John Doe
Professor Smith
English 201
Due Date: November 16, 2020
Gun Control in America
The right of the United States citizens to bear arms is entrenched in the nation’s Constitution. The republicans as allowed to own and use handguns because the Second Amendment in the U.S constitution guards gun possession freedom. However, due to the recent massive shootings experienced, the U.S government has been forced to enact laws to control their republicans. Gun control has been a very divisive political issue in America for a long time. As mass shootings continue being recorded in America, antagonism increases between opposing arguments regarding gun control. The people who believe in strict gun regulations fear that their safety is compromised in a country where more people are allowed to buy and own guns every day. Opponents of stringent gun control measures also fear a loss of safety. They argue that strict regulation on the right to own guns would expose many Americans and make them vulnerable. They would be incapable of defending themselves, especially if the state ever turned against its people. Two recent landmark United States Supreme Court decisions have affirmed that citizens have the right to own firearms for self-defense. Therefore, the debate has shifted on gun control and regulation.
Modern governments are opposed to the idea of an armed public that is ready to stage a resistance. The government enforces measures to disarm the citizens to repress their capacity. The point of agreement is that gun control measures would help reduce and prevent gun violence. I believe that the right to bear firearms should never be infringed, therefore increasing defense chances should one be attacked. According to Justice Antonin, “more gun control policies would infringe upon the freedom to own and use various firearms.” The government should step up its efforts to educate and train the people on managing guns in their possession. Strict gun control regulations will only leave firearms in the hands of illegal holders and leave the people vulnerable and exposed (Antonin, 12). Citizens armed and trained on using guns are better prepared for self-defense and ready to rise against the government if it turns against its people.
Gun control versus gun rights debate in the United States goes beyond the issue of access to firearms. I believe the colonialists fought the British to gain freedom and liberty and eliminate tyranny. The Second Amendment Act I the U.S constitution was majorly designed to protect these rights and freedoms (Lott, 67). Understanding the nation’s founding history is critical because it’s implied that an attack on the Constitution’s principles is an attack on the United States. Citizens’ rights, which are explicitly provided in the Constitution, cannot then be taken away.
Gun ownership is traditionally part of the American culture. A poll conducted in 2015 by Gallup indicated that 41 percent of Americans owned guns in their homes. Another poll in the same year showed that 71 percent of Americans are opposed to laws that ban gun ownership except by authorized persons (Ingraham, 275). The poll is a strong indication that Americans favor short gun ownership. Therefore, it’s upon the government to develop effective training methods and educate the citizens on laws governing the use of these ammunitions. The United States citizens are traditionally suspicious of the government, which takes deep suspicion against the federal government. The country was born out of a revolution that freed thirteen colonies from what was regarded as the British’s tyrannical and oppressive rule. The argument is extended in the modern world to imply that the government has no mandate to deny people the right to own guns (Swift, 44). A second argument is that the armed citizenry is well prepared to defend democracy from turning tyrannical.
The United States Constitution provides the right to gun ownership, affirming that “the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.” A preview within Constitution’s rights is undesirable rights such that they are stated in the manner of the things the government should not infringe or abridge. The nation has a deep history of an enduring connection with guns. The issue is integrated into the American culture since the founding of the nation. Gun ownership remains a source of pride for Americans, not only for self-defense but for sports and hunting (Ryan, 6). Most gun owners attach gun ownership rights as central to their freedoms. As gun-related violence becomes a societal problem, the conversation about gun control remains highly polarized.
In 2014, a young girl accidentally shot her instructor to death as she was being trained on how to fire an Uzi in the state of Arizona. Many questions arose from this incidence as many questioned the logic or legality of allowing a nine-year-old girl to use such a sophisticated rifle. Some people even asked why any civilian would want to learn how to use an assault rifle like an Uzi (Deflem, Mathieu, and Charles, 53). The National Rifle Association responded to these questions by stating that the United States Constitution does not place any gun ownership restrictions: any citizen has a right to own and use any form of even if it means an Uzi. The case affirms that the government should be concerned about how it can help its citizens use guns most appropriately. However, gun-rights advocates are not ignorant that there are many cases of gun misuse, and not all attempts to regulate gun use are meant to infringe on their rights but rather an effort to make society a better place.
America is generally regarded as a free nation and home of the brave and protector of Constitutional rights. It is perceived as the land of opportunity where dreams and guns are within an arm’s reach. America has the highest gun ownership level than any other developed country in the world. Research by Small Arms Survey showed more than 393 million guns in America, both legally and illegally owned. The results show that for every one hundred Americans, there are 120.5 guns, which is more than one gun per person (Etzioni, Amitai, and Oren, 79). No law mandates the country to have a national database for guns, making it challenging to have official data. However, the government can develop other policies that demonstrate its commitment to solving gun violence, ensuring only the right people have guns. The process of acquiring needs to remain intricate or strict to ensure gun holders have never had a criminal record, including domestic violence.
A lot of controversies surround gun ownership rights in America. It is more of a debate than a straightforward answer, whether owning a gun makes one’s family safer or not. A 2018 joint survey by the Wall Street Journal and NBC News found that 58 percent of American citizens agreed that gun ownership makes them safer by allowing law-abiding citizens to bear guns for self-protection. Owning a firearm for personal protection has been cited in most surveys as the primary reason most people carry guns (Albritton, 95). More women than men have responded to relying on weapons for personal safety.
As we have seen earlier in this paper, Americans have a deep connection with guns: a source of pride for some people and a source of insecurity and fear. Guns continue to be a source of sharp division in the country. While gun control proponents and opponents have significant differences in opinion, there is consensus in some areas. For example, a majority from opposing sides agree that there should be restricted access to guns for persons with mental disorders and persons on federal watch lists (Ehrenfreund, 81). Gun owners also have divergent views on gun control policies, primarily driven by political party affiliation.
Proponents of strict gun control policies argue that it is more dangerous for one to own a gun. The dangers are even more significant in families with young children. The argument is valid in many aspects, as many studies over the last decade have confirmed that more forearms in a country increase the incidences of gun violence (Aronow, Peter, and Benjamin, 78). However, I do not find their arguments compelling enough to warrant an infringement of the right to own guns as provided in the Constitution. The gun owners argue they have it for security purposes, and this argument is valid and compelling on the ground. An individual is expected to defend himself according to the intensity of the attackers. With the Constitution allowing people who have attained the required threshold to own a gun legally, it remains the government’s responsibility to ensure guns in the country are in the right hands. The citizens should be allowed to enjoy their rights as provided in the Constitution (Braga, Anthony, and David, 52). Instead, the government needs to uphold policies that focus on solving gun violence in the country.
Gun violence continues to happen to date, hance, proposing that people should continue owning handguns, but with more preventive measures to reduce misuse of freedom. Even though a gun is considered a dangerous weapon, it served as a defensive tool to defend themselves from various criminal attacks. Likewise, other criminal actions such as theft will also reduce, hence, affirming that it is high time (Timsina, et al., 7) United States citizens change their view that firearms are dangerous as a handgun at times proves to be heroic, but this only happens when held by right hands.
Gun control is a contentious issue that elicits mixed reactions, especially from different political affiliations. However, gun ownership is a right protected by the Supreme Law, and therefore, it is upon the government to ensure that this right is protected. The government should put enough measures to ensure the public is educated and trained on best practices to reduce gun misuse incidences. Enlightening the masses remains a critical factor in solving some of the country’s disadvantages due to citizens owning guns. Some of the government’s measures have failed to work as expected, with gun violence witnessed often. Mass-shooting has triggered gun control laws, but Congress has not reached a consensus on how the menace can be controlled with some deaths involving children among other people. Thus, citizens can have guns and low levels of violence through government and other stakeholders undertaking their responsibilities, such as educating the masses about gun violence control. The strengthening of morals and ethics in our society would result in low levels of violence.
Works Cited
Albritton, Robert. Why So Many Guns and Prisons?. Palgrave Insights into Apocalypse Economics, 2019, pp. 89–97.
Aronow, Peter M, and Benjamin T Miller. “Policy Misperceptions and Support for Gun Control Legislation.” The Lancet, vol. 387, no. 10015, Jan. 2016, p. 223.
Braga, Anthony A., and David M. Hureau. “Strong gun laws are not enough: The need for improved enforcement of secondhand gun transfer laws in Massachusetts.” Preventive Medicine, vol. 79, 2015, pp. 37-42.
Deflem, Mathieu, and Charles F. Wellford. The Handbook of Social Control. John Wiley & Sons, 2019.
Ehrenfreund, Max. “Why so Many Americans Think the Government Wants Their Guns.” Washington Post, January 8, 2016, www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2016/01/08/why-so-many-americans-think-the-government-wants-their-guns/.
Etzioni, Amitai, and Oren Etzioni. “Pros and cons of autonomous weapons systems.” Military Review, May-June (2017).
Ingraham, Christopher. “Analysis | There Are More Guns Than People in the United States, According to a New Study of Global Firearm Ownership.” The Washington Post, June 19, 2018, www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2018/06/19/there-are-more-guns-than-people-in-the-united-states-according-to-a-new-study-of-global-firearm-ownership/.
Justice Antonin, Scalia. District of Columbia et al. v. Heller, The McDonald v. City of Chicago (2010). June 28, 2008.
Lott, John R. The war on guns: Arming yourself against gun control lies. Simon and Schuster, 2016.
Ryan, John Barry, et al. “When Trust Matters: The Case of Gun Control.” Political Behavior, July 8, 2020, pp. 1–24.
Swift, Art. “Personal safety top reason Americans own guns today.” GALLUP Polit, 2013.
Timsina, Lava R., et al. “National instant criminal background check and youth gun carrying.” Pediatrics 145.1, (2020).