Gun Control

Gun Control

Gun control is an awfully big issue in the United States today. Many people in America don't agree with the gun control laws that they have today. Gun control laws only take guns and freedom away from law-abiding citizens. Many citizens have their own reasons for owning a gun. Why would the government want to make it harder for people to own a gun? People that own guns aren't very likely to be attacked by criminals. Owning a handgun is one of the best ways of protection when used correctly. The second amendment states "the right to bear arms"; does this grant everyone the right to own a gun? Gun control laws have not been proven to do anything for citizens. Gun control laws just make it harder for the good guy average Joe to own a gun. Gun control laws are not a good idea, and are taking part in the loss of our freedom that was given to us.

(http://www.constitution.org/2l/2ndschol/133sec.html, 1996)

Gun control only takes guns away from law-abiding people and it does nothing to stop criminals from buying illegal guns, who are unlikely to obey the law and register their guns at all. Most of the time the term gun control is improperly used. The definition of gun control is the government regulation of possession and use of firearms by private citizens. The government is using it as way to take our right to bear arms away from us.

(Kluin, pg 121, 1982)

There are many reasons that people want to own a gun. One of the main reasons that people own a gun is protection for themselves and their family. In a survey given about guns, "self defense" was the main reason for owning a gun. Guns provide a great source of psychological reassurance even among citizens who are not particularly concerned about the fear of crime of being victimized. The right of self-defense and the right to use firearms for self-defense and the defense of your family is the foundation for rights written in the U.S. constitution.

(Long, pg 28, 1989)

Why does the government make it harder for average citizens to protect themselves? Police cannot always protect everyone in the community. There are only about 500,000 police officers throughout the country, which means there is around 125,000 police officers on duty at any given time. Other than a bodyguard or a law enforcement officer at everyone's side twenty-four hours a day, the most effective deterrent to a criminal attack is the criminal's fear that the potential victim is armed and prepared to defend themselves. Courts have ruled that there is no constitutional right to be protected by the state against being murdered by criminals, which means that police have no duty to protect the individual citizen.

(http://www.guncite.com, 2004)

It is not very likely of being attacked when somebody is armed. Criminal's fear armed citizens because of their right to protect themselves. Victims who used guns for protection were a lot less likely either to be attacked or injured than victims who responded in any other way. According to the U.S. Justice Department victimization studies, an average citizen that uses arms or some sort of self-protection stands not just a greater chance of avoiding injury than the criminal, but also your chances of getting in trouble for using the arms on an un-armed criminal. The police force went on strike in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and during this time the crime rate extremely decreased because terrified citizens armed themselves and protected their homes and businesses. Criminals did not want to face citizens that were armed protecting their own property with the same force the criminals used to steal it.

(Zimring, pg 33, 1995)

Ownership of handguns stops thousands of victim injuries and deaths that would not have been avoidable given the advantages that criminals have over unarmed citizens. In 1980, between 1,500-3,000 felons were legally killed by armed civilians as self-defense and about another 8,700-16,600 criminals were wounded under the same circumstances, which mean it was legal. If this information is accurate, then civilians kill and injure by far a lot more felons annually than police officers do. Everyone knows that police officers are trained to ask questions first and shoot later, but people feel that if any one were in a bad situation they would probably shoot first.

(Zimring, pg 33, 1995)

Throughout our past as a country, over 20,000 gun control bills have been passed through Congress, and crime is still running out of control through our America's streets. The National Firearms Act of 1934 was the first federal gun law to be passed. This act imposed a two hundred-dollar excise tax on the sale of any fully automatic weapons. The Gun Control Act of 1968 made it a requirement for all gun dealers to have a federal license. This same act also banned the sale of guns through the mail system and the sale of guns to all people who have formerly been convicted of violent felonies. It also prohibited gun dealers from selling handguns out of state, and out-of-state residents from buying handguns. These have not eliminated gun-related crime to this day either.

(Long, pg 25, 1989)

With the growing gun-related crime rate in the United States today, many bills have been proposed to control guns. The most popular of these bans is The Brady Bill. The bill focuses on semi-automatic weapons. People wishing to buy a handgun will have to answer a federal questionnaire. The person's background will be checked thoroughly for criminal records or records of past mental illness. The process should only take five days. This five-day waiting period, or the "cooling off" period, is supposed to allow a person's temper to cool down. The Brady Bill claims that people act on impulse. A person's temper can interfere with their ability to think clearly; for instance, they are angry, so a gun is bought to get revenge. This bill was thought out clearly, and a good citizen shouldn't have a problem with this bill because it still allows good