Gun Control and Gun Violence Facts

The Second Amendment to the United States Constitution protects the right of the people to keep and bear arms and was adopted on December 15, 1791, as part of the Bill of Rights. The United States has 120 guns per 100 people. People have used guns for hunting, war, and protecting their homes and families for decades.

People should have the right to have guns and to own them. America has witnessed many shootings in schools and on the streets. The individuals who started the shootings have always been detained or killed shortly after. And many have also taken their own lives shortly after they committed this crime. After all that said America has lost many children, teachers, brothers, and sisters due to gun violence. Many of the shooters that get put in prison have said that they have mental issues and that they did not mean to commit the crime. And some would just say they hated the people they killed and so they killed them. Many people blame the gun violence on assault rifles. But, all in all, you can kill someone with any type of gun so that is not a valid argument on this topic.

Sixty percent of people who have guns are protecting against crime. Thirty-six percent of people who own guns use them for hunting and wildlife purposes. And 21 percent of people said they use them for target shooting. Forty-five percent of people who own guns are males, and fifteen percent of people who own guns are females. Thirty-three percent of people who own guns are white people. Twenty-two percent of people who own guns are non-white residents of the united states. Thirty-eight percent of people who own guns in the United States are Republicans, thirty-one percent are Independent, and twenty-two percent are Democrat. A survey in 1982 of male felons in 11 state prisons across the United States found that thirty- four percent have been shot at, wounded, or captured by an armed person. Forty percent said that they decided to not commit a crime because they believed the victim may have a gun on them. Sixty percent said they personally knew other criminals who had been shot at or wounded by someone. (30)

The United States has had many shootings and criminal activity involving guns in the past years. In February 2018, a man opened fire at a high school in Florida, killing 17 and injuring more than a dozen kids in the school. The man was arrested on the scene by the Broward County Sheriff’s office. He was charged with seventeen counts of murder and seventeen counts of attempted murder. The shooter used an AR-15 to commit all of the murders on that day. Nikolas Cruz was the man that was charged with these crimes. This shooting was the deadliest shooting at a high school in United States history. Cruz made videos before he committed these crimes saying how he was going to kill people and that it was going to be a crazy day. He put the video up on youtube in 2017 but the FBI could not identify who he was. This shooting affected friends and family of the victims who were killed. The shooting angered many people who are for furthering gun laws in the United States (Stoneman Douglas). Another instance of a mass shooting was in Las Vegas in 2017.

The mass shooting took place October 1, on Sunday night. The gunman opened fire on hundreds of people who were at a concert in Vegas. Stephen Paddock shot 1,100 rounds from the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay hotel. In this shooting, he killed 58 people and injured 851. After he committed this crime he was found dead in his room from a self-inflicted gunshot wound or suicide using a gun. His reasoning for this act is still unknown to this day. He used 24 different firearms to shoot all of the innocent people. All gun control accomplishes is keeping guns out of the hands of people who commit crimes. People want to keep criminals from being able to buy guns legally in the United States. The problem with this tactic is criminals do not normally buy guns legally they get them from other people on eBay or craigslist. Criminals and common people can get a gun whenever they want and whatever caliber they want as long as they have a lot of money to spend on a gun.

The biggest problem with gun laws are law abiding citizens would not purchase certain guns and the criminals would rule the United States and it would be impossible for the law abiding citizens to defend themselves from criminals. If guns were to be outlawed the only people that would have guns would be the criminals and in turn, the United States would be a very scary place to live in before long. And the law abiding citizens would be in a world of hurt because the police can only do so much and on top of that, they can not get to the scene in a split second. Many people want gun laws to be enforced because they live in fear of someone killing them because they have a gun.

But, after what was just said it would be better for them to get their concealed carry license and defend themselves rather than depending on the law to keep criminals away from owning a gun. With all of this being said there are many different opinions on gun laws and how to stop gun violence in the United States. There have been so many tragedies in the United States due to gun violence. But, the question has to be, is it the gun or is it the person behind the gun pulling the trigger that is causing the problems in this country? People use guns for far more than murdering people. The United States should not punish the people that are law abiding citizens that use their guns respectfully.

Works Cited

1. Agresti, James D., Smith, Reid K. & Guerra, Rebecca. “Gun Control Facts.” Just Facts. 23 February 2018. Web. 12 November 2018. .
2. Chavez, Nicole. “Bump Stock: The Device Found on Las Vegas Shooter’s Guns.” CNN, Cable News Network, 5 Oct. 2017, www.cnn.com/2017/10/04/us/bump-stock-las-vegas-shooting/index.html.
3. Chavez, Nicole. “Bump Stock: The Device Found on Las Vegas Shooter’s Guns.” CNN, Cable News Ne

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