David Years
Govt. Essay

Does the US need stricter Gun Control?

In 1791, the United States adopted the Second Amendment which reads: “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.” Simply put every person living in the United States has the right to purchase a firearm and defend his/her self as well as their property and family. However, some feel that there needs to be stricter gun control. I believe that this is false and that there is already too much control as is. Guns do not kill people, people kill people. We have all heard this term and I strongly agree with it. I do however feel that there needs to be a change in how we educate people in gun control. What would happen if you made it more difficult than it already is in some states to purchase a gun? Since it would take all day to talk about all fifty states, I will keep it simple. According to some public information the number of firearm related deaths in 2011 in the US was around 9,500. This includes murders as well as suicides. Do you believe that if we made it illegal for any person to own a firearm that this number would decrease? Maybe, but although deaths with firearms might decrease, crime will increase. Making it more difficult to obtain a firearm will only force people to find other ways to get what they want which will most likely end in more arrests and crime. Steps have already been taken to reduce poor weapon use, but by having different laws in different states makes gun control not only confusing but un practical. The Brady Bill and Assault Weapons ban both of which went in to effect in 1994 are responsible to the decrease in violent crime rates which have been declining since 1991. Now in order to purchase certain firearms differs from state to state. Some of these laws include, a waiting period, background checks, finger printing, government forms, proof of residency, proof of age and so on. Yet, people still believe that guns are to easily accessible. People relate the recent school and public shootings to the easy acess to firearms but I feel that this is false. In the 40’s, 50’s and into the 60’s it was well known for hardware stores, gas stations even mail order guns were ready available with no wait, or background check and there were no school shootings. Why is that? So what is the solution? We teach lessons to kids at early ages so that they will be well educated as they grow up. You look both ways before crossing the street, please and thank you. We teach kids about sex in middle school nowadays yet there were never classes about gun safety or the dos and don’ts. There need to stop being more stress and money wasted on more gun control and