The Debate on Gun Control
Leon Graves
Baker College

The Debate on Gun Control Guns have played a huge part all over the world since the day they were first created. Guns have been used in every war since the 16th century. The settlers carried guns throughout America for the first time when exploring. All through history guns have been involved, even today. In the modern era guns have stirred up a huge uproar in politics when it comes to making new laws to control them. Every year criminal acts including; shootings, robberies, suicide attempts, and murders, all use guns. It’s time to fix our countries gun laws, and there must be a better way of controlling who can get and can store guns. Up until The late 1960’s, people could walk into a store, just buy a gun and ammunition straight over the counter, no questions asked. Since then The U.S government have enacted many laws in which buyers have to be 21, in some cases have a certain license, and in some cases permits. Not only all that but also, dealers are supposed to give you a mandatory background check, although not all of them do (Brandy act).
Many mass shootings lately have involved people who are not mentally fit to own a gun, but somehow, they have managed to get one anyway. Just recently a shooting occurred in Washington D.C at a navy yard killing several people. Later authorities involved in the case, found out the man who was involved in the shooting showed clear signs psychosis. This is actually starting a movement on mental health policy changes. Recently Connecticut Lawmakers have “voted to require hospitals report people who have been voluntarily admitted for psychiatric treatment to state authorities, who would then bar them from buying or possessing any firearms for the next six months.”(Peters, 2013). Just as shootings have been making headlines, so have gun deaths in general. But the upsetting thing is what does not make the headlines. Two thirds of the deaths in the United States are actually suicides (Williamson, 2013, pg. 1). A major question people need to be asking themselves is; where are all these Children getting guns so they are able to cause their suicides? Actually, many of them can find a gun in their own home. The last place a gun should be is out in the open in a home where kids can get to it. Not only are suicides being caused by the availability of guns, but with these guns laying around the house they can easily be stolen. Without guns being locked up burglars can just walk in, take them, and use them later as a weapon in their crimes. “In the mid-1980s, the sociologists, James Wright and Peter Rossi asked some 2,000 violent felons in prison about their gun lives. Almost half the guns that the felons described were stolen” (Baum, 2013, pg. 4). Almost half a million guns go missing in the U.S. every year and end up in criminal hands (Baum, 2013, pg. 4). One way people can help save lives is simply have their guns locked up in a safe place, every gun owner should be able to abide by that.
Many gun activists try to preach responsibility of guns, but whenever questioned about them being stolen they will not admit responsibility of them claiming they can’t be responsible for the use somebody else makes of their weapons (Book, 2013). How can gun owners claim to be responsible for their guns if they cannot keep them out of dangerous hands? When someone owns a gun it is their duty to know who their giving their guns to (Book, 2013). In order to keep guns out of the wrong hands, laws need to be created and amended so certain people cannot get their hand on them. Also laws need to be in place making it mandatory to keep guns locked up at all times when they are not being used. Guns should never be left out laying around, even in a privately owned home. Also in order to buy a gun, a mental health test needs to be mandatory. If someone does not pass this test, they should not be able to purchase any