The_Future
Member
My english teacher said that we had to have papers peer edited. Well I thought why not just you all tear into it.
Gun Control
Gun control, few issues seem to stir up such large amounts of feelings on both sides. I believe that gun control is wrong because gun laws don’t affect crime positively, guns are less dangerous than they seem, and guns are effective tools for self-defense. Some for gun control say it’s for the children, yet more children drown in pools than die from guns, others say it prevents criminals from arming themselves but criminals are not known to follow the law in the first place. Therefore I don’t believe gun control is about safety. Then what is it about? I don’t know.
“80,000 members of Japan’s organized crime have weapon’s… when guns are outlawed only outlaws will have guns”(Francis, 133). Criminals aren’t know for their ability to follow all the laws but the one they plan on breaking. They usually break a lot of them when they commit a crime, you don’t see many car chases within the speed limit do you? This also applies to guns: very few criminals get guns through legal channels, most are stolen are bought illegally. Outlawing guns only removes the law-abiding citizens of their property and means to defend themselves. In fact banning firearms can dramatically increase the crime rate. In Australia province of Victoria all handguns were banned yet after the ban homicides with firearms rose three hundred percent (Francis, 133). In Japan all private ownership of guns is banned yet violent crime is the highest
ever (Francis, 132). I don’t think taking guns away from citizens makes a criminals job any harder, or makes the society any safer.
Then the laws that target something that is popular with law-abiding citizens and rarely used in the commission of a crime. The Assault Weapon Ban of 1994 was just such a law. The Ban outlawed the manufacture of a rifle with a detachable magazine, and two of the following features: a folding of collapsible stock, a pistol grip, bayonet mount, flash suppressor or threaded barrel, and a grenade launcher (Casewell). I have shot rifles with that would be considered “assault weapons” and it did not seem any deadlier than a standard rifle. Also some might think the ban was good for banning the grenade launchers, well the grenades are considered a Destructive Device, and require a person to obtain proper licensing before buying the grenade. All of the previous listed features are only cosmetic and don’t affect the function of the firearm (Casewell). Some people ask why own an “assault weapon” well why do some people own a Corvette? That’s what “assault weapons” are; they are the sport cars of firearms. The car analogy can be continued to “assault weapons” being used in crimes, I haven’t seen many Corvettes used as get way cars, and I haven’t seen many “assault weapons” used in the commission of a crime. Gun laws don’t positively crime rates or even relevant.
Guns seem like they are extremely dangerous to have around but there are many things that are more statically cause more deaths than firearms, twice the number of children 14 and under die for bicycle accidents than firearms and four times that number die from drowning (Rabik, 145). You don’t see campaigns against pools for bicycles as loud or as large as you see them against guns. There is no bill sitting in committee requiring any house with children to have a lock able fence around the pool, but there is one, H.R.1022, to reinstate the Assault Weapon Ban of 1994.
“We don’t train children early in dangerous activities such as driving, why make and acceptation for firearms” (Emerson, 40). From the opposite side we have the NRA saying to expose and teach your children about firearms to remove the child’s curiosity about them (Emerson, 40). I would have to side with the NRA on this, I exposed to driving and an early age and didn’t feel the need to find out more about it. I was also given the chore of mowing the lawn with a riding lawn mower, teaching me some driving skills. This can also be applied to firearms, you teach your children about firearms and you have them shoot a BB gun under your supervision for them to learn the proper way to handle one. Also the NRA has a program that teaches children to not handle firearms without an adult.
The average rate for accidental firearm deaths is 1,500 a year while the accidental death rate for doctors and hospitals is 120,000 (Schlafly, 17). Now consider that there are around 50 million guns owned privately in America. The accident rate isn’t as bad as say accidental deaths involving cars. Another surprising fact: in the 20th century 170 million people were killed by their own government (Cottrol). Most of those were killed after being disarmed, Hitler, and Stalin both used gun control to disarm political opponents and silence them. You can see that there a lot of things more dangerous out there than guns in law-abiding hands.
The last reason I believe gun control is wrong is that guns are affective means of self-defense. Despite what some say guns are effective means of self-defense and they are commonly used for it. The Department of Justice estimates the guns are used defensively anywhere from 750,000 to 3.6 million times a year (Emerson, 11). The percent of these that shots are fired is somewhere around ten percent. Guns are also the most effective means of self-defense. “Women facing violent assault were two and half times more likely to suffer serious injury if they had no firearm compared to those who did” (Rabik, 146). That debunks the idea that if a woman has a firearm and is attacked it will be taken away and used against her, which is simple not true. The idea that shootings are an epidemic in states that allow the carry of a concealed weapon is also false. “Over on million Americans have been licensed to carry firearms” (Cottral). Nor are people who carry concealed weapons legally any more likely to be arrested. Florida since 1987 has had laws stating anyone who meets the requirements must be issued a permit; in fact the arrest rate for those that hold a permit is one in fourteen thousand (Reynolds, 116). Criminals don’t follow the law and enacting laws that keep law-abiding citizens from protecting themselves only serves to makes the criminals life a little safer. “The requirements in most states include a background check, 10 to 15 hours of training with a test over the laws of self-defense, and a test of the applicants accuracy, the test must also be passed every time the permit is renewed” (Reynolds, 116). The states are not allowing anyone to just apply and receive a permit but are making sure that the people who hold these permits actually have some training. This is why I feel guns are effective for self-defense.
Gun Control doesn’t affect crime, demonized an inanimate object, and denies citizens of their right to defend themselves. Politicians will continue to try and pass more gun control laws unless we speak up. If you don’t care either way go out and shoot with a responsible firearm owner and see how much fun it is.
Gun Control
Gun control, few issues seem to stir up such large amounts of feelings on both sides. I believe that gun control is wrong because gun laws don’t affect crime positively, guns are less dangerous than they seem, and guns are effective tools for self-defense. Some for gun control say it’s for the children, yet more children drown in pools than die from guns, others say it prevents criminals from arming themselves but criminals are not known to follow the law in the first place. Therefore I don’t believe gun control is about safety. Then what is it about? I don’t know.
“80,000 members of Japan’s organized crime have weapon’s… when guns are outlawed only outlaws will have guns”(Francis, 133). Criminals aren’t know for their ability to follow all the laws but the one they plan on breaking. They usually break a lot of them when they commit a crime, you don’t see many car chases within the speed limit do you? This also applies to guns: very few criminals get guns through legal channels, most are stolen are bought illegally. Outlawing guns only removes the law-abiding citizens of their property and means to defend themselves. In fact banning firearms can dramatically increase the crime rate. In Australia province of Victoria all handguns were banned yet after the ban homicides with firearms rose three hundred percent (Francis, 133). In Japan all private ownership of guns is banned yet violent crime is the highest
ever (Francis, 132). I don’t think taking guns away from citizens makes a criminals job any harder, or makes the society any safer.
Then the laws that target something that is popular with law-abiding citizens and rarely used in the commission of a crime. The Assault Weapon Ban of 1994 was just such a law. The Ban outlawed the manufacture of a rifle with a detachable magazine, and two of the following features: a folding of collapsible stock, a pistol grip, bayonet mount, flash suppressor or threaded barrel, and a grenade launcher (Casewell). I have shot rifles with that would be considered “assault weapons” and it did not seem any deadlier than a standard rifle. Also some might think the ban was good for banning the grenade launchers, well the grenades are considered a Destructive Device, and require a person to obtain proper licensing before buying the grenade. All of the previous listed features are only cosmetic and don’t affect the function of the firearm (Casewell). Some people ask why own an “assault weapon” well why do some people own a Corvette? That’s what “assault weapons” are; they are the sport cars of firearms. The car analogy can be continued to “assault weapons” being used in crimes, I haven’t seen many Corvettes used as get way cars, and I haven’t seen many “assault weapons” used in the commission of a crime. Gun laws don’t positively crime rates or even relevant.
Guns seem like they are extremely dangerous to have around but there are many things that are more statically cause more deaths than firearms, twice the number of children 14 and under die for bicycle accidents than firearms and four times that number die from drowning (Rabik, 145). You don’t see campaigns against pools for bicycles as loud or as large as you see them against guns. There is no bill sitting in committee requiring any house with children to have a lock able fence around the pool, but there is one, H.R.1022, to reinstate the Assault Weapon Ban of 1994.
“We don’t train children early in dangerous activities such as driving, why make and acceptation for firearms” (Emerson, 40). From the opposite side we have the NRA saying to expose and teach your children about firearms to remove the child’s curiosity about them (Emerson, 40). I would have to side with the NRA on this, I exposed to driving and an early age and didn’t feel the need to find out more about it. I was also given the chore of mowing the lawn with a riding lawn mower, teaching me some driving skills. This can also be applied to firearms, you teach your children about firearms and you have them shoot a BB gun under your supervision for them to learn the proper way to handle one. Also the NRA has a program that teaches children to not handle firearms without an adult.
The average rate for accidental firearm deaths is 1,500 a year while the accidental death rate for doctors and hospitals is 120,000 (Schlafly, 17). Now consider that there are around 50 million guns owned privately in America. The accident rate isn’t as bad as say accidental deaths involving cars. Another surprising fact: in the 20th century 170 million people were killed by their own government (Cottrol). Most of those were killed after being disarmed, Hitler, and Stalin both used gun control to disarm political opponents and silence them. You can see that there a lot of things more dangerous out there than guns in law-abiding hands.
The last reason I believe gun control is wrong is that guns are affective means of self-defense. Despite what some say guns are effective means of self-defense and they are commonly used for it. The Department of Justice estimates the guns are used defensively anywhere from 750,000 to 3.6 million times a year (Emerson, 11). The percent of these that shots are fired is somewhere around ten percent. Guns are also the most effective means of self-defense. “Women facing violent assault were two and half times more likely to suffer serious injury if they had no firearm compared to those who did” (Rabik, 146). That debunks the idea that if a woman has a firearm and is attacked it will be taken away and used against her, which is simple not true. The idea that shootings are an epidemic in states that allow the carry of a concealed weapon is also false. “Over on million Americans have been licensed to carry firearms” (Cottral). Nor are people who carry concealed weapons legally any more likely to be arrested. Florida since 1987 has had laws stating anyone who meets the requirements must be issued a permit; in fact the arrest rate for those that hold a permit is one in fourteen thousand (Reynolds, 116). Criminals don’t follow the law and enacting laws that keep law-abiding citizens from protecting themselves only serves to makes the criminals life a little safer. “The requirements in most states include a background check, 10 to 15 hours of training with a test over the laws of self-defense, and a test of the applicants accuracy, the test must also be passed every time the permit is renewed” (Reynolds, 116). The states are not allowing anyone to just apply and receive a permit but are making sure that the people who hold these permits actually have some training. This is why I feel guns are effective for self-defense.
Gun Control doesn’t affect crime, demonized an inanimate object, and denies citizens of their right to defend themselves. Politicians will continue to try and pass more gun control laws unless we speak up. If you don’t care either way go out and shoot with a responsible firearm owner and see how much fun it is.
