Gun Control: A Controversial Issue

Since the beginning of this country, gun control has been a very controversial issue that has sparked debate for several decades throughout American society. The right to bear arms and whether or not they make us safer has been the main concern for people on both sides of the debate. Is it right for the federal government to take away our Second Amendment rights? Can they decide who can and can’t own guns? There are many pros and cons that are associated with this issue.

Many advocates of gun control believe that with less stricter gun control regulations would result in an increase of the rate of violent crimes and that with more stricter regulations can help reduce violence and save lives. They not only just view guns as another type of weapon but as an object that could result in an increase in the number of deaths and serious injuries if it is not handled carefully. People who are in favor of stricter regulations view that the laws that allow people to carry concealed weapon with a permit as ineffective and it would only create confusion when people are faced in a life or death situation. Advocates interpret the Second Amendment as a right that only guaranteed states, not individuals, can organize their own militias to protect democracy if the nation fails. They believe that by closing secondary markets such as gun shows where private sellers can legally sell guns to people without going through a background check are the most resourceful place for a criminal to get hold of a firearm. To many advocates background checks are the most effective way to prevent criminals from getting hold of guns.

Opponents of gun control believe that the United States would still be a violent place to live in with or without the millions of guns that are already in circulation. They argue that even if all guns were removed from people’s homes, violent crimes such as murder would be committed in different ways. Opponents of gun control including the NRA, state that less stricter regulations would have little to no effect on the crime rate in the United States, “as criminals show little concern for the law.” Many people who are opposed to gun control point out that laws that allow people to carry a concealed weapon with a permit could help reduce the number of violent crimes because criminals would be hesitant to commit crimes if they see that there potential victims are armed. Gun rights advocates’ interpretation of the Second Amendment is that it entitles the right of all individuals to be able to bear arms for the protection of their own person, home, or property. Many of those who are opposed to closing secondary markets that allow individuals to obtain firearms believe that even if those markets were closed, felons would still be able to get firearms from family members or stealing them from people’s homes. Several gun rights advocates believe that background checks infringe their Second Amendment rights.

Gun control is a very controversial issue in this country that should be taken veryseriously. They can help make society a better place to live in. Guns don’t always make us safer, even if we took guns away from everybody living in this country it wouldn’t stop the murder rate. If everybody besides police officers could carry firearms with a permit in public, I don’t believe we would be any safer; there would be more would probably be more deaths and injuries that happen as a result of the confusion over who is threat.