Gun Control in America

46,313. This is the number of people killed by guns in the United States between the years of 2007 to 2011. Having a stricter policy on guns and the way they are distributed will drop this number significantly. Over the years, the controversy between anti and pro-gun control has been one of the most debated news topics. Increasing gun control in America will provide a safer community for all citizens.

The debate of whether or not people should have the ability to own a gun or if they should be aloud to carry it around with them everywhere they go has not yet been resolved. The Second Amendment 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.” This statement is why so many people are against gun control. They believe that they should be able to keep and bear arms because the constitution states it. While the opposing side sees that over the years, having guns so easily available with no security has worked against lowering the crime rates.

Providing stricter gun control policies will decrease the gun crime rates in America. The States that have some of the fewest gun control regulations are in fact the ones who have the highest crime rate in the United States. Author, D. Stone writes, “The state of Louisiana has some of the fewest firearm regulations in the US and the highest rate of gun violence per capita in the country.” This shows the obvious, having guns easily available to the public will put guns in the wrong hands making it very easy for gun crimes to occur.

According to FBI statistics, the amount of murder victims that have been killed with guns decreases from year to year because of gun control. There were 424 fewer murders involving guns in 2010 than in 2009. Stricter laws will increase this number not only in places like Louisiana, but all over the United states. Making it harder for people to buy a gun is something that could be done in order to raise this number.

Incidents involving guns and children are also happening too often. Tighter gun control laws will lessen the chance of guns falling into the hands of children. Children are incapable of using a gun the way it is supposed to be used. Having them available in family homes, accessible to kids is one of the main reasons kids die because of guns. Although these are often accidental incidents, they can still be prevented.

In May of 2012, her brother accidentally in the mouth shot eleven-year-old Cassie Calpepper while he was playing with his father’s pistol. It was easily accessible to him in the back of his dad’s pickup truck. This could have been easily prevented if there was not a gun in the environment of children. Deaths of children caused by guns are the most devastating. Michael Luo and Mike McIntire from The New York Times state, “Children shot accidentally, usually by other children, are collateral casualties of the accessibility of guns in America, their deaths are all the more devastating for being eminently preventable.” These situations can very well be prevented. Guns of any kind should never be allowed in a family home. Laws keeping guns out of family homes will take away the risk of guns falling into the hands of children.

High-powered guns, like the one used in the Sandy Hook tragedy are the most dangerous of any type of firearm. These of all guns are the ones that should be completely banned to the public. High-powered guns are only supposed to be used in the military. Taking away these high-powered guns from the community will lessen the possibility for them to be obtained by a criminal.

Since 1982, there were 143 weapons involved in 62 mass shootings, 20 of them being assault weapons. These weapons were supposed to be under a ban that Senator Feinstein put into place. Overall, assault weapon tragedies are responsible for the most amounts of deaths. Although these assault weapons are less frequently used when it comes to crimes, they are the ones to cause the most damage.

People argue that no matter how many laws and bans that are enforced, criminals will always find a way to use a gun or use a different type of weapon such as a knife. Laws that make it mandatory for background checks to occur will lessen the chance for someone who has had a criminal or mental history to purchase a gun. Also, while the quote “guns don’t kill people, people kill people” is very true, the gun is what provokes the person into committing the crime. Kevin O’Neill, a Philadelphia Gun Right Examiner uses this statement to show how exactly guns aid the violence.

Not only will gun control make people feel safer in their community but also provide security for people across the entire country. With only minimal gun laws as of right now, there has been a major decrease in gun violence and murders since the 2006 according to FBI’s homicide data. In just one year, murders have dropped as much as 1,000 fewer deaths. Overall, there will be a better outcome for the United States with stricter gun control.