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.harbornet.com/rights/virginia.txt