Gun Control Essay, Research Paper

Gun

control is an action of the government that is supposed to reduce crime.

Congress has passed many laws on this subject and there really has not been an

effect. Gun control has been a controversial issue for years, but the citizens

of the United States have a right to own guns and the Constitution states that.

On the government’s path to control guns they created the Brady Act. Handgun

Control Incorporated is the major organization for lobbying, and introducing

legislation on gun control. It is headed by Sarah Brady, wife of former White

House Press Secretary James Brady. James Brady was shot during an attempt on

President Reagan’s life in 1981. Sarah is the one responsible for introducing

this bill. This bill was supposed to stop criminals from obtaining guns. If an

individual wants a firearm bad enough, chances are they will get one (Brennen

and Polsby). All it does Is prevent honest people from being able to purchase

guns. The person purchasing the gun has to wait for two week while the

government performs a background check. The problem with this is it stops the

average citizen from purchasing a gun on the whim, while it protects the common

criminal. What if a burglar enters a house with full intention to maim or kill?

The innocent victim can not get a gun to protect his family because he was

arrested seven years ago for drunk driving (Larson). According to the General

Accounting Office, in the first seventeen months of the law’s existence only

seven criminals were convicted for attempting to buy a handgun. Banning more and

more guns may reduce gun violence, but it will not eliminate guns from society

and will only lead to more and bigger problems. While continuing to take more

freedom away from the American people. Gun control laws do not prevent little

kids from using guns and harming people. Violent video games help children with

their marksmanship and to get over their fear of shooting someone. Parents of

three slain girls in the Heath School shootings are going after the

manufacturers. They feel that violent video games are partially responsible for

their children’s death. They claim that the video game taught the shooter how to

be an excellent marksman. The boy had never used a gun, but was skilled enough

to hit eight moving targets in only eight shots (Prichard). Another fact that

backs up the parent’s belief is that of military training. Each year billions of

dollars are spent to train police and the military how to shoot. Video

simulation is the best way to help overcome the natural resistance that most

people have about shooting someone. Studies show that people are extraordinary

susceptible to programming. One main difference between military training and

video games is that military instructions are constantly pausing the action and

where the video game is in constant action (Blakemore). There is no direct

relationship between the number of guns and the amount of crime in the United

States. Between 1973 and 1992, the rate of gun ownership increased by forty-five

percent while the homicide rate during that period fell by nearly ten percent.

Even with the increasing number of guns in society the homicide rate decreased,

highlighting that guns are not the root of the problem, people are. Guns do not

kill people, people kill people. Guns do not work as self-protection against

criminals. Guns are just as valuable to civilians as they are to police

officers. As many as sixty-five lives are protected by guns for every life lost

to a gun. Every year potential victims kill between two thousand and three

thousand criminals, and wound an additional nine thousand to seventeen thousand.

Private citizens mistakenly kill innocent people only thirty times a year,

compared to about three hundred and ten mistaken killings by police. Criminals

succeed in taking a gun away from an armed victim less than one percent of the

time. Gun control laws are needed to prevent the purchase of saturday night

specials and assault weapons. Criminals generally prefer larger caliber and more

expensive handguns (Brennen and Polsby). President Clinton proposed a

restriction on armor piercing ammo. However, the FBI reported that sixty-eight

percent of officers killed were not wearing a vest. Of those killed wearing a

vest ninety-five percent were shot in unprotected areas. Many people like to use

guns for recreation use. The NRA, National Rifle Association, even has its own

hunting magazines. These magazines are the American Hunter and American

Rifleman. Hunting is a great sport and with these new gun control laws it is

harder and harder for good citizens to buy guns for recreation. Hunting is not

only a sport but also a hobby. Target shooting is even part of the Olympics.

Another thing people use guns for is target practice. This is mostly for

personal safety. The better marksman you are the easier it is to protect

yourself. Some people even like to shoot targets for fun. The government has no

right to take away hobbies from the American people, especially if its not

hurting anyone. The government keeps chipping away at our right as American

citizens by imposing gun control legislation. There are several major anti-gun

control groups. These groups include the National Rifle Association (NRA) and

the Gun Owners of America (GOA). The National Rifle Association is a national

group dedicated to the upholding of the Second Amendment of the Constitution. In

their magazines, American Hunter and American Rifleman, they say, "The

National Rifleman Association believes that every law-abiding citizen is

entitled to the ownership and legal use of firearms." The National Rifleman

Association does many things to help display their beliefs and persuades others

to their beliefs. This association also has a strong influence on legislation,

because it has many lobbyists and supporters in government. This group has many

members in Congress, and former presidents George Bush and Ronald Reagan are NRA

members. The Gun Owners of America is another group that is against gun control.

The Gun Owners of America preserves and defends the rights of gun owners through

legislation. They publish books, articles, and videos on gun issues and how

those issues affect people. They also conduct seminars for the press and

Congress about issues on the Second Amendment, and gun issues. The GOA opposes

bans on semiautomatic weapons, armor piercing ammunition, and handguns. The

Second Amendment states that, "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." The functions of the militia as stated in Article

1, Section 8, clause 15 of the Constitution are to execute the Laws of the

Union, suppress insurrections, and repel invasions. If we allow the government

to regulate and ban the only effective method of defense the people have, then

on that day this country will no longer be one ruled by the people and for the

people, but instead one that has surrendered all its power to the government.

With the apparent failure of gun laws one could agree that more is not the

answer. Banning guns will not solve the crime problem it will only change the

method. If guns are not available then another weapon will be used or an older

gun. Simple laws will not stop a person who is determined to cause someone harm.

This is why people should be allowed to own and carry guns. This allows them to

protect themselves from those kinds of people. Proper education in school and

other places to teach how to use a gun and to respect guns as a dangerous weapon

is what is needed to reduce gun violence in the future. If we allow the

government to ban guns the American people will be defenseless and powerless to

stop the government from taking over or to stop an outside invasion if either

were to occur. This country was born because the citizens were armed and could

fight for themselves. How can we remove the very object that helped give our

country its freedom?