According to the book, Gun Control: Opposing Viewpoints written by David Bender, in society today almost 100,000 Americans each year are treated for gun-related injuries. The sad truth is that firearms kill some 35,000 people every year in the United States, in addition to some 200,000 injuries, many of them serious or disabling. In essence, I think a ban from the ownership of guns will benefit society.
Private ownership of guns leads to higher rates of gun violence. A higher rate of crimes and accidents involving firearms is due to indulgent restrictions on gun ownership. I feel that to a certain degree if guns are readily available, residents are more likely to be murdered or injured with a gun. This idea comes in effect because there are so many people in society today who own guns, and cause terrible accidents to those who are innocent and many others only because of the ownership of a weapon. The simple fact is that murder and other crimes committed with firearms occur more frequently where guns are most plentiful and gun control laws least severe.
Children are at risk from gun violence. They are traumatized when gun-related deaths of their relatives, classmates, and other associates happen. I agree that as Bender said, "The appearance and growth of young children on the list of [gun] casualties [is] a nationwide tragedy" (62). More and more deaths that occur in child-death are gun-related. Easy access to guns is a major factor involved in youth suicides also.
I don't think guns are an effective means of self-defense. There are other ways to defend yourself and as stated, "A gun is not a particularly good defense strategy, especially where there are small children in the home" (104). Unloaded guns aren't effective for self-defense and keeping loaded guns around children is dangerous. I think that a person who exerts a gun in self-defense would increase the possibility that he or she will be harmed in a violent confrontation.
