Gun Control Or Control By Gun Essay

, Research Paper

Gun Control or Control by Gun?

Gun control is an issue that has recently gained momentum. Some people believe that

gun control should have no restrictions and that every individual over the legal age

should have the choice of owning a firearm without many questions asked. These people

are under the assumption that they can justify their actions by shielding behind the second

amendment of the constitution of the United States, which states that: “the right of the

people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed”. Despite this legal shield they

possess, gun control laws should be stricter because as statistics show gun related

accidents are increasing at a very fast rate and immediate action should be taken in order

to bring these statistics down. As we move forward into the future so does the gun

technology and unfortunately its deadliness. The average age of the gun user has been

going down and deaths or injuries by firearms have been going up. Even though the

constitution states that all people have the right to own firearms it does not apply to our

time. The constitution of the United States was written in 1791 during a time when the

gun was used primarily as a tool with which you hunted in order to provide food for your

family or protected yourself from outlaws due to the lack of an appropriate police force.

Nowadays there is an good policing system, and therefore the need for private gun

ownership is minimal. Also the staggering rise in gun related injuries and deaths shows

that private gun ownership does a lot more damage to the general public than it does good

to a single individual. Therefore the lawmaking authorities should find a way around the

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second amendment and enforce tougher gun control laws to bring the number of incidents

down.

Due to the reasons above private gun ownership is constantly being criticized and put

under scrutiny by many people. There is a general misconception that if somebody owns

a firearm it will somehow end up in the wrong hands and eventually hurt somebody.

Many people say that law should prohibit the use of firearms by the general public for

any purpose. These are usually people who have suffered emotional or physical damage

from a firearm. Despite the constant scrutiny, gun ownership should be permitted only to

those people who have the proper training and documentation allowing them to operate a

certain firearm. One of the reasons gun ownership should be permitted to some people is

that many people are involved in sports such as: hunting, target shooting etc. Another

major reason for favoring private gun ownership is that it is stated in the constitution of

the United States that anybody has the right to own a firearm. This right is the reflection

of freedom on which the democratic system on the United States is based. Private gun

ownership is necessary in some dangerous urban areas where the police cannot keep the

criminality levels down. In these areas self-protection is essential and owning a gun could

mean the difference between life and death. Despite the lighter aspects of gun ownership,

it should only be allowed to people that have the proper training and documentation.