Gun Control Argumentative Essay

As reported by the Center for Disease and Control, “In 2018, there were 39,740 firearm-related deaths in the United States – that’s about 109 people dying from a firearm-related injury each day. Six out of every 10 deaths were firearm suicides and more than 3 out of every 10 were firearm homicides.”(Firearm Violence Prevention). Gun violence in America is a long lasting issue in this country that has been unresolved for years. In today’s society many Americans can buy assault weapons capable of killing multiple people in a matter of seconds. Furthermore, buying guns has become easier and has led to people carrying  dangerous weapons. Leading into mass shootings which  have been on the rise, yet nothing has been done to resolve gun violence in this country. Gun control in America should be implemented because it would rather than it can, reduce gun violence, prevent mentally ill citizens from obtaining firearms, and it would minimize the use of highly dangerous weapons.

First of all research has proven that stricter gun laws have reduced gun violence. For example, the National Center For Health Research an independent nonprofit organization reveals that “The permit-to-purchase law requires that people get a permit from local law enforcement before purchasing a gun. When Missouri repealed its permit-to-purchase law in August 2007, research indicated a 55-63% increase in the firearm homicide rate per year during the four years following the repeal.” (Manier). Clearly, implementing stricter gun laws can save lives as the example by the NCHR proves it, as stricter laws made it harder to obtain a gun. However, when the restrictions were lifted gun related deaths skyrocketed, due to the obtaining of guns being easier. This is induspiditible data that proves that gun violence decreases from gun control. Furthermore, gun control can also help protect others by prohibiting mentally ill citizens from purchasing firearms.

Parkland, Sandy Hook, and many other mass shootings are all examples of people who are mentally ill obtaining firearms, and America needs gun control to prevent similar instances. In the words of the Los Angeles Times the fifth most circulated news source in America, “In addition, some states fail to submit mental health records to NICS, allowing some mentally ill people to obtain guns, including the Virginia Tech shooter, who had a history of mental illness before he killed 32 people in 2007, according to NPR.”(Mukherjee). Gun control can enforce background checks on people trying to purchase firearms, by doing so this can prevent people who are mentally insane from hurting others by owning firearms. Doing simple background checks can go a long way, even so by preventing someone’s death. The article gives a clear example of how 32 people could have been saved if the Virginia Tech shooter had received a background check. Nevertheless, it is vital that we have gun control in order to protect our community from inncompitent gun owners who pose a serious threat, while having responsible gun owners the chance to possess firearms. In addition to background checks gun control can also limit the use of highly deadly firearms.

Guns such as AK-47s and semi automatics do not need to be used in the general public, and can cause more harm than good. An article from Newsweek supports this idea as it states, “AR-15-style assault rifles have been a common trend in some of the deadliest mass shootings. These weapons possess an enormous amount of killing power because they can inflict what one of their designers called "maximum wound effect." These weapons are generally able to fire far more bullets at a faster rate than manual-action hunting rifles.”(Fung). High lethal weapons like these should not be in the hands of the American people, as they only result in crime and violence.The purpose of these firearms is to kill people in a matter of seconds, so it should be understood that these types of weapons shouldn’t be sold, nor possessed. Gun control can stop the sale of these guns, which will make mass shootings and other gun related violence less prevalent. Despite this it is important to acknowledge the other side of gun control and the argument most people have.

For instance, even though gun control can be a solution to gun violence, it can invalidate American’s 2nd Amendment right to bear arms. Majority of citizens want to have their 2nd Amendment right untouched  in order to own a gun, as it can serve as vital protection for themselves. However, in today’s society guns have evolved into guns such as assault rifles and Ak-47, which differs from guns back then. People can own guns for self protection, however people shouldn’t own assault weapons, in order to fend themselves, while owning a handgun can do the job. According to Newsweek a mostly factual source, 

A Newsweek analysis found that the semi-automatic rifle was used in 21 mass shootings over the past decade.Among those incidents are some of the deadliest mass shootings in the nation's history, including the Las Vegas shooting, which left 59 people dead; the Orlando, Florida, nightclub shooting, which killed 50; and the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in Connecticut, which killed 28.(Fung). Needless to say, weapons like assault rifles have been responsible for several mass shootings, such as the one stated above and several others, which happened in a matter of minutes because of the weapon these shooters used. If gun control would be administered the sale of these weapons could be stopped. As well as background checks can be required, thus granting mentally sane citizens the right to bear arms. In the end gun control can be a step forward in our society in order to minimize gun violence in America.

Living in today’s world of politics gun control can be a very controversial argument, however our country should have stricter gun laws in order to ensure less gun violence, to prevent irresponsible gun owners from owning firearms, and to prohibit the use of assault weapons. It is important for society to obtain peace and tranquility, however peace cannot be obtained through AK-47s, nor through irresponsible gun owners. As seen in  countries like Japan and South Korea, they have the lowest rate of gun violence in the world, which is a result of their strict gun laws. All in all America needs to progressive, however progression requires agreement.