Gun Control - Guns Don't Kill People - People Kill People

Guns Don't Kill People - People Kill People

Gun control is and has been a very controversial subject for some time. It would be very hard to say exactly when it started but the debate has gotten a lot more attention over the years since our Constitution was written. Some people believe in very strong gun control and others don't feel that there should be many rules at all or if any. Many people from all over the United States of all ages, races, and occupations have argued both sides of this topic very heatedly and lately it seems to be getting much more attention. I feel that there should definitely be some gun control laws, but the Second Amendment of our Constitution allows for all citizens to carry a gun. Criminals should certainly NOT be allowed to purchase firearms. If a gun ban is passed, this will be an infringement on our second amendment rights which is wrong. A compromise needs to be reached on gun control as to who can purchase a gun (and what type) and what they can use them for. All guns have the potential to be dangerous and should be handled with care. Guns have been part of American life for as long as people can remember. For most people guns are perceived as very dangerous and harmful. However, that is not true; guns can be dangerous, but only if they are in the wrong hands. Owning a gun is right that every American should be able to take pride in having. Guns are used for self-defense, hunting, law enforcement and other uses.

I positively feel that we would see an increased crime rate if our American citizens are not allowed to possess or purchase guns for any reason. Basically, criminals would still have high-tech guns and rifles at their disposal as they do today while regular "Joes" (and businesses) would have to fear for their lives and the lives of their families and friends without any defense. I can foresee see many criminals arguing vehemently for gun control to make it easier for themselves to force businesses and people to do what they want, i.e., turn over their money, gold, silver, stocks, worldly goods, etc. This would be an outrage. It is true that almost 100,000 people are injured or killed by guns in the United States every year (Scalia). However, 3.5 million people in the United States have conceal-to-carry and owners permits for their guns(Lizza, Ryan).

Many Americans enjoy hunting and skeet shooting and many Americans go hunting for pleasure, but I believe many hunters eat and/or sell for profit the animals that they hunt and kill, such as deer, elk, etc. I personally don't like the idea of hunting just for the fun of hunting, but I can appreciate the fact that some people enjoy the thrill of the hunt. Many people purchase guns for pleasure for sportsmanship. For example, many people get a lot of fun out of skeet shooting.

We have all heard about some of the tragedies that have occurred from people going to schools and movie theaters and shooting both adults and children. I think that some students may feel very nervous seeing an armed guard as they enter their school each day. In lieu of this, I think that schools should have to have better security so that no one can just walk into any school they want which enables them to potentially start shooting anyone they want haphazardly, both adults and children. Many schools now have locked doors with cameras so that no one can get into the school unannounced once school starts for the day. To gain entrance to the school, visitors/parents would have to ring a buzzer, show ID and tell the school why they need to come inside. If there are any questions about whether the person is there for a legitimate reason or not, the school should call the police for assistance and to help with verification. Children go to school to learn and shouldn't feel like they are in a prison, i.e., they should know they can get out if necessary but no one should be able to enter the premises without being duly authorized.

There are over 130,000 licensed firearms dealers in the United States alone. Collectors shop, pawn shops and gun stores all sell guns. If the United States take away licensed firearms dealers licenses to sell guns, we would be taking away thousands upon thousands of jobs from Americans citizens alone. This doesn't seem very fair to me and would be another big hit to our economy that we don't need at this time. People have to bear in mind that not everyone who wants to buy a gun is a criminal.

Many people in the United States (and elsewhere) do not even know what the firearm statistics are. For example:

1. There are more than 320 million guns in the United States not including the different branches of the Military.

2. There are 562,696 shotgun issued certificates that were registered in 2012.

3. In 2011, the United States had over eight thousand deaths caused by firearms.

4. America accounts for 40% of firearms in the world.

5. Murders involving firearms have decreased by 50% in the last fifteen years.

6. The odds of being a victim of a shooting is less than that being struck by lightning.

7. Only nine states have safety trigger lock laws.

8. In the United States, people can't walk within