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Gun Control

Today, gun control is a big controversy, especially with growing reports of violent crimes. The basis for each side of the argument begins with the Second Amendment. It 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.”(United States Constitution, 1791) The anti-gun lobby stands firm that this does not give gun rights to the individual. The pro-gun lobby holds that the second amendment specifies the “right of the people,” to bear arms. The Supreme Court seems to side with the pro-gun lobby in ruling repeatedly that the rights are given to the individual in not only the second, but also the fourth, ninth, and tenth amendments. (LaPierre p.3). This essay will focus on the subject of gun control and whether or not American citizens should have the ability to be armed. After reading this, the writer hopes that you will believe that a nation with armed citizens is a safe nation.

There are two simple facts that the pro-gun lobby cannot ignore. First, guns kill people. In fact, for African Americans between the ages of 14 and 25, guns are the leading cause of death (Guterl p.84), and one American will die every 21 mi

A nation with armed citizens is a safe nation because gun deaths are small in number compared to other deaths, criminals are afraid of armed citizens, police officers support armed citizens, and guns save lives. These facts have been proven in this essay. It is also evident in places such as Washington D.C. which has the most strict gun laws, yet has the highest homicide rate in the U.S. (Opposing Viewpoints p.11). This can also be seen in states such as Florida where 100,000 concealed weapons permits were issued and only 17 had to be revoked (Opposing Viewpoints p.14). After studying these facts, the writer would have to agree with 114 inmates in Washington D.C.’s Lorton prison who stated that gun control is not the answer (Opposing Viewpoints p.1)

First of all, what the anti-gun lobby seems to not realize is that guns are not the only cause of death. “Every day in America we lose 13 precious children to gun-related violence.” (Second Amendment Stuff) This statement has been used many times by anti-gun lobbyist. However, it is completely false. In 1997, 692 children under the age of 14 died of gun related assault, suicide, and accident (Second Amendment Stuff). This brings the daily average to 1.7 firearm-related fatalities among children, which is nowhere near 13. Even if all persons under the age of 20 are counted, the daily average is still only 11.5 (Second Amendment Stuff). This proves that when guns are compared to other objects or activities, they are relatively safe.

nutes as a result of a violent crime (LaPierre p.48). Secondly, criminals use guns. This is because gu

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