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Gun Control: Myth and Realities

 

             American nation has a long and honorable tradition of gun-possession. "Our Revolutionary War began when some ordinary farmers in Massachusetts went home, got out their hunting guns, and attacked a unit of the British army. And, of course, the frontiersmen who explored and gradually opened up the North American continent for settlement all carried guns of one kind or another-("Should People keep Handguns at Home- 241). However, nowadays, many American believe that the number of guns in our society is responsible for the growing rates of violent crimes, suicides, and lethal accidents. In spite of these notions, there are ample of empirical evidences proving that the converse is true. Therefore, guns should not be banned on the national basis because allowing law-abiding citizens to protect themselves with guns reduces the rate of violent crimes, does not affect the number of firearms involved suicides and lethal accident, and does not make guns less available for the people with criminal intents.
             The main reason why people want to ban guns is to reduce the rate of violence in our community. However, John Lott, in his book More Guns, Less Crime, suggests that allowing the low-abiding citizens to carry concealed weapons can significantly lower the crime rate ("Should You Carry a Gun?- 255+). "Concealed handgun laws reduce violent crime for two reasons, says Lott, "First, they reduce the number of attempted crimes because criminals are uncertain which potential victims can defend themselves. Second, victims who have guns are in a much better position to defend themselves- (http://www.press.uchicago.edu/Misc/Chicago/493635). Lott examined "data from all 3,054 U.S. counties over a span of 18 years- (256) and found out that free access to guns reduced the rate of such violent crimes as rape, robbery, and murder. Women, old, and blacks "the groups, most vulnerable to violent crimes "benefited the most from the right to legally posses firearms.


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