Running head: GUN CONTROL DEBATE 1

The Gun Control Debate:

What is the problem?

Cristhian Gonzalez

Divine Savior Academy

GUN CONTROL DEBATE 2

Introduction

The night of October 1st, 2017 in Las Vegas, United States of America, it was a night

that won't be forgotten. The concert where hundreds of people got together to have fun ended

when gunshots erupted. The crowd panicked, running, taking cover, trying to survive. They

waited for the police officers to come and save them. Each passing second more people got hurt,

others killed. When the police finally arrived, the gunshots did not stop. Time passed, the

shooting stopped; by the end of this gruesome horror 58 people lost their lives to the mad shooter

(Pearce, 2018). A night people won't forget. Though this shooting was a while ago, another

shooting emerged in the community of Parkland, Florida. Students of Marjory Stoneman

Douglas High School came under fire February 14,2018. The shooter, Nikolas Cruz, expelled

student of 19 years of age (Vann, 2018); came to the school to begin what we would know as

the Valentine’s Day Rampage. 17 Students and teachers lost their lives, with many more injured

(Vann, 2018). Students terrified, families and friends devastated. Nowhere seems safe. What

solution is there?

On December 15, 1791, the Bill of Rights is established for the citizens of the United

States of America. “​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.” (United States Congress, 1791)

Two centuries later without any major laws that affected firearms goes by until 1934. After the

era of the Roaring Twenties filled with crime, violence, and death; President Franklin Delano

Roosevelt would establish the National Firearms Act of 1934 (ATF,1934). The “NFA” would

place a hefty tax of 200 dollars on the manufacture or sale of any machine gun or sawed

off-shotgun. This first federal law would be the catalyst that started the era of Federal Gun
GUN CONTROL DEBATE 3

Control. After many years of statutes and complaints, two sides of the general population have

formed. People who want some or entire restriction of guns versus the people who want either a

more streamlined control of gun laws or none at all. Regardless of what point a view a person

takes on the subject, they must respect and understand what other people think; something that

many forget to do. How is it possible that shootings are possible with gun control laws and safety

regulations that are in place?​ ​Many people don't know how gun control protects them if they

don't do research for themselves. ​What people need are more specific laws on gun control

that will allow the public to have a better sense at security.

Review of the Literature

What Gun control are we talking about?

Gun control is one of the most confusing and hard understanding topics that many people

do not fully understand. Gun control can be compared to an unpeeled onion. On the outside its a

full onion. But you begin to peel away at it and it's filled with multiple specific layers. Gun

control might be general and simple on the outside; ban all guns! But you begin to peel away at

the general simple exterior and head towards the interior the confusion begins. The first barrier

that people run into is where they live. In the United States, every state has different gun control

laws due to the people's right to govern themselves in accordance to Article IV Section 4 of the

US constitution (Cornell EDU,2017) . With the recent Parkland, Florida school shooting, the

guns laws were changed and social reforms introduced. According to BBC, Florida government

passed the new bill to increase the age for someone to acquire a gun from 18-21. Introduction of

a guardian program in all public schools that want to firearms with specialist training; and a ban

on bump stocks which can make semi-automatic weapons fire rapidly a fully automatic weapon.
GUN CONTROL DEBATE 4

There are too many diverse laws in different states, a reason why we need to simplify gun

control. But let's lead on to what each side says about gun control.

Gun Control’s Strength

Gun control has some vital points that keep anyone from buying a gun legally. Some

nationwide securities that each state has is age, background checks, and having psychological

analysis helps people. In Florida, according to the NRA-ILA(2018) when a person buys a firearm

they must wait three days before they can receive it. This can help with calming a person down if

they bought a gun out of rage. Not only that but having a restriction on age and the mental

capability of buying a gun will definitely reduce possible homicide rates from legal firearms.

Gun Control’s Weakness

Crime, there are so many different ways that someone can commit a crime. Such petty

crimes like stealing an item from the store, all the way to taking someone's life. Many crimes

today like robberies or murder usually involve a weapon of some sort. Most people blame an

armed crime because of guns. So the first defense against guns would be to try to restrict and

limit them right? The answer is no, restricting the ability to buy a gun legally only hurts the legal

system. Gun Control laws that hinder the ability to purchasing a firearm just enable crime.

According to the Police of Chicago crime statistics, crime is high. In the first two weeks alone of

2018, 1102 crimes had been listed(Chicago PD, 2018). Many of these crimes include firearms,

most of these are either stolen or unregistered. Gun Control laws don’t affect the people who

cause the crime, only the law-abiding citizens. It's why in Chicago crime gangs exist and terrify

their neighborhoods. Gang members have all-out street wars in the minor districts of Compton

California (Hoover,1999). California and Illinois have gun control laws that are supposed to limit
GUN CONTROL DEBATE 5

the weapons but how do they acquire their guns if gun control restricts what they can buy legally.

Trying to limit criminals from obtaining guns is like trying to prohibit drug addicts from getting

drugs. There's always someone supplying drugs illegally. The answer is the black market. For

every healthy economy, there is a stronger hidden black market providing all sorts of illegal

activities. The black market or illegal dealers supply our communities with illegal items and

substances that harm our community. The gun violence has spurred on, and it seems only to get

worse as time goes on. Guns are weapons, weapons that many people are terrified of, but why? A

gun on its own doesn’t have the ability to pull the trigger to kill someone. The person behind the

gun pulls the trigger. So why hasn't a solution appeared, maybe social media has the correct

answer?

Apart from criminals doing the crime, there is another aspect to the violence used with

guns. The 21​st​ Century is one of the most expansive times with technology, and where social

media with popularity is such a vital piece of everyday life. Everyday hip-hop artist release new

music and the youth goes wild. But upon analysis of what these lyrics bring to our children, it's

quite gruesome and vulgar. Established and Upcoming artists like 21 Savage (​Shayaa Bin

Abraham-Joseph)​, 6ix-9ine(​Daniel Hernandez), Chief Keef (Keith Farrelle Cozart). These men

are continually contributing to the increased violence in our youth. Warping their minds to hate

police officers; Constantly bragging about killing someone with a gun, encouraging drug use,

rape, suicide, and misogyny. The list of what the rappers say keeps going on. According to

Giovacchini (Stanford,1999 ) the infamous rap group of the late 20​th​ Century known as N.W.A

have increased crime unintentionally. Their music is inspiring the gun violence in the streets and

against officers of the law. A substantial reason why California back then and today makes it so
GUN CONTROL DEBATE 6

hard to buy a gun legally. According to the NRA, National Rifle Association of America, it

could cost close to $120,000 just to have all the permits and certifications to acquire firearms in

California.(2018) Politicians use pro-gun control arguments, mostly Liberals and Socialists, to

support their argument. Hillary Clinton, the previous Secretary of State, said that she would like

to adopt a gun control policy like Australia and England. The one statement alone wholly admits

that she is willing to remove the Second Amendment. This one act will cause crime to skyrocket

as law abiding citizens will turn in their guns, but the criminals now have a whole populace of

civilians who won't put much of a fight. Since she's extremely popular on social media thousands

and even millions of people wildly were following her. Not knowing they are putting their lives

at risk.

Gun Control’s Strengths lacking

The only strength gun control brings to our society is the idea of the background check.

Background checks make sure that the person purchasing the gun is not a criminal, mentally

impaired, or under age. That is where the problem lies; It allows them to acquire the firearm after

being screened. But after that, there is no follow up to these persons in who purchased the guns.

According to CNN (2017), Stephen Paddock according to his friends was a known gun advocate

and hunter. Why didn’t anyone follow up on why he was buying so many guns and ammunition?

More importantly, how did he get so much ammunition into a hotel in Las Vegas? In which

Nevada is a known Gun Control advocating state. The hotel should have had some form of

baggage screening like airport security. Something so simple could have saved so many from

being hurt. Gun control tries to punish a firearm but not the people.
GUN CONTROL DEBATE 7

Analysis

The Problem

Gun control is something that most youth and adolescents do not know. Gun Control

itself is an inclusive and vague term. It has multiple layers. Gun control caas removing all

firearms, restricting their purchase and preventing citizens from retaining them. Gun control can

also be incredibly complicated. Gun control can mean to restrict certain weapons, armament

modifications, even ammunition types. Gun control has become too much of a complex beast for

the simple man to recognize. This confusion makes state and federal law making very difficult.

Different states have their interactions and rules about guns. According to the National Rifle

Association-Institute for Legislative Action(2017, NRA-ILA), Florida’s gun laws are very

different from California. Florida is a very conventional firearm allowing state. Legally once a

person turns 18 they can purchase rifles and other guns except for a pistol. That is allowed when

they are 21. California, on the other hand, is a very liberal state on a political scale, you need a

permit to purchase, and each firearm acquired is registered. It's also why the crime rate per 100

thousand in California is ranked as number 15 in the US according to.to An advantage that

criminals who have guns from the black market or just any other item.

Senior Class Survey

When asking the students of the upper-class in Divine Savior Academy; questions about

what their thoughts about Gun Control were mixed results came in. Students answered a series of

matters relating to the topic of gun control. The first one was what did they know about Gun

Control restrictions? 12 of 22 said they did not know much or nothing about it. The other 10,
GUN CONTROL DEBATE 8

identified only of background checks, permits, and recording of your purchase. In the figure

below 30 students responded to the question, “Do you believe gun control laws are restrictions

on your Second Amendment rights. As you can see more than half of the students found that gun

control does not affect Second Amendment rights.

Figure 1

When following up with those

who said no they believed that

gun control protects the people

from psychologically affected or

criminals who want to harm others. Those who said yes, thought that the certain gun control

restrictions that prevent citizens from buying certain firearms infringe on their rights. For those

who said No I gave the counter-argument of what will we do when Guns are banned, and yet

criminals still have them when they show up to rob us. Many were stumped. Their response leads

to my second question. In figure two the question “Should the US have gun control in all states?”

73.3 percent of 26.7 said the United States should have some form of gun control. Most said that

they want some minor way, permit to conceal carry, and background checks. 1 made a most

extreme case of wanting to ban firearms entirely nationwide. I told the student how would she

defend herself from foreign powers like other nations, criminals, or even a tyrannical

government. The Student said nothing.

GUN CONTROL DEBATE 9

Figure 2

Solution

Getting rid of guns is apparently not the answer. Allowing anyone to purchase firearms

without any questions or regulations will undoubtedly be a problem. So what choice do we have?

Early in this writing, guns were stated as not being the problem; the people using the weapons

are precisely the problem. Humans will always be tempted thanks to our sinful nature. So what

we have to do, is go through the psychology and mind of those people. The first thing to try

would be to educate students on firearms nationwide through the federal education system. Many

people are afraid of firearms. From experience most who people who are afraid of guns that I

have met have never fired a gun in person, or even seen one. For those seeking to purchase a

firearm, a permit that requires a psychological test and background check will be required.

Regardless there will be people who will go through the system and still do evil. What we must

do is encourage citizens to arm themselves. More firearms in each home mean more people have

a chance of defending themselves; while deterring criminals from attacking or committing

GUN CONTROL DEBATE 10

crimes. Wolves will always hid themselves amongst the sheep, so we must arm ourselves to

ensure our safety. In the small peaceful nation of Switzerland and its 8.6 million people, It is

mandatory that every household in Switzerland owns a firearm for self-defense (Swissinfo,

2018). The small nation is surrounded by stronger nations, its why the gun culture Switzerland

promotes has kept crime and safety lower than other countries that have banned guns outright!

Crime per 1000 is reported only to be at 42 incidents; the United Kingdom has nearly three times

the amount of 104 episodes stated per 1000. For every one million people nine are estimated to

be killed by guns. Compared to the United States, 32 are killed per 1 million. A number much

higher than Switzerland considering the United States has 323 million reported citizens. A good

portion of citizens in the United States of America don’t have firearms. Switzerland is a perfect

example of why more guns drop the crime rate. Keeps the people safe.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the gun control debate is something that people just are not that

knowledgeable. Increasing our knowledge of these weapons will lead to a safer community and

country. It is just like what Japanese ​Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto during World War 2, “​You

cannot invade the mainland United States. There would be a rifle behind each blade of grass."

His knowledge of US laws led the Japanese to believe that if an invasion of US soil were to

happen that they would have to deal with the military fighting them and civilians who at the time

had the most guns than any other generation. More knowledge of firearms in every household

keeps us safe from dangerous criminals and foreign elements from harming us; and having our
GUN CONTROL DEBATE 11

gun control laws more streamlined would allow our everyday citizens to become better armed in

their defense and safety of our country.

GUN CONTROL DEBATE 12

Reference Page 
The most comprehensive look yet at how the Las Vegas concert massacre unfolded. (n.d.). 
Retrieved from http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-las-vegas-timeline-20180119-story.html

Vann, M., & Siemaszko, C. (2018, March 07). Nikolas Cruz, accused Parkland shooter, 'restless' in 
solitary, reports say. Retrieved from 
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/nikolas-cruz-accused-parkland-shooter-restless-solitary
-reports-say-n854391​Gomez, Alan, and Kaila White. “Here Are All the Victims of the Las Vegas

Shooting.”​USA Today​, Gannett Satellite Information Network, 8 Oct. 2017,

www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2017/10/06/here-all-victims-las-vegas-shooting/73323600
1/​.
“Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives.” ​National Firearms Act | Bureau of
Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives​,
www.atf.gov/rules-and-regulations/national-firearms-act​.

Staff, L. (2017, October 10). Article IV. Retrieved from 

https://www.law.cornell.edu/constitution/articleiv 

Borger, J., Boone, J., & Phillips, T. (2016, October 23). Hillary Clinton's record as secretary of state 
hints at possible presidential role. Retrieved from 
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/oct/23/hillary-clinton-record-secretary-of-state-foreig
n-policy 

N. (n.d.). Federal Legislation. Retrieved from 

https://www.nraila.org/legal-legislation/federal-legislation/ 

Chicago Police Department​, ​home.chicagopolice.org/online-services/crime-statistics/​. 

Hoover, Marcus. May 28, 1999. Where All the Madness Began: A Look at Gang History​, 
web.stanford.edu/class/e297c/poverty_prejudice/gangcolor/madness.htm. 

Giovancchini, A. M. (1999, June 4). Poverty & Prejudice: Media and Race. Retrieved from 
https://web.stanford.edu/class/e297c/poverty_prejudice/mediarace/negative.htm​N. (n.d.). Federal 
Legislation. Retrieved from ​https://www.nraila.org/legal-legislation/federal-legislation/ 

N. (n.d.). California Gun Laws. Retrieved from 

https://www.nraila.org/gun-laws/state-gun-laws/california/ 

S. (2017, May 01). Key Statistics. Retrieved from 

https://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/key-statistics/29023800 

Dillinger, J. (2015, October 29). The Most Dangerous States in the United States. Retrieved from 
https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/the-most-dangerous-states-in-the-u-s.html