do not realize the amount of anger and opposition that will build up in society by taking away the citizens’ rights to own guns. Undoubtably, citizens in the United States of America should continue to be provided the right of owning firearms.