An Argumentative Essay Over

Gun Control
by
Cody Vogt
for
Intro to Critical Thinking
PHI !"!"#$!
The to%ic of Gun Control is a controversial one that %lagues the &nited 'tates everyday# Peo%le
from all (alks of life have differing o%inions on (hether guns should be banned %ermanently or if the
already %laced restrictions on guns should be lightened) or even removed) to allo( everyone to o(n a
gun) if they choose# This essay (ill look at both sides of the issue#
*any %eo%le today feel that guns should have even greater restrictions %laced on them) or even
banned altogether# Those (ho are in favor of this argue that most of the violent crimes that ha%%en in
the &nited 'tates are because it is too easy to gain access to guns# They feel that if greater restrictions
(ere %laced on guns that it (ould likely reduce the amount of violence that ha%%ens in the &nited
'tates# Ho(ever) those (ho o%%ose restrictions on guns claim that criminals (ill al(ays find a (ay to
obtain a firearm and feel that greater restrictions on guns could leave la(+abiding citi,ens (ithout any
(ea%on to use in the act of self+defense#
Gun control advocates feel that crime victims may be more at risk to death by firearm because if
the victim at hand has a gun on their %erson during the time of a crime) say a robbery for instance) the
%erson committing the crime may be more tem%ted to kill the victim# They may feel that their life may
also be in danger from the committing the crime and if the victim (ere to dra( their firearm as a means
to deter the crime from being committed) the robber may shoot and kill the victim as a means to %rotect
themselves# Ho(ever) those o%%osed to gun control argue that) a %erson (ho is tem%ted to commit a
crime may be deterred from committing that crime altogether because of the notion that the %erson they
are attem%ting to commit the crime on may be carrying a firearm and the sus%ect may not (ant to %ut
their o(n life in danger#
$e have seen in the media) lots of stories %ertaining to massacres committed by use of firearms#
In the most recent years) there (as the shootings that took %lace at Columbine High 'chool in !---)
(here t(o students killed t(elve classmates and one teacher) in.ured t(enty+four others) and then
%roceeded to take their o(n lives# Then there (as the incident that took %lace at Virginia Tech in /""0)
(here a senior student took the lives of thirty+t(o students and in.ured seventeen others in t(o se%arate
incidents) he also took his o(n life after the shootings# In 1uly of /"!/) a lone gunman took the lives of
t(elve %eo%le and in.ured seventy others during a midnight screening of The 2ark 3night 4ises at a
movie theater in Aurora) Colorado) the sus%ect (as a%%rehended by %olice moments after the incident
occurred# 5inally) there (as the tragic incident that took %lace in 2ecember of /"!/ (here a /" year old
man shot his mother to death) then %roceeded to 'andy Hook Elementary 'chool (here he shot t(enty
children and si6 staff members) and as first res%onders (here arriving) he took his o(n life# These are
only a fe( situations in recent years (here guns have %layed a ma.or role in the murders and in.uries of
many defenseless victims#
After all of the shootings) listed above) occurred) there (ere calls for more gun control
measures#
After Columbine) safety locks on firearms and the ban of high+ca%acity ammunitions became
%art of federal and state legislation and la(s (ere %assed that made it a crime to buy guns for criminals
and minors# 3+*art even announced that it (ould cease its sales of handgun ammunition#
The debate that s%arked after the Virginia Tech incident had viable %oints on both sides# Gun
control %ro%onents claimed that guns (ere too accessible and the student) (ho (as considered to be
mentally unstable) (as able to %urchase t(o semi+automatic %istols) though state la(s should have
%revented the %urchase# Ho(ever) o%%onents of gun control claimed that it (as Virginia Tech7s gun+free
%olicy that made it easier for the student to commit the crime because students and faculty are not
allo(ed to be in %ossession of firearms on cam%us) even if they have a legal conceal carry %ermit) and
if they (ere able to legally carry firearms) someone may have been able to sto% the student before so
many lives (ere taken#
After the Aurora *ovie Theater incident) more of the same issues (ere brought u% being that it
(as too easy for the sus%ect to ac8uire the semi+automatic gun and high+ca%acity maga,ine) the ban for
this (as lifted in /""9# Gun sales increased drastically) by 9:;) in the follo(ing (eek of the incident)
as more %eo%le sought to have a means of defense incase another situation like this came about#
Proceeding the incidents that ha%%ened at 'andy Hook Elementary) 4e%ublican Pat Toomey of
Pennsylvania and 2emocrat 1oe *anchin of $est Virginia (rote u% the Public 'afety and 'econd
Amendment 4ights Protection Act that (ould <%rotect 'econd Amendment rights) ensure that all
individuals (ho should be %rohibited from buying a firearm are listed in the =ational Instant Criminal
>ackground Check 'ystem) and %rovide a res%onsible and consistent background check %rocess#<
?<'en# Toomey Offers 5ull Te6t Of Public 'afety And 'econd Amendment 4ights Protection Act
Online<@ The current federal la( re8uires that anyone (ho goes through a federally+licensed gun
retailer or %urchases a gun online interstate ?in this case the gun is shi%%ed from one state to another)
must be shi%%ed to a licensed dealer and you must go to the dealer to ac8uire@ must go through and %ass
a criminal background check by a licensed dealer before being able to %roceed (ith the %urchase#
<Ho(ever) for intrastate ?in the same state@ sales) no background check is re8uired and you can sell the
gun to the %erson (ithout ever meeting face+to+face#< ?<'en# Toomey Offers 5ull Te6t Of Public 'afety
And 'econd Amendment 4ights Protection Act Online<@ The bill (ould re8uire that A gun buyers)
in store) at gun sho(s) and online) (ould have to undergo a criminal background check by a licensed
dealer# &ltimately) this bill failed to %ass the &nited 'tates 'enate by si6 votes# The =4A) =ational
4ifle Association) felt that this bill) even if it %assed) (ould not have been successful in reducing
violent crime and kee%ing children safe in schools#
ooking at individual cases) such as the ones above) sho(s that the government did try to take
action to im%ose greater sanctions on guns) ho(ever) they failed to kee% those la(s in %lace or get the
la(s %assed) (hich may have ke%t most of those instances from ha%%ening#
=o( let7s take a look at gun control stacks u% in different countries# A study done by Harvard
titled <$ould >anning 5irearms 4educed *urder 4ates and 'uicide< com%ared the figures for
intentional deaths throughout continental Euro%e (ith those of the &nited 'tates to sho( that
increasing gun control does not really lead to lo(er death rates or violent crime# <$hen the study
sho(s numbers for Eastern Euro%ean gun o(nershi% and corres%onding murder rates) it is readily
a%%arent that less guns to do not mean less death# In 4ussia) (here the rate of gun o(nershi% is 9)"""
%er !"")""" inhabitants) the murder rate (as /"#A/ %er !"")""" in /""/# That same year in 5inland)
(here the rater of gun o(nershi% is e6ceedingly higher++:-)""" %er !"")"""++the murder rate (as
almost nill) at !#-B %er !"")"""#<?Ha(kins@ =or(ay) (hich has the highest household gun o(nershi%
rate at :/;) also has the lo(est murder rate in $estern Euro%e# Also) (hen com%aring the murder rates
in 4ussia) a %lace (here handguns are com%letely banned) the rate is :"#C %er !"")""") (here as the
rate in the &nited 'tates is only 0#B %er !"")"""# The study concluded that <among the nations studied)
those (ith more gun control tend to(ard higher death rates#<?Ha(kins@ Ho(ever) Australia %assed a
(ea%ons ban on semi+automatic and fully+automatic guns for the safety of the %eo%le in !--C# The
Prime *inister at that time) 1ohn Ho(ard) felt that a ban such as this (as com%letely necessary in order
to fully %rotect the %eo%le of his country# <In Australia) gun o(ners (ere com%ensated (hen they
handed in %reviously legal (ea%ons# Almost 0"")""" guns (ere destroyed) halving the number of
homes (ith a gun# That (ould be e8ual to taking 9" million guns out of action in the &nited 'tates#<
?>irsel) and Perry@ Australia faced numerous gun massacres) !: to be e6act) in the !B years leading u%
to the ban in !--C) though have had no %roblems (ith gun violence since# Australia has been urging
President >arack Obama to take a %age out of their book) if the &nited 'tates really (ants to %ut a sto%
to gun violence#
One of the biggest arguments in the gun control debate is the 'econd Amendment# The >ill of
4ights states that <A (ell regulated militia) being necessary to the security of a free state) the right of
the %eo%le to kee% and bear arms) shall not be infringed#< This <right< has been debated heavily and
%eo%le for gun control claim that the right (as instated only for militias) such as The =ational Guard)
ho(ever every %erson (ho against gun control claims that the right is for all individual7s to legally
%ossess a firearm and is not .ust restricted to militias#
The %roblem that (e face (ith the gun control issue is that you can not %lease everyone# Either
(e conform to more strict regulations on guns to make them less obtainable illegally or (e do
absolutely nothing about it and let things kee% ha%%ening the (ay they are# If anything is to be done
about this though) our Government (ill need to %ull together and all agree that an all out ban should be
instated or certain ty%es of guns) such as semi+automatic and fully+automatic) along (ith high+ca%acity
ammunition cli%s should be banned# There (as such a ban %laced on these from !--9+/""9) but it (as
not reinstated after its %rovision# Though several attem%ts have been made to reinstate the ban) the
Government can not seem to come together to %ut it back in %lace# If (e are going to 8uell the
%roblems (e have (ith gun violence) then the %eo%le (ho re%resent us) have to use the %o(er they
have to bring this %roblem to an end# As mentioned before) (e should take a %age out of Australia7s
book and Obama should use the %o(er that he has to do something about this# Ho(ever) until that time
comes) (e (ill continue to have a nation that is %lagued (ith useless acts of gun violence#
4esources and Citations
) ed# </"!/ Aurora shooting#< Wikipedia# $iki%edia) The 5ree Encyclo%edia#) // Oct /"!:# $eb# /: Oct
/"!:# Dhtt%EFFen#(iki%edia#orgF(Finde6#%h%GtitleH/"!/IAuroraIshootingJoldidHA0BB00-!AK#
) ed# <Columbine High 'chool massacre#< Wikipedia# $iki%edia) The 5ree Encyclo%edia#) /: Oct /"!:#
$eb# /: Oct /"!:# Dhtt%EFFen#(iki%edia#orgF(Finde6#%h%G
titleHColumbineIHighI'choolImassacreJoldidHA0B-/9"-!K#
) ed# <'andy Hook Elementary 'chool shooting #< Wikipedia# $iki%edia) The 5ree Encyclo%edia#) //
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titleH'andyIHookIElementaryI'choolIshootingJoldidHA0BB:A9A9K
) ed# <'en# Toomey Offers 5ull Te6t Of Public 'afety And 'econd Amendment 4ights Protection Act
Online#< Pat Toomey | Senator for Pennsylvania# =#%#) !! A%r /"!:# $eb# /: Oct /"!:#
D(((#toomey#senate#govFG%H%ressIreleaseJidH-CB>
) ed# <Virginia Tech massacre#< Wikipedia# $iki%edia) The 5ree Encyclo%edia#) /! Oct /"!:# $eb# /
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titleHVirginiaITechImassacreJoldidHA0B"AC:C0K#
>irsel) 4obert) and *ichael Perry# <Australia7s gun controls a %olitical tem%late for the &#'##<
Reuters.com# =#%#) ": A%r /"!:# $eb# /0 Oct /"!:#
Dhtt%EFF(((#reuters#comFarticleF/"!:F"9F":Fus+usa+guns+australia+
id&'>4E-:/"C0/"!:"9":K#

Ha(kins) A(r# <Harvard 'tudyE =o Correlation >et(een Gun Control and ess Violent Crime#<
Breitbart.com# =#%#) /B Aug /"!:# $eb# // Oct /"!:# Dhtt%EFF(((#breitbart#comF>ig+
GovernmentF/"!:F"BF/0FHarvard+'tudy+'ho(s+=o+Correlation+>et(een+'trict+Gun+Control+
And+ess+Crime+ViolenceK#