With the vast amount of shootings throughout the United States, the topic of gun control has become extremely controversial. When it comes to this issue, most of us will readily agree that guns are often abused in American society. Where this agreement ends, however, is on the question of gun control laws. Whereas some are convinced that gun ownership is a necessary freedom and protective measure, others maintain that more gun control laws will have a beneficial effect on society. Moreover, the discussion regarding gun control is often centered around the language of the Second Amendment, which ambiguously discusses the right to bear arms. With the various interpretations of this amendment, many have disagreed over its meaning. While some
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One frequent argument is that the Second Amendment clearly protects individual gun ownership. It states, “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." While it is understandable for people to own guns as means of self-defense, this amendment does not grant people unlimited freedoms. As Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia has accurately explained, there are many cases in which gun ownership has distinctive limits. For example, Scalia indicates that there are various restrictions on “the possession of firearms by felons and the mentally ill” and there continues to be “laws forbidding the carrying of firearms in sensitive places such as schools and government buildings, or laws imposing conditions and qualifications on the commercial sale of arms.” Even though the Second Amendment protects gun ownership, it remains a very vague piece of text that allows the government and courts to adopt various …show more content…
NRA Executive Vice President Wayne LaPierre expresses, "The only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun." Although this can be true in some cases, it is largely false in most situations. In reality, guns are rarely used for self-defense purposes when compared to the amount of violent crimes in the United States. Research from "Firearm Violence, 1993-2011," by Michael Planty and Jennifer L. Truman indicates that there are not many instances where gun ownership actually prevents crimes. The text reads, “Of the 29,618,300 violent crimes committed between 2007 and 2011, 0.79% of victims (235,700) protected themselves with a threat of use or use of a firearm, the least-employed protective behavior.” On top of this, many believe that gun ownership reduces death rates. Thomas Sowell’s piece, “The Great Gun Control Fallacy” published on The Guardian, informs, “While gun ownership doubled in the twentieth century, the murder rate decreased.” Despite the apparent connection between gun ownership and decreased murder rates, guns actually cause more deaths than they prevent. The CDC, or Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, states, “There were 464,033 total gun deaths between 1999 and 2013: 270,237 suicides (58.2% of total deaths); 174,773 homicides (37.7%); and 9,983 unintentional deaths (2.2%). Guns were the leading cause of death by
One frequent argument is that the Second Amendment clearly protects individual gun ownership. It states, “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." While it is understandable for people to own guns as means of self-defense, this amendment does not grant people unlimited freedoms. As Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia has accurately explained, there are many cases in which gun ownership has distinctive limits. For example, Scalia indicates that there are various restrictions on “the possession of firearms by felons and the mentally ill” and there continues to be “laws forbidding the carrying of firearms in sensitive places such as schools and government buildings, or laws imposing conditions and qualifications on the commercial sale of arms.” Even though the Second Amendment protects gun ownership, it remains a very vague piece of text that allows the government and courts to adopt various …show more content…
NRA Executive Vice President Wayne LaPierre expresses, "The only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun." Although this can be true in some cases, it is largely false in most situations. In reality, guns are rarely used for self-defense purposes when compared to the amount of violent crimes in the United States. Research from "Firearm Violence, 1993-2011," by Michael Planty and Jennifer L. Truman indicates that there are not many instances where gun ownership actually prevents crimes. The text reads, “Of the 29,618,300 violent crimes committed between 2007 and 2011, 0.79% of victims (235,700) protected themselves with a threat of use or use of a firearm, the least-employed protective behavior.” On top of this, many believe that gun ownership reduces death rates. Thomas Sowell’s piece, “The Great Gun Control Fallacy” published on The Guardian, informs, “While gun ownership doubled in the twentieth century, the murder rate decreased.” Despite the apparent connection between gun ownership and decreased murder rates, guns actually cause more deaths than they prevent. The CDC, or Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, states, “There were 464,033 total gun deaths between 1999 and 2013: 270,237 suicides (58.2% of total deaths); 174,773 homicides (37.7%); and 9,983 unintentional deaths (2.2%). Guns were the leading cause of death by