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Ethan Smith
English 304-002
Professor Spencer
10/23/18

Gun Control Laws, Mental Health, and Suicide

We all know of Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, and of what horrors

took place there on the 14th of February, 2018. The masses know of the tragedy of Sandy Hook,

and the unthinkable actions that would engrave it into the back of every parent’s mind. Now we

are faced with a choice, we either allow these things to keep happening, or, we act. Both of these

events were cases of mass school shootings that resulted in numerous deaths and injuries and led

many kids and parents alike to fear for safety at schools. On top of this we have cases emerging

almost everyday about some twisted individual who has obtained weaponry legally and used it to

kill and harm citizens. My answer, and the majority of the United States answer, is to push for

stricter gun control laws in order to prevent these events from happening. The push for gun

control is stronger than it has ever been, and even though many people oppose it, we should push

to make it a reality.

The United States has 120.5 guns per 100 people, or about 393,347,000 guns, which is

the highest total and per capita number in the world (ProCon.Org)! Now, is this really a

problem? I would argue that it is not, the fact that people arm themselves for whatever reason

they might have is not an issue. The issue is how and why these individuals obtain their

weapons. Justice Antonin Scalia is quoted saying, "Like most rights, the right secured by the

Second Amendment is not unlimited… nothing in our opinion should be taken to cast doubt on

longstanding prohibitions on the possession of firearms by felons and the mentally ill, or laws
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forbidding the carrying of firearms in sensitive places such as schools and government buildings,

or laws imposing conditions and qualifications on the commercial sale of arms (ProCon.Org).”

This is important because it shows that the second amendment does not guarantee what most

people think it does. Yes, it guarantees you the right to arm yourself and own a weapon,

however; why should that weapon be a military grade rifle or belonging to a mentally unstable

person? Both of which have led to numerous shootings. Pushing for stronger gun control laws is

not to take away guns from the American people, it is to prevent the mentally unstable,

psychotic, and inhumane people from obtaining weapons that give them the power to take

multiple human lives with less than the pull of a trigger.

Another strong issue linked to gun control outside of mass shootings is the issue of

suicide, and how guns make suicide a quick and viable option for anyone. Suicide is, and forever

will be, a tragic event that hopefully know one will ever have to go through or be a part of.

However, suicide presents multiple ways of killing oneself and through all of them the pull of a

trigger seems to be the easiest way to go. It really is tragic and maybe if guns were not so readily

available it would give these people more time to think about this action and find help.

According to a report on the rates of suicide in Canada before and after stricter gun control laws,

results showed that restricting easy access to lethal methods of suicide may be a viable means of

preventing suicide (Lester, 790). Throughout the report the reporters took a look at the data

comprised by Statistics Canada (annual) for the numbers of suicides by each method throughout

1969 to 1985. They were able to identify that since the bill restricting gun access went into effect

the rates of both suicide by firearm and suicide in general decreased. This is an action that needs

to be taken by America. With actual statistics backing the framework of gun control laws we

should follow suite in order to restrict the amount of unnecessary suicides ever year. This again
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ties into the issue of an enhanced screening process for any and all gun owners, old or new.

Again, there is no reason to take everyone’s guns, but there are individuals who are mentally

unfit to handle weaponry and they should be restricted on their ability to purchase a firearm.

There are people who oppose stricter gun control laws however. Typically, I believe

these people are either misinformed on the severity of gun violence in the United States or they

do not quite understand what is meant by stricter gun control laws. It is not that we want to take

away your right guaranteed to you by the second amendment but rather expanding on it and

putting into effect the need for a better screening process to eliminate any mentally unstable

characters from obtaining firearms. The Second Amendment was intended to protect gun

ownership of all able-bodied men so that they could participate in the militia to keep the peace

and defend the country if needed (ProCon.Org). This is true however, it does not entitle gun

owners to owning military grade rifles. There is an obvious ban on weaponry such as missile

launchers, so why would someone need an automatic rifle or military grade rifle when hunting or

for sport. With a majority of civilians accepting that stricter gun control laws are needed we

should be set on doing something about it. With an enhanced screening process and restrictions

on military grade weaponry we can have a basic foothold to keep dangerous weapons out of the

hands of mentally unwell or sick individuals.

Personally, I do understand both sides of the gun control argument. The right to own a

gun is guaranteed to us by the second amendment and it should never be taken away; however, I

believe that we could implement stricter laws to restrict the types of guns that are available and

who can own a gun. By that I mean we should implement an advanced background check and

screening system that determines who is mentally healthy to own a gun. At this point it is not
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about the “American dream,” but about keeping dangerous people away from dangerous

weaponry. Yes, there is still a chance they can obtain weapons illegally but the odds of that

happening vs the current odds are drastically lowered, and it is proven through research such as

the Canada based one mentioned before. In the end I think that stricter gun control laws are in

order, but not to the extreme that we are denying the American people their rights to own guns.
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Works Cited

“Gun Control - ProCon.org.” Should More Gun Control Laws Be Enacted in the United States?,

gun-control.procon.org/.

Jacobs, James B. Can Gun Control Work? Oxford University Press, 2002.

Lester, David, and Antoon Leenaars. “Suicide Rates in Canada before and after Tightening

Firearm Control Laws.” Psychological Reports, vol. 72, no. 3, 1993, pp. 787–790.,

doi:10.2466/pr0.1993.72.3.787.

Lott, John R. The Bias against Guns: Why Almost Everything Youve Heard about Gun Control Is

Wrong. Regnery Pub, 2003.

Mcginty, Emma E., et al. “Effects of News Media Messages About Mass Shootings on Attitudes

Toward Persons With Serious Mental Illness and Public Support for Gun Control

Policies.” American Journal of Psychiatry, vol. 170, no. 5, 2013, pp. 494–501.,

doi:10.1176/appi.ajp.2013.13010014.