Should Handgun Ownership Be Banned Essay Research

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Should handgun ownership be banned? I don’t believe so. You would think America would learn from examples from other countries. When you take away handguns the crime rate rises. American citizens need to know their rights, responsibilities and safety of owning a handgun.

The second amendment says, “A well regulated militia being necessary to security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.” The second amendment was made for two things. It is there for first, to guarantee the individuals right to have arms for self-defense and self-preservation. The second reason is related to the militia. The right to carry a handgun for self-protection is a privilege of citizenship. The confusion is the right of the state or the individual. The regulation of handguns could be looked at as unconstitutional. The amendment is for the people and not the state.

People who do not research the owning of handguns and form their opinion off of what they see on the news are left in the dark. One of the most misunderstood concepts is that more guns cause more violence. This is false more guns do not mean more homicides. In 1973, the handgun stock was 36.9 million and the homicide rate was 9.4 per 100,000. In 1992, the handgun stock was 77.6 million but the homicide rate dropped 8.5 percent. In 1994, the U.S. bureau of justice static’s made a survey that stated 100,000 lives are saved by handguns. According to criminologist Gary Kleck, guns are fired in only about 24 percent of cases in which they are used for self-defense.

Another argument is that police kill 330 innocent people every year. These are skilled and trained individuals with handguns. So you can imagine the assumptions made for citizens who have no adequate training. It is your responsibility to get this training. Here are some courses that are offered to help you have adequate training. You can take a hunters safety course. The NRA offers safety and training courses. Some junior colleges offer handgun training. You can also learn about it in the military. Most states will not allow licensing of a handgun without one of the courses.

There also is the issue of keeping handguns out of the hands of children. You will learn this when you take one of the courses. Here are a few common sense safety rules. Do not store your firearm and your ammunition together. Store your firearms in a locked case; and for extra protection, put trigger locks on your gun. Trigger locks unable you to pull the trigger to fire a gun.

Everyone has their own opinion and they have the right to state it. I do hope that you will do your own research to enhance your understanding of owning a handgun. That is if you have any doubt left that it is a good thing to ban handguns.