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Maya Heath

Professor Kane

Expository Writing R C- 1000

25 October 2020

Firearms: Good or Bad

The United States please have always had a reputation for firearms and violence.

Whether it's violence, uncontrolled actions, and no regulations towards races and genders it

has always been around. The resistance and violence towards police in the Black Lives Matter

movement is nothing new. What place was first created there were no regulations or rules to

govern how they controlled the people. In general, they were known to be cruel and used

excessive force. Before regulations, it was common for policemen to accept bribes to overlook

illegal businesses in the community. Overtime regulations took place and policemen no longer

took bribes and began to carry weapons. There was just as much resistance in the 1800s as

there is now as to how cops use weapons and why they carry them.

When people say they want to take away the police’s firearms. Some credit countries

such as England as proof of the success of unarmed cops. England’s officers have been unarmed

and their shootings last year show a total of thirty-three persons. Meanwhile, in New York, one

weekend resulted in thirty-nine shootings. That major difference needs to be examined. The

United States and England could not be any different culturally and socially. The United States’

obsession with guns extends back to the founding. Americans have always had, bought, and

sold firearms as a business, past time, and a sense of security. The Second Amendment states,

that we have the right to bear arms. Meaning we have the right to a weapon and to defend
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ourselves. While in England it is not common for anyone to own a gun besides being a high-

ranking government official. It is not common in England to own a weapon. In the States, many

own firearms, and most go through the correct channels to acquire one.

There have been suggestions over the years for stricter gun laws. Where it would be

harder to buy a gun and have it registered. This creates a black market for the buying and

selling of firearms, for the people who don't have the means or money to acquire firearms. A

black-market would increase their chance of having access to one. If people want anything,

they will find a way to get it. People will always have a drive and whether it leads to a good or

evil action that's up to them. Another issue with disarming the police is when an armed officer

has been shot. This allows the rest of the force to walk away because they know how

dangerous it is when facing an armed suspect. It is terrifying to face an intense situation

unprepared. There is a time and a place for firearms to be used accordingly. Policemen are

trained for these instances. People view the police in varying ways both as protectors and

harmers. Many have spoken of ideas of disarming the police or defunding them all together

because they’re seen as violent oppressors.

Police with guns are seen as violent and unruly in some people's eyes. They believe that

the police are not regulated enough and disregard regulations set in front of the police. Now,

disarming the police wouldn't lessen the mass shootings, armed robberies, or homicides. The

agency that is supposed to be keeping us safe is supposedly safer without guns. Now in other

countries, there are officers not armed. They face armed suspects with and without weapons.

The natural response is to keep the peace. When the suspect attacks a police officer, they are

left with nothing but themselves for defense. Instead of taking away the police’s firearms,
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retrain the officers on how to use them in certain situations. Officers are trained only to shoot

when they or a bystander is in danger from a suspect. Yelling and pointing a weapon at a

suspect engages the fight or flight response. A suspect can either fight or surrender to the

officer. Situations like this are intense and time to think is limited. New training for officers

should be implemented. Weapons shouldn’t be taken away, only retaught how to use them.

Firearms do not commit crimes. They are not inherently evil. It is the person and motive

behind the trigger that dictates what it does. The police know when and how to use it but it is

time to update when they do. Times are constantly changing in this current society there is a

push to defund the police all together. Rather than taking away the police entirely, change the

way they approach high-risk situations. America needs the police in some form or another.

America functions differently than countries. Most of those countries are smaller and do not

have access to guns. Therefore America cannot be held to the same standards and those

countries cannot be held to America’s standards. Nevertheless, the U.S. can learn from

unarmed officers without having to take away their weapons.

Note: I changed my question when I began writing to, Should Policemen Carry Firearms in

Today’s Society?