Guns In America Essay, Research Paper

For

my discursive essay I have chosen ?Guns in America? and will look at the

licensing laws and some reasons behind all the gun-related deaths.America is in a deadly love affair with firearms

which kill nearly 35 000 people every year. Many blame the ?blood soaked

statistics? on the world?s weakest gun laws, while others blame it on the guns,

the culture or even just bad parenting.America is one of the world?s richest countries but

it has the world?s weakest gun laws. Some people blame this for all the

gun-related deaths. Gun related deaths in Great Britain and Australia have

decreased dramatically as a result of stricter gun laws following the Dunblane

and Port Arthur massacres. This shows that countries not as rich and powerful

as America have done something to prevent it from happening again where as one

of the richest and most powerful countries has done nothing to prevent

massacres happening again.It took 12 years after President Regan narrowly

escaped an assassination attempt for Congress to pass the Brady Bill (A 5-day

waiting period and background checks of prospective pistol purchasers). As a

result of the ?Brady Bill? it has prevented some 250 000 people from purchasing

handguns and probably prevented a lot of fatalities. If it took this long after

the president narrowly escaped an assassination attempt to devise this law how

long will it take to sort out simple everyday shootings across the nation?Most Americans want stricter gun laws as a

recent Harris poll found out that 69% of

all Americans and 57% of the nations gun owners WANT stricter gun

laws. With around 200 ? 250 million guns in America and 10 times as many

licensed gun dealers as Mc Donald?s restaurants, it is no wonder, they want

stricter gun laws and want to reduce the number of gun fatalities.But all of America is not as obsessed with guns as

Kennesaw in Georgia has shown, as they have done something to decrease gun

related deaths as it passed a law to allow heads of households to keep at least

1 firearm, except those with criminal records and religious objections in 1982.

7 months after it took effect the residential burglary rate dropped by 89% and

there have been 2 murders since 1982 and both were by knife attacks. Only if

the rest of America could have the same laws as Kennesaw regarding holding guns

then there would be much less gun-related deaths and also not be as many guns

circulating in America.In Texas there are 68 million guns and there are

only 17 million Texans which is 4 guns for every man, woman and child. For that

reason that is why America is in the mess it is in now. With this simple

statistic it is no wonder the gun situation is as bad as it is at the present

time. The only solution to decrease the number of

gun-related deaths is to tighten gun laws and make it harder for people to

purchase guns.The gun death toll in America is substantial

compared to other countries. More Americans are killed in gun homicides in ONE

DAY than in an ENTIRE YEAR in Japan, with almost 35 000 gun-related deaths every

year (an average of 96 per day). As mass production of firearms in America

continues then the high gun death rate will also sadly continue. The main question everyone wants the answer to is

?Would stricter gun laws help reduce America?s extraordinary firearm

death-rate?? I think it would as if it is harder for people to purchase guns

legally with a criminal record and a past conviction, reducing illegal sales

would decrease the firearms total and also reduce the firearm death rate. Although many states in America have toughened their

licensing laws, many people can purchase guns through illegal channels. To

obtain a gun license is much like obtaining a driver?s license, where you must

pass a thorough, extensive background check. This will disqualify any potential

buyer with a past conviction or any violent misdemeanor or any gun-related

crime, also they have to show that they can handle and use a gun safely. When

they get their licensee they must register any gun they purchase and report if

their gun(s) are stolen or destroyed so they can stop any illegal sales on

these guns.The one thing I am puzzled about is how can young

people get hold of lethal weapons such as rifles, machine guns etc. As we have

seen on the news many school massacres that have been carried out by pupils.

The most recent mass murder was in Littleton Colorado where two pupils killed

12 fellow pupils and one teacher. On any normal day on average 13 children are

killed every day were 12 were killed in one day in a school. With crimes like

this happening across the country and young people getting hold of these lethal

weapons then sadly deaths will continue to rise and rise.If 16 and 17 year olds can get hold of such lethal

and dangerous weapons and kill 13 people then I can only wonder what the future

holds for America as far as gun related-deaths are concerned. I would like to

see America in 20 or 30 years time to see if the current firearm situation has

got better or has got worse and I think it will probably get worse unless they

change their gun laws and decrease mass production of weapons.The one and only way I agree with the use of guns,

is that they are a sense of security for people, but if people go around

carrying weapons it is a disaster waiting to happen as it can make the simplest

of arguments or confrontations turn into another fatality.THE ENDDISCURSIVE ESSAY ?GUNS IN AMERICA? CIARAN HURL

12B MISS REID