War On Gun Control

Gun control has been a very touchy subject for a very long time and the question
that has been on everyone's mind is, does gun control really have an effect on anything
and is it really needed? Gun control isn’t needed because guns are used in cases of
self-defence, it goes against our second amendment right to bear arms, and gun control
had little to no affect on murder rates.

Supporters of gun control seek tighter restrictions on the sale and circulation of
firearms. They note the high incidence of gun-related deaths in the United States
compared to other countries, as illustrated in a study published by the ​American Journal
of Medicine​ in 2016, which showed that the United States has more firearm-related
homicides and suicides than any other high-income country, with Americans ten times
more likely to die by a firearm-related death than residents of twenty-two other
developed countries.

On the other side of the debate, citizen groups and firearms manufacturers argue
that gun control laws threaten their constitutional right to own and bear firearms. Gun
rights groups aim to prevent new legislation and, if possible, roll back existing
legislation. The National Rifle Association (NRA)—which provides firearm training and
safety resources, lobbies on behalf of firearms manufacturers and gun owners, and
contributes financially to political campaigns combating gun control—has attracted
significant controversy for the political influence it wields. Gun control advocates have
accused lawmakers of prioritizing campaign contributions over the safety of their
constituents when they accept money from the NRA.(Gun Control)

As the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention noted in a 2013 report,
almost all national studies of self defensive gun uses have found that firearms are used
in self-defense between 500,000 and 3 million times every year in the United States.
Guns are more used in self-defence despite its bad reputation and are helpful when
dealing with tough situations. One such example is robbery, such as “July 17, Oneida,
Tennessee. A man rushed to his mother's home after receiving a phone call from the
mother's caretaker about hearing suspicious talking from other parts of the house.He
discovered a woman in the process of burglarizing the home who was armed with a
pocket knife, and held her at gunpoint until police arrived.” This case shows an example
of how guns don't always cause harm and are a great way of resolving issues such as
robberies and even abuse.

Our founding fathers, the framers of the constitution knew what they were doing
when the put the second amendment of “​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” (right to bear arms) in the United States Bill of Rights. Gun Control will infringe
with our second amendment to keep firearms and protect ourselves. The second
amendment was made for a purpose and that purpose was to fight back against
tyranny. In the landmark case of District of Columbia V. Heller A 5–4 majority ruled that
the language and history of the Second Amendment​ ​showed that it protects a private
right of individuals to have arms for their own defense, and not a right of the states to
maintain a militia. This means in reality the Second Amendment was put into effect to
protect ourselves. Gun control isn't the solution, especially if it infringes on our rights.

A study in ​Applied Economics Letters​ found that "assault weapons bans did not
significantly affect murder rates at the state level" and "states with restrictions on the
carrying of concealed weapons had higher gun-related murders. What this means is
that gun control does not deter crime; gun ownership does. We first must look at the
statistics to understand what this means. After its 1989 ban, California's murder rate
increased every year for five years, 26% overall. This means gun absents did not
reduce violence but had the opposite effect and increased violence. Overall banning
guns in general isn't a good idea and raises crime rates.

A lot of people may argue that gun control leads to fewer suicides deaths and
they are absolutely correct. “Between 1999 and 2013 there were 270,237 firearm
suicides in the United States, accounting for about 52% of all suicides during those
years”(“Pros & Cons - ProCon.org.”). This is very true but there are other ways to
combat this. One is we do mental health test on people planning to purchase a gun.
Secondly we can not only provide mental health help but we can also as humans help
out people in need of this help. Yes, this is a valid argument to why we need gun control
but there are numerous ways to prevent things like this from happening.

Gun control isn’t needed because gun control had little to no affect on murder
rates, it goes against our second amendment right to bear arms, and guns are used in
cases of self-defence.There are many other reasons we do not need gun control but
these are my main reasons why. How many times have you ever thought to yourself
that maybe owning a gun is a good idea for protection?

"A Ban on Assault Weapons Would Not Reduce Crime." ​Guns and Crime,​ edited by
Noël Merino, Greenhaven Press, 2015. At Issue. ​Gale In Context: Opposing
Viewpoints​,
https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/EJ3010015270/OVIC?u=lom_accessmich&sid=OV
IC&xid=ce62df93. Accessed 30 Dec. 2019. Originally published as "Ten Reasons
Why States Should Reject 'Assault Weapon' and 'Large' Magazine Bans,"
National Rifle Association Institute for Legislative Action​ [NRA-ILA], June 2014.

"Gun Control." ​Current Issues​: ​Macmillian Social Science Library,​ Macmillan Reference
USA, 2003. ​Gale In Context: Opposing Viewpoints​,
https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/EJ3011400117/OVIC?u=lom_accessmich&sid=OV
IC&xid=6d6baf0b. Accessed 30 Dec. 2019.

"Gun Control." ​Gale Opposing Viewpoints Online Collection,​ Gale, 2019. ​Gale In
Context: Opposing Viewpoints​,
https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/PC3010999212/OVIC?u=lom_accessmich&sid=O
VIC&xid=b0f48974. Accessed 3 Dec. 2019.

Johnstone, Anthony. "The Second Amendment comes first in teaching constitutional

“Pros & Cons - ProCon.org.” ​Gun Control​, Procon.org, gun-control.procon.org/.

Swearer, Amy, and Lucas Drill. "Guns Saved These Americans From Assault and
Robbery in July." ​Gale Opposing Viewpoints Online Collection​, Gale, 2019. ​Gale
In Context: Opposing Viewpoints​,
https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/ARXXWN395321850/OVIC?u=lom_accessmich&s
id=OVIC&xid=909accfa. Accessed 16 Dec. 2019. Originally published as "Guns
Saved These Americans From Assault and Robbery in July," ​The Daily Signal,​ 7
Aug. 2019.