With the increase of shootings and massacres in recent years, many people have pointed fingers at weapons as the definite cause of the violence. Many of these individuals believe restricting the purchase and ownership of weapons all together is the only solution to the violence, though it is just the opposite. The government revoking the right to own certain weapons, possess concealed weapon permits, along with creating unnecessary restrictions on gun-related items is what will in fact increase the amount of deaths and mass shootings and create an even more deadly environment. The inabilities for people to protect themselves and prevent violent shootings in public areas are some of the significant problems in terms of gun control. Statistics from the FBI's Crime Report shows that states within the United States with right-to-carry laws have a 30% lower homicide rate, 46% lower robbery, and 12% lower aggravated assault rate and a 22% lower overall violent crime rate than do states without these laws.

The causes of this debatable problem are created by the people that believe the 2nd amendment has become outdated and no longer true to our society. People that think this belief holds true are basically saying that one of the founding statements of this country should be taken away from citizens; this idea could be like claiming freedom of speech was no longer important. Anti-gun groups plan to limit the purchases of guns, specifically handguns, because they fear guns are currently being bought in bulk at gun shows and sold on the “black market”, although that is not plausible due to laws already existing monitoring large quantity purchases. The only thing banding handguns will do is make it more difficult for someone to have a compact weapon to defend themselves with, making home invasions and robberies easier for criminals. Many also seem to believe large capacity magazines are what make large shootings possible. Stephen E. Wright, the author of the article “Gun Control Laws will Not Save Lives”, writes “It is what is in the heart of a mass murderer, not what is in their hand, that determines their lethality”; a statement that holds true in all murders that have occurred. For example, in the Columbine Massacre Eric Harris had only 10-round magazines for his 9mm, which was effective enough to kill a large number of people. It takes a person on average two seconds to change a magazine, making the band on large capacity magazines have limited effectiveness and success. Concealed weapons permits also seem to be a target of those interested in creating a higher degree of gun control. People seem to think that concealed weapons are going to make our country the “Wild West all over again” and that “normal” citizens aren’t capable of carrying a weapon without the threat of them shooting someone over an argument or parking spot, even though concealed weapon permits have been around for quite a while and nothing as such has happened. In reality “Banning guns will weaken us and make our lives more dangerous, not less” (Wright). There is definite proof that concealed carry permits actually help to ensure safety, just as Cliff Stearns says “Studies have found that those who use concealed weapons to deter a criminal are less likely to suffer injury than those unarmed during an attack.” 40% of convicted felons have actually admitted to being deterred by the possibility of a concealed weapon when committing a crime. If there would have been someone with a concealed weapon in situations such as the Newtown Massacre then there is a possibility the shooter could have been stopped long before 21 people were murdered.
Finding a solution to the problem can be hard due to the fact that some people blame guns for killing people and believe that the new gun laws will make it so shootings will never occur again. Though laws completely restricting firearms to citizens capable of owning weapons are unnecessary and dangerous some new systems for purchasing weapons can be beneficial. By making back ground checks absolutely necessary and much more in depth people with criminal records and mental illnesses can be deterred from obtaining weapons; making it harder for them to obtain them. Allowing concealed carry weapons in reasonable areas in which they were restricted before and stationing resource officers almost everywhere can also help to prevent mass shootings and deaths. Going after weapons that have been stolen or involved in crimes could also help to keep a large number of weapons out of the hands of people that do not need to own them. If people were to focus on mental illnesses rather than weapons as the reason to mass murders and some may be able to be stopped. All of the solutions mentioned are real world solutions and will help to stop some of the crimes committed in our nation. In reality there will always be deaths in association with weapons; the only that would make deaths using firearms non-existent would be for them to never have been created.