Gun Control

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We live in a society where innocence is no longer existent. The idea of trust is rapidly declining and as our world is continuously changing, we must look out for our best interests. Gun ownership should solely for the use of self-defense, recreation, and should be limited to those who are “clean”. My description of “clean” means mentally stable and no previous criminal background. It may be true that guns can wreak havoc in society, but at the same time provides many people reassurance, protection, and a sense of security. Guns are also used for recreational purposes such as target shooting and hunting. Without hunting, we would be over run with an over population of deer, rabbit, certain avian species, etc. We as Americans rely on guns to fight our wars, crime, keeping wildlife population in balance, and to maintain security. Today, there are more gun owners than there were in the past. Approximately, 40-45% of households have firearms and 70-80 million Americans are gun owners, out of them 40-45 million own handguns ( According to the NRA, The National Rifle Association, “forty states have the right-to-carry [law], and 48 states prohibit cities from imposing gun laws more restrictive than state law” ( Due to this factual evidence, the overall number of violent crimes has lowered by 40% since 1991. The fact of the matter is that there are many laws and regulations that have been established, which allows adequate filtering of who and who should not be allowed to possess a firearm. Needless to say, the system isn’t perfect but America has come a long way in regards to ownership of a firearm. Guns should be sold only to those who are only “clean”. The 2nd Amendment of the U.S. Constitution states “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” ( This law may interfere with putting firearms in safe hands. Basically in Layman’s terms, it’s the constitutional right for the American public to legally possess a firearm. In 1968, Congress passed the Gun Control Act, which allowed people to still purchase guns even though they may have been high-risk individuals. Which can lead to chaos like the Virginia Tech Shooting massacre in 2007. These “high-risk people included felons, youth, and the dangerously mentally ill, among others” ( because they were able to provide fraudulent information on their gun applications without anyone checking them out. Arms dealers should be more aware and strict on whom they’re selling the firearm to. In “Night Mother” by Marsha Norman, Jesse was able to obtain bullets from the store clerk by providing false information about her intentions with them, which resulted in her suicide. Even though bullets are not guns, they are still deadly. Without bullets, you can’t shoot a gun or take a life. Most bullets with fit the same gun chamber. This all changed on November 30, 1993, when Bill Clinton signed the Brady Bill. The bill required every licensed dealer to run a background check on potential gun buyers to ensure that the information provided was true. The detailed system that a private owner must go through has eliminated the ease in purchasing a gun like once before. A potential gun owner is required to receive permission from the U.S. Treasury Department, undergo an extensive background check, register the firearm, regularly update personal information (i.e. home address and location of the gun), and pay a $200 transfer tax. Purchasing a gun might give person sense of security at their home.

Guns are an alternative to self-defense. They are entitled to self-defense and as our world is becoming more of a hostile environment, we become encouraged to defend ourselves. What is the point of having rights and liberties as a person, if we don’t have the necessary resources and tools to defend them? Firearms...
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