Katlyn Dorland

Mr. Gustavo
4/19/2016
English 111 enf
Gun Control
In the United States, there is a very large campaign to reduce the number of guns among the
public. While this may all sound well and good, people dont actually know what they are asking for.
Based on what people think, making guns harder to get would bring a great reduction in gun homicides
and crime; but they are unfortunately mistaken. Gun control has been a failing premise for so long,
showing time and time again that it is proven to not help anyone in the end. Plain as day, we can see it in
the numbers that we are actively disadvantaged when laws are put in place for the sake of our safety.
We do not need government enforced gun control because it has not been shown to reduce Crime, stops
people from defending themselves, and takes away from people's constitutional right to bear arms.
It really is a big misconception that gun control reduces any sort of crime or homicide rates
among the country. Based on a study done in 2013 that follows between 1980 and 2009, the ban of assault
Weapons did not have any discernable change to murder rates at state level (Should More Gun Control
Con 2). It goes on to explain that states with higher restrictions on concealed carry had a higher chance of
gun related death. A likely argument to come from the other side would be to point out the number of
deaths caused by guns nationwide, but looking at it by the state by state margin like in this article, we will
be able to see it disproves that idea. Gun control has only worked to make it harder for people to keep
themselves protected. If we were to let control be taken away from us, where might we imagine it will go
to?
A lot of people are saying that killings happen because there is not enough gun control in the
States. From this article on the subject,
The mass shooting that targeted Representative Gabrielle Giffords (D, Arizona) in Tucson,
Arizona, in January 2011 spurred renewed interest in gun control. Many linked the expiration of
the Assault Weapons Ban in 2004 to the Tucson assassin's legal possession of a handgun capable

of firing 33 rounds without reloading during his shooting spree. Lawmakers soon proposed new
legislation to limit access to firearms and ammunition (Virginia).
Because a mentally ill person made a misguided choice to harm a government official, there was outcry
from people wanting to limit our 2 amendment right in order to potentially stop shootings like this. Truly,
nd

this is a very reactionary idea based on what we know happened during that shooting. To put it simply, it
is not the guns fault that the shooting occurred. We cannot blame the entirety of this on the use of the
tool, but rather on the person and how they happened upon the gun in the first place. So many people
come out of this article believing that guns are evil and that we should decrease this right to own them. In
reality, situations like this one are the exception and are not the primary use of guns by the majority of
people. Guns are made to show protection of oneself, but there will always be those who wield dangerous
weapons with the intent of hurting other. It is unfortunately the fact of the matter.
Blaming guns as a main cause for deaths would be ignorant because there are so many evil people that
don't think before they act and as well just have the intention of Hurting others instead of protecting
themselves or their families. There would be less violent crime if we put into consideration just how many
more people are legal law abiding gun owners inaccurately registered. Both of which cause major
influxes of guns to the black market
The growing number of guns that leave the hands of registered owners and fall into the hands of
illegal arms dealers is the biggest concern relating to firearms. You might be wondering how this
happens, usually one of two ways: first off, thousands of firearms are reported stolen every year
only to be turned around and sold and secondly, thousands of gun owners die each year, leaving
their firearms market. (gun control)
as said in this quote many people end up with guns in different ways when they are not supposed to
necessarily have them such as a loved one died or it was stolen and sold that's when things go and back
fire with this gun control system because the evil will always find its way to a lethal weapon and that's
how there would be less dead people and more awareness in this world more guide lines to go by instead
of shooting. thinking before acting if you just took 10 seconds to think about what you were about to do it

would change so many things. But don't blame the gun for being there to protect weapons are not
intentionally for killing people made them to be and i believe we can change the one class and person at a
time, On that point, it is fairly well documented that the majority of people use their guns to protect
themselves in the case of danger rather than for criminal purposes. Under this article, We learn that guns
are used up to 2.5 million times in 2008 for defending oneself (Just For Skeptics); contradictory to what
opponents might like to think happens under normal circumstances. Its very important we take this into
consideration when looking at pro gun control arguments since its very common for them to just look at
the death toll and ignore the fact that the overwhelming majority will only use guns in case of emergency.
Its especially important to recognize the risk they pose by taking away guns from women, who make up
to 200,000 of those cases of defense (Just For Skeptics). To try and take away many people's only line
of defense is a very disturbing initiative that only serves to give power to criminals who will do
everything in their power to avoid losing their weapons.
Not only is it proven that an overwhelming majority of people use guns for self-defense, but it's also
very clear in certain situations where guns are prohibited, many more people are put in danger. Back in
2012, there was a massive shooting down in Aurora, Colorado that took place in a populated theatre
where many people were sat defenseless(lott). It would have appeared that the killer chose the place at
random based on its proximity to his apartment, but no such coincidence existed. he had picked it because
there were no guns allowed inside on the premises
out of all the movie theaters within 20 minutes of his apartment showing the new Batman movie
that night, it was the only one where guns were banned. In Colorado, individuals with permits can
carry concealed handgun in most malls, stores, movie theaters, and restaurants. But private
businesses can determine whether permit holders can carry guns on their private property (Lott).
During this event of The Dark Knight Rises, he took to the theatre with several guns, firing upon a crowd
of people; killing 10 instantly and causing 2 later to perish in the hospital. If the theater were to let guns in
the screening, there may very well have been somebody there to protect and defend against this shooter
but he knew there were no guns allowed and he would be the only one with a weapon on hand. It truly is

disturbing to know people would go out of their way to attack so many innocent lives, but everyone
should be allowed to take the necessary precautions for keeping their lives and their loves ones from
being harmed.
There are many opinions that come from the public that claim to know that a reduction of guns
would simply decrease the number of deaths. From an article on the subject

"The truth is that there is something Americans can do about gun violence," Lopez
wrote. "The empirical research shows that reducing the number of gunsby
reducing access to them, or by immediately cutting the supply of them
through, for example, buyback programswould lead to fewer deaths."(gun
control).

It's understandably easy for people to just say Less guns means less people dead
based on what theyve read, but its a very dangerous line of logic to tread. We are
quick to assume the number of dead listed on the statistics is what matters in
determining this argument, but in truth, its the number of crimes stopped through
the use of firearms that matters most. Through simple common sense, we can see
that based on the uses of guns being proportionally used for defense instead of
crime, taking them away would very clearly cause a spike in violent crime to directly
result from confiscations. Even without this, we still cant assume that criminals still

wouldnt have access to guns, potentially causing gun related deaths to skyrocket
due to the fact law abiding citizens no longer have the option to defend themselves.
People who break the law arent ones to start following it just because everyone is
looking to create a utopia of gun less paradises. We have to avoid being nave and
just stare the truths for what they are. Guns are a means to an end and nothing
more. Having them around hasnt automatically recreated the wild west and were
clearly far from it ever being that way. Following this the crime rates have been
proven to rise after banning of guns. if gun control helps so much then why do
people die more frequently when they right have been taken? In Washington DC,
there is one important example of that. If you look in 1976, September '76, DC
passed a ban banning handguns. It didn't go into effect until February of '77. But
only once after '76 was DC's murder rate as low as it was in '76. Only twice in two
years after that was DC's robbery rate as low as it was in '76. And DC's crime rate
not only went up relative to what it was in the past, DC's crime rate went up relative
to neighboring states, it went up compared to the United States as a whole, and
went up relative to other large cities. It's the idea that guns can prevent crimes. If people have
guns at home or in their cars, they can prevent crimes by firing a warning shot, by simply announcing I've

got a gun. And those are very undramatic incidents. They're not reported in the newspapers. But they're
real and they happen every day.

The right to bear arms, most importantly, is available to us because it is necessary for keeping our
country, a free and democratic republic. Our governing body from the past went to great efforts to attempt
to keep guns out of our hands and posed a great threat to our wellbeing for the purpose of the status quo.
From this article, American courts once said
"that history showed that the way tyrants had eliminated a militia consisting of all the able bodied men
was not by banning the militia but simply by taking away the peoples arms, enabling a select
militia or standing army to suppress political opponents"(MacBradaigh).
Saying that if given enough time and power, the government would take the chance to take our guns away
and use them against us to for the purposes of inflicting tyranny and taking away our rights. We have to
act now and fight for the right to bear arms or fall to the point of losing the right for our children and all
future generations. We cannot take these things for granted or risk losing everything to a dystopian
society.
Today there is a lot of prejudice going on, especially with threats of ISIS going around. Most
Americans wont let Muslims in their gun shops to purchase a weapon even though some of them and
their families have been in the country for about as long as anyone elses ancestors been. It makes no
sense, seeing a video with this sort of prejudice existing down south where there is actually a shop in
Florida that does not allow Muslims to purchase or to come in the shop at all. It clearly goes against the 2
amendment and is so very ridiculous because they have as much of a right to protect themselves as
anyone else does. From an article on the issue,

nd

in the tiny town of Inverness, a gun shop called Florida Gun Supply has declared itself a
Muslim Free Zone, with owner Andy Hallinan vowing not to sell guns to any Muslims who
might make the hairs on the back of [his] neck stand. (Fusion).
He ignorantly chooses to not sell to people who are innocent and do not want to bring harm upon
Americans at all. They are one of us, a part of our communities; they just practice a different religion.
Does this mean they cannot bear arms? The answer is simply a flat no; they should be able to. They are
American, grownup here just like you and me; they just want a good life for their kids and themselves and
to have the same rights as everyone else. It should be equal, if they pass background check and the like,
they should get the opportunity to own a gun.
The reason we should not have heavier gun restrictions put in place is because it does
not stop acts of evil from being committed, we should be able to protect ourselves from dangers
to our own capacity, and we too must be able to keep our right to bare arms in place the sanctity
of the country to remain intact. We should all learn more about guns and should also stop
blaming them for when things go wrong and properly blame those doing the evil acts. We
should make gun classes more available for all people who own guns and have a proper system
in place that doesnt impede good people from acquiring a weapon. Stopping law abiding
citizens from having guns does nothing to stop those that get their guns outside of the law
anyways. Criminals will always find a way to get a weapon. We should also push for methods to
properly defend ourselves, never giving the power to those who would do us harm.

Work Cited
"Does Gun Control Reduce Crime?" Does Gun Control Reduce Crime? N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Apr.
Gun Control, Unregistered Firearms and the Black Market." Examiner.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Apr. 2016.
.Gun Control Laws. Issues & Controversies. Infobase Learning, 13 Jan. 2016. Web.
1 May 2016.
Guns Reduce Crime: A Debate. Intelligence Squared US. Issues & Controversies.
Infobase Learning, 2008. Web. 1 May 2016. 2016.
"Just For Skeptics." Fact Sheet: Guns Save Lives. 16 Oct. 2008. Web. 21 Apr. 2016.
Lott, John R. "Did Colorado Shooter Single out Cinemark Theater Because It Banned Guns? | Fox News."
Fox News. FOX News Network, 10 Sept. 2012. Web. 23 Apr. 2016.
MacBradaigh, Matt. "9 Things You Didn't Know About the Second Amendment."Mic. 08 Feb. 2013. Web.
22 April 2016
Muslims and Guns: A Community Under Threat Considers Its Options."Fusion. N.p., n.d. Web. 01
"Should More Gun Control Laws Be Enacted?" ProConorg Headlines. 2 Feb. 2016. Web. 21 Apr. 2016.
troversies. Infobase Learning, 13 Jan. 2016. Web. 1 May 2016.
Virginia Community College System." Virginia Community College System. N.p., n.d. Web.
01 May 2016.