Pro Gun Control

Necessity for Gun Control

Maxwell

[Institutional Affiliation(s)]

Author Note

Why Gun Laws need an overhaul in the US

The Necessity for Gun Control

During August, in the city of El Paso (Texas), a man named Patrick killed at least twenty-two people in cold blood at a Walmart store. His actions were driven because of feelings of hate towards the Hispanic residents of the area. This is only one such incident out of many more that have happened this year. This has led to a series of debates throughout the United States, calling for overhauling in the current gun policy. There is, of course, a division among the public opinion regarding the said issue. The side that has borne losses due to gun violence thinks that all guns should be kept out of public hands while others rightfully quote the right to bear firearms under the Second Amendment of the US constitution CITATION Wil94 \l 3081 (Alstyne, 1994). The side that favors gun control also view their opponents’ argument as a weak defense as the 18th century united states was a lot more different than today. The territory was expanding and there was general lawlessness, famously cited in several Wild West stories. Therefore, the possessions of firearms were the necessity of the day. Furthermore, the clouds of the War of Independence were fresh on the horizon and subsequently, the common folk was armed as everyone had to fight for their independence. Now there is a well-established law and order structure in the states, which makes it somewhat pointless to circulate such a high quantity of firearms in the market.

After the gun control implementation in Great Britain, there has been only one mass shootout since 2016 CITATION Jul16 \l 3081 (Juliette Jowit, 2016). These laws were enacted to restrict the use of semi-automatic weapons, which have the capability to rapid kill hundreds in a matter of minutes. Today, Britain has the second most strict gun laws after Japan. In comparison, there have been two-hundred and fifty-five mass shootings until August this year CITATION Jas19 \l 3081 (Silverstein, 2019).

To mount a compelling argument, let us take the example of the Hungerford shootings. The perpetrator, Ryan was a person with no criminal background, yet he killed sixteen people in cold blood due to a sudden fit of rage. This is a serious concern. No state authority can expect a normal person could snap at a moment and kill scores of people. However, this is the story of a majority of mass shootings as the government keeps a watchful eye on the criminals on the street rather than the general population.

The average citizen may indeed need to purchase a weapon to protect him in certain areas where law enforcement is stretched thin. But this not the reason the government should not enact gun reforms in the country. There should be a measure for the safety of the people. There should be strict and extensive psychological evaluation as well as a thorough background check of the person who wishes to purchase a gun. Also, guns should only be sold at specific stores rather than at Walmart. To conclude, guns should not be easily available for anyone, as there is always a chance it will fall into the wrong hands. In the present scenario, these chances are plenty, unless the federal government does something otherwise.

References

BIBLIOGRAPHY Alstyne, W. V. (1994). The Second Amendment and the Personal Right to Arms. Duke bar journal, V.6.

Juliette Jowit, S. L. (2016). Four countries with gun control – and what America could learn from them. The Guardian.

Silverstein, J. (2019). There have been more mass shootings than days this year. Washington DC: CBS News.