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Braulio Romero

Professor Collins

ENGL 1301

1 April 2017

Gun Control

In recent years gun violence has made gun control a topic of debate among supporters and

opponents of gun control, and like any argument there are two perspectives of the issue. On one

side there are citizens that believe guns should be more strictly regulated, but even on this side

there are two sides of the spectrum. There are some that want more thorough background checks

and more strict regulations on the type of weapons and ammunition that should be available to

civilians. On the other side there are those who advocate for a complete ban on guns. Both sides

have a common goal, to bring an end to the gun violence in the United States. William J.

Vizzard, author of The Current and Future State of Gun Policy in the United States explains

how the Gun Control Act of 1968 was passed in response to the assassinations of President John

F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King. This is just an example of how gun laws have been put in

place in response to gun related crime. Mainly, opponents are against gun laws because they

violate the rights protected by the Second Amendment of the Constitution. While most lawful

gun owners have no problem with the current regulations, there is a negative view on completely

banning all guns. The second issue is the regulations on what kind of weapons and ammunitions

that should be allowed to the public. Gun control has become a prominent topic of debate

because more gun laws are viewed by some citizens as the answer to gun violence, and other

citizens believe them to be a violation of their rights.

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Supporters of gun control suggest that more stern laws and regulations will resolve gun

violence. There are a number of regulations set in place when it comes to buying guns and they

vary state to state. Federal law states that only licensed dealers are required to conduct a

background check, however this is not enough to prevent gun violence. According to ProCon.org

between 1999 2013 a total of 464,033 deaths were gun related. 9,983 were homicides making

guns the leading cause of all homicides (66.6%). More comprehensive background checks when

purchasing guns and restrictions on certain ammunition would greatly decrease the chances of

guns ending up in the wrong hands. Supporters of gun control laws believe that more gun control

laws would reduce the number of gun related incidents.

Other advocates of gun control believe that it takes more than just restrictions on gun

transactions to completely stop gun violence because federal law does not require private

individuals to conduct background checks. Under the Gun Control Act of 1968, private sellers

were defined as any individual that sold no more than four guns per year (William J Vizzard).

However, in 1986 the definition changed under the Firearm Owners Protection Act, defining

private sellers as any individual who does not rely on firearm sales as a primary source of

income. This created what is now known as the gun show loophole, meaning individuals can

purchase guns with no background checks in most states. Thus being why some individuals

believe that the only real answer to the problem of gun violence is a complete ban on guns.

Gun ownership is not only an American tradition but a right protected by the Second

Amendment of the United States Constitution. James Lindgren, author of Forward: The Past

And Future Of Guns, explains the Second Amendment in his report. The Second Amendment

reads, A well regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the

people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed. When opponents interpret the Second
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Amendment they believe that it protects their right to own firearms, any law that banning

firearms would be deemed unconstitutional. Opponents to more gun laws believe their right to

possess firearms is fundamental to maintaining freedom and liberty that is protected by the

constitution. Opponents to gun control laws believe that more gun laws infringe upon the right to

possess firearms and the right to self-defense.

Most gun owners understand the importance of conducting background checks and how

such regulations help in preventing gun violence. However, there are some who do not believe

that a gun ban would stop gun violence all together. Gun bans would keep law abiding citizens

from having guns for self-defense, while criminals would simply ignore the laws. According to

procon.org, a Lancet study from March 10th 2016 showed no evidence that state gun control laws

decreased gun related deaths. Nine out of twenty five state laws have been associated to higher

gun death rates. Based on this, opponents to gun control believe that gun control laws or gun

bans is not the answer to stop gun violence.

Both sides of this debate make valid arguments, but regardless of which side is taken

by an individual, the ultimate goal should be to bring an end to gun violence. Gun laws and bans

could be put in place. However there is no evidence that this would bring a complete end to gun

violence because would be criminals will continue to illegally obtain weapons. Comprehensive

background checks should be in place to ensure that anyone obtaining a gun is legally allowed to

do so. Stricter gun laws or gun bans could potentially decrease the amount of gun violence that

takes place in the United States. However, gun violence will continue to be an issue that affects

all states regardless of what laws are in place.

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Works Cited

Blocher, Joseph and Darrell A. H. Miller. "What Is Gun Control? Direct Burdens, Incidental

Burdens, and the Boundaries of the Second Amendment." University of Chicago Law

Review, vol. 83, no. 1, Winter2016, pp. 295-355. EBSCOhost,

search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=bth&AN=114160392&site=ehost-live.

Accessed on March 8, 2017

Lindgren, James. "Forward: The past and Future of Guns." Journal of Criminal Law &

Criminology, vol. 104, no. 4, Fall2015, p. 705. EBSCOhost,

search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=f5h&AN=112464434&site=ehost-live.

Accessed on March 8, 2017

Vizzard, William J. "The Current and Future State of Gun Policy in the United States." Journal

of Criminal Law & Criminology, vol. 104, no. 4, Fall2015, p. 879. EBSCOhost,

search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=f5h&AN=110668173&site=ehost-live.

Accessed on March 8, 2017