Gun control

A.Pou

ESL67W

“…The right of the people to keep and
bear Arms, shall not be infringed.”

Article [II.] Amendments to the
Constitution

Gun control

America is faced with a growing
problem of violence. Streets have become a battlefield where the people can be
beaten for a couple dollars, where women can be brutally attacked and raped.
Every day criminals try to divide territories to sell their illegal drugs, and
innocent people are caught in the crossfire of drive-by shootings. We cannot
ignore the damage that these criminals are doing to our society, and strong
actions must be taken to stop this from happening. However, the efforts by the
gun control supporters to eliminate the legal ownership of firearms do not
address the real problem, and simply disarm the innocent law-abiding citizens
who might need firearms for self-defense. There are three main reasons why gun
control law should take firearms from hands of criminals, not law-abiding
citizens, first historically legal ownership of firearms in America, second if
Congress passes laws restricting ownership of firearms, as a result it will
affect law-abiding people only, third statistic shows that the people who go
through legal process of obtaining permits do not want to break the
law.           

First of all to understand the
reasons of the gun control efforts, we must take a look at the history of
America, and the role firearms have played in it. The second amendment of the
Constitution of the United States makes firearm ownership legal in this
country; it says, “… The right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not
be infringed”(1). Firearms in the new world were used initially for
hunting, and for self-defense. However, when the colonists felt that the burden
of British oppression was too much for them, they picked up their personal
firearms and went to war. The founding fathers of the country understood that
an armed populace aided in fighting off oppression. They made the right to keep
and bear arms a constitutionally guaranteed right. Thomas Jefferson wrote, “No
man shall ever be debarred the use of arms“(2).

Second, today Congress, claiming that they want to take guns out of
the hands of criminals, has worked to pass legislation that would take the guns
out of the hands of law-abiding citizens instead. The point is the efforts of
gun control do not address the real problem of crime. Therefore, if congress
passes laws restricting ownership of firearms, as a result this will affect
law-abiding people only. Criminals will continue to violate these laws, they
will continue to carry their firearms, and they will that commit a crime much
easier when they know that their victims will be unarmed. Unarmed victims will
have small chance against an armed one. In many states, including Florida and
Texas, citizens have stated that they want to keep their right to carry
firearms for self- defense. Since the late 1980's, Florida has been issuing
concealed weapons permits to law-abiding citizens, and these citizens have been
carrying their firearms to defend themselves against crime. The result is that
the rate of violent crime has actually dropped in contrast to the national
average. Previously, Florida had been leading the nation in this category, and
the citizens of that state have welcomed the change (3).

  Third, gun control supporters tried to claim that there would be
bloodshed in the streets when these citizens were given the right to carry
guns. They claimed that the cities of Florida would become the Wild West city
with shootouts on every street corner, and duels over simple disagreements.
These gun control supporters were wrong. More than 200,000 concealed carry
permits have been issued so far, with only 36 of these permits revoked for
improper use of a firearm (4). This statistic shows that the
people who go through legal process of obtaining permits do not want to break
the law. The people who do intend to break the law will carry their guns
whether or not the law allows them to do so. Today, criminals often carry
illegal weapons, such as sawed-off shotguns, machine guns; ignore the current
laws that make these weapons illegal. When they are caught, the courts usually
dismiss these weapons charges; prosecute for the more serious charges, like
murder, that are being committed with the weapons. The gun control supporters
say that the gun is demon itself, rather than deal with the criminals. This is
the main flaw in their argument. The gun control supporters claim that
possession of a gun can turn average citizens into bloodthirsty maniacs. This
theory falls apart under close analysis. If legal possession of a firearm
caused this sort of attitude, then why are crime rates highest in areas such as
New York City and Washington, D.C., which have strict gun control laws? Why are
crimes rates dropping in state such as Florida where private ownership of
firearms is encouraged?

In conclusion, three main reasons
why gun control law should take firearms from hands of criminals, not
law-abiding citizens are first historically legal ownership of firearms in
America, second if Congress passes laws restricting ownership of firearms, as a
result it will affect law-abiding people only, third statistic shows that the
people who go through legal process of obtaining permits do not want to break
the law. Legal ownership of a gun does not cause crime, the same time, the
laws, which make it illegal to own firearms, do little to prevent criminals
from getting guns. These laws only restrict people who respect the law, the
people who would only use firearms for legal purposes. Criminals have fear that
they can be the victims themselves, when people have the rights to own firearms
and defend themselves and their families. The government must look at the
problem of reducing crime in America realistically, and develop laws that would
be effective. Gun control laws are neither realistic, nor effective in reducing
crime. Therefore, the lawmakers should direct their efforts toward controlling
crime, not controlling legal ownership of firearms.

Works Cited

Article [II.] Amendments to the Constitution
www.house.gov/Constitution/Amend.html

 Florida State Laws. http://www.fdle.state.fl.us/Crime_Statistics/index.asp

Thomas Jefferson. Virginia Constitution.
1776.

Virginia Constitution http://www.harbornet.com/rights/virginia.txt