Gun Control

It doesn’t work.

There are no dangerous weapons, only dangerous people.

The Second Amendment, What does
it Guarantee?
The second amendment guarantees law
abiding citizens the right to keep and bear
arms
What is Gun Control?

Gun control is an umbrella term that refers to laws and

ordinances that restrict how law-abiding citizens can
buy, own, or use firearms. These vary at the federal,
state, and local levels.
What does Gun Control Look like at
Different Levels?
● In some towns people with a concealed
carry license aren’t allowed to carry
firearms in places such as public parks
● In Chicago it is unlawful to carry most
semi-automatic guns
The Government and Guns

● Gun Control Act of 1968

○ After the assassinations of JFK, Attorney General Robert Kennedy,
and Martin Luther King Jr., the gun control act was put in place to
create a stricter gun licensing process and to create stricter gun
regulations
● Brady Handgun Prevention Act of 1993
○ The Brady Law put in place a five day waiting period before a
licensed gun manufacturer, importer, or retailer, could give a
handgun to an unlicensed individual. This law applied only to states
without an acceptable system to conduct background checks.
 It has been seen that gun
control doesn’t work all that
effectively, but why?
Reason #1: Criminals don’t follow the
law
● By definition criminals don’t follow the law
● Gun control has only affected law abiding citizens who go
through the legal process to own a firearm
○ In 2016 the Obama administration, by the Bureau of Justice
Statistics, conducted a study to see how prison inmates obtained
the firearms used to commit their crimes. Only 10% obtained them
legally
■ They were typically obtained through illegal underground
sales, bought, borrowed, traded, gifts, another person bought
the firearm for them, theft, from their victims, or from the
scene of a crime.
Reason #2: Cities with the strictest
gun laws have the highest crime
rates
● Chicago saw a 50% increase in homicide in 2020

(All gun related)

● New York City saw a 41% increase in homicide and

shootings increased by 95% in 2020
Reason #3: Suicide and mental
health is the central reason for gun
violence
● A report in the Harvard Political Review said that in 2019
almost ⅔ of gun deaths were suicides
○ Gun control won’t stop this because guns aren’t the only means for
someone to take their own life

“Attempting to stop suicide by imposing gun control is like

trying to stop drunk driving by banning cars: it’s a
completely implausible “solution” that elides the actual
problem at hand.” - Mark Houser
Reason #4: Familial Violence

● A homicide victim is 5x more likely to have been killed by

a family member, rather than a gun
○ This means the victim is more likely to have been beaten, strangled,
abused, etc. by a family member, rather than shot by someone else.
● A woman’s chance of death increases by 500% when a
gun is present during a domestic dispute
FBI Statistics

● Per 2019 FBI data, only 2.6% of homicides were carried

out using a rifle
○ Clubs and bare fists were used more
As gun control has become
more strict, it can be seen
that active shooting
incidents have increased. In
2000 there were only three
incidents of an active
shooting. Gun control was
less strict then. In 2020 there
were 40 incidences with an
active shooter. In the past 20
years gun control has
continued to become more
strict and because of it we
have seen an increase in
active shootings by 37 cases.
Why Should Americans Keep
Their Guns?
Guns make people feel safer

● 79% of male gun owners and 80% of female gun owners

said owning a gun makes them feel safer
● 64% of people who have a gun in their home feel safer
People need to be educated about
guns
● 95% of all US gun owners feels children need to be
educated on proper gun safety
○ “Children taught about firearms and their legitimate uses by
family members have much lower rates of delinquency than
children in households without guns” and “children introduced
to guns associate them with freedom, security, and
recreation—not violence.” - Kyle Wintersteen, managing editor
of Guns and Ammo
Owning a Gun Helps Improve Motor
Skills
● After learning how to use a gun properly motor skill
become more defined and physical discipline overall will
increase
● Hand eye coordination will be built
● People become more aware of their surroundings
Guns are Used for Sport

Guns are not only used for hunting….

● Trap Shooting
● Target practice
● Skeet
● Sporting Clays

People use guns for their own enjoyment and fun

It’s in the Constitution

➔ The second amendment guarantees citizens the right to

have guns. Taking this away would infringe on this right
and be deemed unconstitutional
➔ If it’s in the constitution, then the right can’t be taken
away
Sources
https://thevideoink.com/benefits-of-owning-gun/
https://gun-control.procon.org/
https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2022/02/03/what-the-data-says-abou
t-gun-deaths-in-the-u-s/ft_22-01-26_gundeaths_4/

https://fee.org/articles/4-reasons-gun-control-can-t-solve-america-s-violence
-problem/
https://www.atf.gov/rules-and-regulations/brady-law
https://www.atf.gov/rules-and-regulations/gun-control-act
https://www.nraila.org/why-gun-control-doesn-t-work/