Hunter Anderson
Period 3
English honors
5­4­15

Unjust Guns Laws Guns strike fear into the hearts of many people around the world. However, guns are very misunderstood and misinterpreted. Often times, people perceive guns just as a weapon meant to kill. While yes, a gun can kill someone, it is only a tool that is used by humans and it is truly humans who kill humans. Guns should be used by an individual to defend themselves from harm. Guns are necessary for protection against criminals and acts of violence; therefore, all states should allow citizens to carry concealed weapons and store them in their homes. If someone breaks into a house and tries to hurt someone's family, what is the homeowner going to do? To someone who has a gun the answer is simple. A homeowner should get to the gun as fast as possible and threaten to use force on the intruder if the intruder does not vacate the house or property. Now, if a homeowner does not have a gun then the answer is a little more complicated. Yes, a homeowner can pull out a knife or try to win in a fist fight, but the most effective self defense weapon that you can possess is a gun. On
February 12, 2007, a lone gunman, Sulejman Talovic, opened fire at the crowded Trolley Square shopping mall and in doing so he killed five people right away. He was carrying a shotgun and a pistol with a backpack full of ammunition. He was, however, confronted by two off duty police officers who happened to be there with their families. When they heard the shots, both of them drew their weapons and told their wives to call 911. In doing so, these two police officers saved countless

lives that might have been taken if these brave men were not there (“Jews For The Preservation of Firearms Ownership”
Jews For The Preservation of Firearms Ownership
. N.p., 15 Apr. 2013.
Web. 16 Apr. 2015.)
. Fortunately, these two men were police officers, however, they or other

emergency personnel might not be there next time leaving it up to a civilian to defend themselves and others. It is vital that all states allow citizens to carry concealed weapons, not only for their protection, but for others as well. Another benefit of being armed is being able to use it as a deterrent in order to scare criminals away. Most of the time, when a crime happens, the victim of the crime is underprepared and does not have the right tools to defend him or herself. People who commit crimes and are not stopped will continue to victimize others. According to a study done in 2013,
81% agreed the “smart criminal” will try to find out if a potential victim is armed. 74% felt that burglars avoided occupied dwellings for fear of being shot. 80% of “handgun predators” had encountered armed citizens. 40% did not commit a specific crime for fear that the victim was armed. 34% of “handgun predators” were scared off or shot at by armed victims. 57% felt that the typical criminal feared being shot by citizens more than he feared being shot by police.
Being able to stop criminals will save lives, but it could also make those

criminals more timid to mess with anyone else because most criminals want an easy target (
"The
Right to Keep and Bear Arms."
The Right to Keep and Bear Arms
. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Apr. 2015.)
.

With the US government trying to take away guns, Americans need to fight back against this law for the safety of everyone in America, or else be virtually defenseless against criminals. Fear is a weapon that the criminal underworld uses against good hard working Americans. A lot of the time, if criminals are