FREE ESSAY ON GUN CONTROL

GUN CONTROL

Gun Control Gun control is an action of the government that is supposed to reduce crime.
Congress has passed many laws on this subject and there really has not been an effect.
Gun
control has been a controversial issue for years, but the citizens of the United States
have a right
to own guns and the Constitution states that. On the government's path to control guns
they
created the Brady Act. Handgun Control Incorporated is the major organization for
lobbying, and
introducing legislation on gun control. It is headed by Sarah Brady, wife of former White
House
Press Secretary James Brady. James Brady was shot during an attempt on President Reagan's
life
in 1981. Sarah is the one responsible for introducing this bill. This bill was supposed
to stop
criminals from obtaining guns. If an individual wants a firearm bad enough, chances are
they will
get one (Brennen and Polsby). All it does Is prevent honest people from being able to
purchase
guns. The person purchasing the gun has to wait for two week while the government
performs a
background check. The problem with this is it stops the average citizen from purchasing a
gun on
the whim, while it protects the common criminal. What if a burglar enters a house with
full
intention to maim or kill? The innocent victim can not get a gun to protect his family
because he
was arrested seven years ago for drunk driving (Larson). According to the General
Accounting
Office, in the first seventeen months of the law's existence only seven criminals were
convicted for
attempting to buy a handgun. Banning more and more guns may reduce gun violence, but it
will
not eliminate guns from society and will only lead to more and bigger problems. While
continuing
to take more freedom away from the American people. Gun control laws do not prevent
little kids
from using guns and harming people. Violent video games help children with their
marksmanship
and to get over their fear of shooting someone. Parents of three slain girls in the Heath
School
shootings are going after the manufacturers. They feel that violent video games are
partially
responsible for their children's death. They claim that the video game taught the shooter
how to be
an excellent marksman. The boy had never used a gun, but was skilled enough to hit eight
moving
targets in only eight shots (Prichard). Another fact that backs up the parent's belief is
that of
military training. Each year billions of dollars are spent to train police and the
military how to
shoot. Video simulation is the best way to help overcome the natural resistance that most
people
have about shooting someone. Studies show that people are extraordinary susceptible to
programming. One main difference between military training and video games is that
military
instructions are constantly pausing the action and where the video game is in constant
action
(Blakemore). There is no direct relationship between the number of guns and the amount of
crime
in the United States. Between 1973 and 1992, the rate of gun ownership increased by
forty-five
percent while the homicide rate during that period fell by nearly ten percent. Even with
the
increasing number of guns in society the homicide rate decreased, highlighting that guns
are not
the root of the problem, people are. Guns do not kill people, people kill people. Guns do
not
work as self-protection against criminals. Guns are just as valuable to civilians as they
are to
police officers. As many as sixty-five lives are protected by guns for every life lost to
a gun. Every
year potential victims kill between two thousand and three thousand criminals, and wound
an
additional nine thousand to seventeen thousand. Private citizens mistakenly kill innocent
people
only thirty times a year, compared to about three hundred and ten mistaken killings by
police.
Criminals succeed in taking a gun away from an armed victim less than one percent of the
time.
Gun control laws are needed to prevent the purchase of saturday night specials and
assault
weapons. Criminals generally prefer larger caliber and more expensive handguns (Brennen
and
Polsby). President Clinton proposed a restriction on armor piercing ammo. However, the
FBI
reported that sixty-eight percent of officers killed were not wearing a vest. Of those
killed wearing
a vest ninety-five percent were shot in unprotected areas. Many people like to use guns
for
recreation use. The NRA, National Rifle Association, even has its own hunting magazines.
These
magazines are the American Hunter and American Rifleman. Hunting is a great sport and
with
these new gun control laws it is harder and harder for good citizens to buy guns for
recreation.
Hunting is not only a sport but also a hobby. Target shooting is even part of the
Olympics.
Another thing people use guns for is target practice. This is mostly for personal safety.
The better
marksman you are the easier it is to protect yourself. Some people even like to shoot
targets for
fun. The government has no right to take away hobbies from the American people,
especially if its
not hurting anyone. The government keeps chipping away at our right as American citizens
by
imposing gun control legislation. There are several major anti-gun control groups. These
groups
include the National Rifle Association (NRA) and the Gun Owners of America (GOA). The
National Rifle Association is a national group dedicated to the upholding of the Second
Amendment of the Constitution. In their magazines, American Hunter and American
Rifleman,
they say, The National Rifleman Association believes that every law-abiding citizen is
entitled to
the ownership and legal use of firearms. The National Rifleman Association does many
things to
help display their beliefs and persuades others to their beliefs. This association also
has a strong
influence on legislation, because it has many lobbyists and supporters in government.
This group
has many members in Congress, and former presidents George Bush and Ronald Reagan are
NRA
members. The Gun Owners of America is another group that is against gun control. The Gun
Owners of America preserves and defends the rights of gun owners through legislation.
They
publish books, articles, and videos on gun issues and how those issues affect people.
They also
conduct seminars for the press and Congress about issues on the Second Amendment, and
gun
issues. The GOA opposes bans on semiautomatic weapons, armor piercing ammunition, and
handguns. The Second Amendment states that, A well-regulated militia, being necessary to
the
security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be
infringed. The
functions of the militia as stated in Article 1, Section 8, clause 15 of the Constitution
are to
execute the Laws of the Union, suppress insurrections, and repel invasions. If we allow
the
government to regulate and ban the only effective method of defense the people have, then
on that
day this country will no longer be one ruled by the people and for the people, but
instead one that
has surrendered all its power to the government. With the apparent failure of gun laws
one could
agree that more is not the answer. Banning guns will not solve the crime problem it will
only
change the method. If guns are not available then another weapon will be used or an older
gun.
Simple laws will not stop a person who is determined to cause someone harm. This is why
people
should be allowed to own and carry guns. This allows them to protect themselves from
those
kinds of people. Proper education in school and other places to teach how to use a gun
and to
respect guns as a dangerous weapon is what is needed to reduce gun violence in the
future. If we
allow the government to ban guns the American people will be defenseless and powerless to
stop
the government from taking over or to stop an outside invasion if either were to occur.
This
country was born because the citizens were armed and could fight for themselves. How can
we
remove the very object that helped give our country its freedom?