An Argument Against Gun Control

The argument that Americans should not be able to own guns is ridiculous and uninformed. Guns are not the sole factor in the danger of our society. Guns are dangerous, but there always has to be someone pulling the trigger. Our society’s lack of safety is not based on the fact that Americans can buy firearms.

Guns can be necessary for those who can’t defend themselves. How is a single mother supposed to protect herself and her children from an intruder? If guns were illegal, the single mother would be just about powerless. Statistics from www.fbi.gov show that violent crime is not increasing. The crime level for 2012 is 12.9 percent below the 2008 level. The argument that crime is increasing is not valid. Even with the amount of crime in our world today, not all crime is restricted to the use of firearms. Violent crime has multiple different types of crimes that contribute to these statistics. Guns are not the reason that our society has a high level of crime.

Guns are used by the police and military to defend our nation, but it is argued that they cannot be used for the protection of families?

I am not arguing that guns are not dangerous. They are very dangerous. In my opinion, it would be best if guns were never used by anyone in history. Throughout wars, it takes a lot more skill and intelligence to win without shooting anyone. And it is cowardly and weak to attack someone with a firearm. But that fact in our society it that guns are used. Frequently. We have to be able to defend ourselves against our opponents. This is true in wars, and in society. As the intensity of crime moves forward, the advancement of the fight for justice has to move forward with it. The use of guns is completely necessary in our society, despite the inherent danger of guns being available to citizens.

Making guns illegal would not unquestionably make our society safer. Banning guns would cause unnecessary protest by activists, gun collectors, hunters, and supporters of the Second Amendment. It is an American’s constitutional right to own a firearm. Banning guns would cause a world of backlash by citizens, and would not make a safer society. A criminal is a criminal; a gun does not make a criminal. The safety of the citizens of the United States does not directly relate to the legality of firearms.

Gun control has been debated throughout history. The Second Amendment to the United States Constitution reads: “”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 debate has never been resolved. The amendment gives individuals protection from the government in the possession of firearms. It has been argued that the amendment is only giving the states the right to organize a militia, or department of law enforcement. But in 2008, the Supreme Court ruled on the side of individual rights.

The National Rifle Association has been promoting the ownership of guns since 1871. They encourage firearm safety, skill, marksmanship, and police training. The N.R.A is one of the United States’ largest associations that certify training programs for hunting, self-defense training, and police training. The organization publishes many magazines and sponsors sporting and marksmanship events. The N.R.A advocates all of the practical uses for firearms, and has nothing to do with firearms being used for dangerous reasons.

The National Rifle Association also acts as a civil rights group, which has been influencing legislation for nearly a century. They have been lobbying for the right to own firearms and attempted to weaken gun control acts. Throughout history, every attempt to diminish individual rights to own guns has been opposed and fought by the N.R.A.

Guns are not given to just anyone, there is a process regulated by the government for those who wish to purchase a firearm. A prospective gun owner has to be 18 years old for a long gun or rifle, and 21 years old for a handgun. Guns are not sold to certain people, including: Anyone that has been convicted of a crime punishable by more than a year in prison, anyone who has previously been convicted of such a crime, a fugitive, a user of any controlled substance, anyone who has been committed to a mental institution, or been deemed mentally defective, an illegal alien, anyone who has been dishonorably discharged from the military, anyone who has renounced U.S citizenship, anyone who has a restraining order against them from an intimate partner, or child of said partner, or anyone who has been convicted of a domestic violence misdemeanor. Thorough background checks are performed by any federal licensed guns dealer to ensure that potential gun owners will not be a threat to the safety of others.

Although it is not impossible for a dangerous individual to get their hands on a gun, the federal government does everything in their power to make sure guns are sold to the right people. There are also gun control laws that vary by state. In California, a handgun safety certificate is needed to purchase a firearm. All sales of firearms are recorded by the state, and have a ten-day waiting period. The laws will change depending on the state, but guns are still heavily regulated by the United States.

The attempt by the government to document every gun owner helps the argument for individual ownership of guns, but this does not mean that all guns are correctly registered and documented. Illegal ownership of guns is a bigger issue when talking about homicides, and shootings. Most people that commit these crimes own weapons that are not registered. It could be argued that making guns illegal would be a solution to this problem. But has the legality of something ever changed a criminal’s way of life? When planning a crime, would said criminal consider changing his actions because guns are illegal? No. And would banning guns even rid the crime world of these weapons? Guns are not strictly available in the United States. International criminals and smugglers would love the United States to stop selling guns, as this would increase their business and they would make more money. Illegal ownership of guns is a big problem, and should be addressed more heavily by the government.

The fact that will not change, no matter what laws are implemented, is that criminals in our world are the real danger. The weapons only help them. It is the unjust, immoral individuals that need to be targeted for the devastation of shootings and murders. The legal and recreational use of guns is an important aspect in the lives of a lot of Americans. This love should not be taken from those who follow the rules, because the banning of firearms would not prevent their use by criminals, gangsters, fugitives, thugs, and anyone else who is too weak for a real fight.

Deaths and injuries cannot be blamed on guns alone. Saying that homicides would decrease if gun were illegal is simply inaccurate. If you want to make an undisputed statement regarding gun control you can say this: If guns were illegal, the amount of shooting would decrease. This is a fact, I can agree with that. Gun control would not reduce the population of people that use them. If you’re going to say making guns illegal will make our society safer, than why stop with guns? Why not make cars illegal? People get killed by drunk drivers, and it’s tragic. But do you ever blame the car for these accidents? No. Blame is all on the driver. So why it that guns are making our society dangerous, and not the sick people that are using them to take a life? People should be looking at the shooter, not the weapon.

We live in a dangerous world, with dangerous people. In my opinion, our society would be better off in guns were never even thought up. But this is not a plausible statement. It is a fact that guns are used against us, and we must defend ourselves. Gun control is debated by many people, but the solution should not be banning them altogether. If people want control over guns, they should start by considering the people pulling the trigger. Guns are not the source of problems in our world, the problems are caused by the corrupt, and morally unjust people that we live with. Guns don’t kill people, people kill people.