Jonathan Aispuro 12/15/17

Should Gun Laws Be Enacted?

Gun control is a controversial topic for most people. Some people that it can be solved by

having more laws for gun control but others think that laws are pointless and will be a waste.

There have been large amounts of research done on this topic already but it is still divided. Laws

are great for this topic since it has been effective in other countries. This has lowered the rates of

homicide, and suicide. ​These​ are a few examples of why there should be law for gun control.

This is why gun laws should be more strict and enacted fro this country.

In other countries there have been many involvements that have been made to have gun

control laws. These countries include Japan, Australia, United Kingdom, Canada, and China.

There are many reasons why these laws were created and how they helped. For instance, in the

article “5 Countries with Strict Gun Control Laws” by Joseph Kiprop it states for China “ ​China

has a low homicide rate, at 0.7 per 100,000 residents in 2014.” China has strictly regulated gun

ownership and have serious lifetime consequences. If this country can ​have​ strict laws and have a

low homicide rate then why can’t the United States.

Homicide is a serious crime that can end or change a person life by making the wrong

decision. Even if it is by accident or for protection/self defense. A person will most likely be

committed of murder at their ​trial​. In the article “5 Countries with Strict Gun Control Laws” by

Joseph Kiprop for Australia it talks about an event that made gun control laws happen. The

addition of having stricter gun laws have dropped the numbers of homicide committed. This is

confirmed in the second to last paragraph which states “Stricter gun control laws in Australia

have translated to declining gun-homicide rates.” Australia is a country that has changed for the

better because of one incident that involved a mass shooting in Port Arthur, ​Tasmania which left
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Should Gun Laws Be Enacted?
35 people dead and 23 others wounded. Wouldn't you want your family to be safe from

shootings and gun violence​.​ If gun control laws were enacted before then there would not have

been a mass shooting which people dead and wounded.

Suicide is a tragic scenario that many people have encountered in their life. ​A study by

the Harvard School of Public Health of all 50 U.S. states reveals a powerful link between rates of

firearm ownership and suicides. The worst part of the study is that suicide outnumbers homicide

almost wo to one. In the article “Guns and Suicide: A fatal Lin​” by “In the United States,

suicides outnumber homicides almost two to one. Perhaps the real tragedy behind suicide

deaths—about 30,000 a year, one for every 45 attempts—is that so many could be prevented.”

This information is serious and to know that the attempts of suicide could be prevented by loved

ones or by people that you know. Image one of your family committed suicide and you could’ve

done something to prevent it but you were too late. If you had the chance would you prevent it?

This is one of the reason why gun control laws should be enacted.

Gun control laws can be helpful but people still have a right to protect themselves and

also there duty to own firearms. A article written by a man named Zachary Elkins from The New

York Times. The second amendment states ​“The right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall

not be infringed” The amendment wants the people to have guns and that the amendment cannot

be violated. This is insufficient because the second amendment is not enough to stop the laws

from being enacted and to second amendment was written by white men for the “right of all

adult white men at the time the Constitution was written.”

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Should Gun Laws Be Enacted?
Ultimately, gun control laws should be enacted since stricter laws have worked for other

countries it can work here as well. Homicide and suicide rates have dropped as well in the other

states. Even though the second amendment allows all men to carry guns that is still not a excuse

to commit murder or suicide. This is still a problem that can be solved by having stricter laws.

Losing a loved one is tough and it is even worse when it was caused by a weapon that everyone

can own. Having gun control laws can improve everyone’s life and stop many problems in our

society.

"Gun Control Facts." By James D. Agresti and Reid K. Smith. Just Facts, September 13, 2010.
Revised 2/11/13. ​http://justfacts.com/guncontrol.asp
This source defines firearms and provides statistics about private gun ownership in United States.
It goes into detail about specific murder rates and gun ownership facts for different states. The
source gives me information about who can own guns and specific information about these laws.
Also, since it has specific states gun laws, I can expect how the national government will react to
the recent controversy about gun control. I can use this source in my essay because it also
explains the benefits and harms of these gun laws so I can fully understand consequences of
whatever kind of law gets passed. This will help my essay be open-minded, yet convincing. The
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Should Gun Laws Be Enacted?
credibility of this source is legitimate although it only has data prior to 2010. Because of this, I
will have to get a few more recent sources to be as credible as possible. This information is still
factual though, which is why I'll use the data in my essay.
Quote​: “​Based on survey data from the U.S. Department of Justice, roughly 5.9 million violent
crimes were committed in the United States during 2014. These include simple/aggravated
assaults, robberies, sexual assaults, rapes, and murders. Of these, about 600,000 or 10% were
committed by offenders visibly armed with a gun.​”

Elkins,Zachary.​TheNewYorkTimes​.N.p.,n.d.Web.<​http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/06/opinion/t
he-second-amendment-revisited.html?ref=guncontrol&_r=1&​>.
This source is about the second amendment and clearly states what the Constitution has written
about the right to bear arms. This article is from the New York Times and the author believes
there is no need to revise or rewrite the Constitution. I used this source in my argument about the
second amendment and in the contradiction against it. Since this article is published by a man
who is pro-second amendment, it shows me a side of the topic that I do not believe in. This helps
me be more educated about the second amendment, that way my paper will not be so biased. The
credibility is obviously valid since this is an article from the New York Times. I am assuming the
author is reliable since it has been published online as well as in the actual printed newspaper.
Quote: “​The right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed​”

"Assault-Style Weapons In The Civilian Market." ​NPR​. NPR, 20 Dec. 2013. Web.
<​http://www.npr.org/2012/12/20/167694808/assault-style-weapons-in-the-civilian-market​>.
This article is about the dangers of being able to purchase military assault style weapons in the
legal market. It includes an interview with Tom Diaz who is a policy analyst for the Violence
Policy Center. He tells us that weapons like the one used in the Newtown massacre were
originally created for military use only. This source is extremely reliable because it was posted
right after the Newtown shooting and because it is published on NPR’s website.
Quote: “​The semi-automatic weapon found at the site where Adam Lanza shot to death 20
children and six adults, for example, is a variant of a type of gun developed for troops during
Vietnam.​”
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Should Gun Laws Be Enacted?
McCartney, Claire. "Q&A: Should Mental Health Be Part of the Gun Control
Debate?"​GlobalPost​. Global Post Blogs, 21 Feb. 2013. Web. 08 Apr. 2013.
<​http://www.globalpost.com/dispatches/globalpost-blogs/global-pulse/gun-control-mental-health
>.
This is a blog post that includes an interview with a forensic psychologist. Dr. Reid Meloy gives
the author's opinion on the mental health issue behind the national gun control debate. Dr. Meloy
believes that mental illnesses cannot and should not be the excuse for gun violence. He is a noted
psychologist who has written books and worked for the FBI and CIA, so I believe he is
extremely reliable. Also, this blog was posted in February of 2013, so it is more recent than other
articles I’ve read about my topic. I used the interview with Dr Meloy in my argument and
rebuttal of the mental health issue behind this controversy. This man seems to be extremely
educated which justifies my rebuttal.
Quote: “​The public wrongly believes that most gun violence is perpetrated by people with severe
mental illness, which is incorrect.​”

"Should More Gun Control Laws Be Enacted?" 18, Feb. 2016. Article
<​https://gun-control.procon.org/view.resource.php?resourceID=006436​>
This is a article that shows how gun controls were over certain periods of time. Many historical
figures has a lot to say that my have had a influence effect on the matter. This will help me on
my essay for what the different events that took place could have changed peoples thinking on
the matter. This is a great source that I will use as much as possible for my essay.

“5 Countries with Strict Gun Control Laws” by Joseph Kiprop, August 1, 2017.
<​http://www.worldatlas.com/articles/5-countries-with-strict-gun-control-laws.html​>
This article is about 5 different countries that have strict gun control laws. The reason for the
laws in each country is explained and how it helped/change the country. Some of these are
historical events that involve death and the authorization of guns to the people. This will be great
for my essay since it can give reasons for how it helped other countries and how that could
happen to the U.S. Even though some of these may not that resent it can still improve my
argument on gun control laws.
Quote: “​Stricter gun control laws in Australia have translated to declining gun-homicide rates.​”
or “​ China has a low homicide rate, at 0.7 per 100,000 residents in 2014.​”
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Should Gun Laws Be Enacted?
“Guns and Suicide: A fatal link”
<​https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/news/magazine/guns-and-suicide/​>
This article is about the way guns have a great impact on suicide. This will be important for my
essay since it talks about one of my topics which happens to be suicide. This involves an pathos
that will be great to introduce in my essay.
Quote: “In the United States, suicides outnumber homicides almost two to one. Perhaps the real
tragedy behind suicide deaths—about 30,000 a year, one for every 45 attempts—is that so many
could be prevented.”