Silva 1

Adrian Silva

Mr. Droski

English 11B

27 Mar. 2020

Gun Control

In the United States, the second amendment seems to constantly be a resurfacing topic

within the political landscape. Over time there have been some legislation alongside the right to

bear arms, for example, the banning of fully automatic assault rifles. However, the United States

is an unpredictable nation and is in need of more support and safety of the citizens of America.

The United States needs to push for more gun control legislation because of the shocking rise in

the number of mass shootings, states with weak guns laws experience higher rates of gun

violence and gun control legislation will not eradicate the second amendment but rather regulate

it.

Ever since the birth of the constitution, the United States, as a nation, has created various

amendments, granting rights to the constituents of American society. One of those rights, the 2nd

amendment, has caused a lot of controversy over the years it has been implemented. A rise in

fire-arm related deaths is leading to the nation wanting change and no more thoughts and

prayers. ​In the U.S, in 2017, the Center for Disease Control (CDC) reported that firearm-related

deaths were as high as 39,773 (“Gun Control”).​ The second amendment plays a big part in the

liberties citizens have in the United States but has caught the eye of gun control advocates over

the recent century. Activists for gun control are pushing for newly proposed laws that control

firearms; their counterparts, 2nd amendment promoters, argue that regulations on guns are
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dangerous threats to their right to bear arms. The constant struggle for change has caused debate

over the safety of America. Does the United States need more guns to protect the citizens of the

country? Simply put, America is in need of more gun control.

One reason why the United States is in need of more gun control is because mass

shootings are becoming more prevalent in today’s society. Innocent people every day are dying

due to gun violence in public places. ​Eleven days after the shooting at the Tree of Life

synagogue in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania there was another shooting at a bar in Thousand Oaks,

California. Nine months prior was a deadly school shooting in Parkland, Florida and one year

before there was a shooting at a music festival in Las Vegas, Nevada ​(​“Will Congress Toughen

Gun Laws?"). With more and more mass shootings occurring, more people are becoming injured

or dying, which is not good for America.

Another reason why the United States needs more Gun Control is because states that

already have some gun control laws in place experience fewer gun-related crimes. There will

always be deranged people in the world, but by suppressing the chances of a lunatic getting a

firearm, the lower of a chance shootings will occur. A study released by the Violence Policy

Center in 2009 reported that, “...states with weak gun laws and high rates of gun ownership have

the highest rates of gun death. Conversely, the study found that states with strong gun laws and

low rates of gun ownership had significantly lower rates of firearm-related death” (“Stronger

Gun Control Laws Will Save Lives.”). This relationship represents how the weaker the gun law,

the higher the risk of gun-related deaths there might be. Therefore, with tighter restrictions on

gun laws on the federal level, there will be less chances of firearm related deaths; because if it

can work at the state level, it can work on the national level.
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Lastly, the United States needs more gun control because it is not completely erasing the

second amendment but rather regulating it. “Polls show that nine out of 10 Americans favor

basic steps like universal ​background checks​ before gun purchases, but the exceptions are the

president and a majority in Congress.” (Kristof) “22 percent of guns are obtained without a

check.” The idea of completely getting rid of guns in the U.S. is radical and unrealistic, but with

more regulations on who can obtain a gun it can make our country much safer. Therefore, more

regulations do not mean banning all guns but rather regulating who can have access to firearms,

which can prevent shootings in the future.

Those who support the right to bear arms, second amendment advocates, argue that more

regulations will not be effective: “Existing semiautomatic handguns are typically configured to

use magazines with 11 to 19 rounds. A ban on any size less than 20 would therefore make these

weapons dysfunctional and encounter great resistance” (Levy). While it is true that there would

be resistance to a law that would ban larger magazine sizes, responsible, law-abiding gun owners

should not have to worry about the ban. One does not need multiple rounds to protect oneself.

The United States needs to push for more gun control legislation because of the rise in the

number of mass shootings, states with weak guns laws experience higher rates of gun violence

and gun control legislation will not eradicate the second amendment, but rather regulate it. If

guns are being protected more than kids, then the next generation is at risk. How can the

government value the life of firearms more than life?

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Works Cited

"Gun Control." ​Gale Opposing Viewpoints Online Collection​, Gale, 2019. ​Gale In Context:

Opposing Viewpoints​,

https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/PC3010999212/OVIC?u=lom_accessmich&sid=O

VIC&xid=b0f48974. Accessed 11 Mar. 2020.

Kristof, Nicholas. "How to Win An Argument About Guns." ​New York Times,​ 5 Apr. 2018, p.

A27(L). ​Gale In Context: Opposing Viewpoints​,

https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A533374047/OVIC?u=lom_accessmich&sid=OV

IC&xid=51542ca8. Accessed 17 Mar. 2020.

Levy, Robert A. "Gun Regulations Are Ineffective and Threaten the Second Amendment." Gun

Violence, edited by Noël Merino, Greenhaven Press, 2015. Opposing

Viewpoints. Gale In Context: Opposing Viewpoints,

https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/EJ3010223284/OVIC?u=lom_accessmich&sid=O

VIC&xid=d66722d3. Accessed 17 Mar. 2020. Originally published as "Our Core

Second Amendment Rights," Cato's Letter, vol. 11, no. 3, Summer 2013.

"Stronger Gun Control Laws Will Save Lives." ​Guns and Crime​, edited by Christine Watkins,

Greenhaven Press, 2012. At Issue. ​Gale In Context: Opposing Viewpoints,​

https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/EJ3010015248/OVIC?u=lom_accessmich&sid=O

VIC&xid=2df4516e. Accessed 17 Mar. 2020. Originally published as "Ten Myths

About Gun Violence in America," ​LCAV.org​, 2009.

"Will Congress Toughen Gun Laws?" ​New York Times​, 9 Nov. 2018, p. A30(L). ​Gale In

Context: Opposing Viewpoints,​

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https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A561536704/OVIC?u=lom_accessmich&sid=OVI

C&xid=696f611b. Accessed 17 Mar. 2020.