Gun Control vs Gun Rights

Caroline Zazueta, GySelle Daniels, Hailey Vaval for Gun Control

Valeria Orozco and Chloe Cheuk for Gun Rights
Gun Rights- Black Market Guns

- “An estimated 287,400 prisoners had

possessed a firearm during their offense.
Among these, more than half (56%) had
either stolen it (6%), found it at the scene
of the crime (7%), or obtained it off the
street or from the underground market
(43%).” (Alpher et al., 2019)
- “The dark web is an enabler for the
circulation of illegal weapons already on
the black market, as well as a potential
source of diversion for legally owned
weapons.” (Paoli et al., 2017)
- “Only 10% of criminals get guns from a
retail store” (Alpher et al., 2019)
Source:
https://www.rand.org/content/dam/rand/pubs/research_reports/RR2000/RR2091/RAND_RR2091.pdf
Gun Rights- Gun Control Doesn't Prevent Gun Sales

- “There are two systems of gun commerce in this country, one involving licensed gun
retailers and the other based on secondhand gun transactions by private-party gun sellers,
and only the first of these systems is regulated under federal law.” (Strong gun laws are
not enough: The need for improved enforcement of secondhand gun transfer laws in
Massachusetts, 2015)
- “Although it’s legal under federal law for a private seller to sell a firearm to a resident of his
or her own state, private sellers have no way of checking to see if the buyer is legally able
to possess a firearm. Private sellers generally do not have access to complete background
checks.” (Facilitating Private Sales: A Federal Firearms Licensee Guide)
Gun Rights- Gun Control is Unnecessary to
Reduce Gun Crimes

- “The Government’s Serious Violence Strategy states that tackling serious violence
“depends on partnership across a number of sectors such as education, health, social
services, housing, youth services and victim services” (Roberts 2019)
- “Investing in school discipline and making a school environment feel safe is strongly
causated with lower violent crime rates.” ( Kondo et al. 2018)
- “Prevention of violence occurs along a continuum that begins in early childhood with
programs to help parents raise emotionally healthy children and ends with efforts to
identify and intervene with troubled individuals who are threatening violence.” (Prins
et al. 2022)
- “A case-control study of adolescent homicide victims in Philadelphia found that the
presence of street lighting, illuminated walk/don't walk signs, painted crosswalks,
public transportation, parks, and maintained vacant lots were significantly associated
with at least 76% decreased odds of a homicide “ (Kondo et al. 2018)
Gun Rights- Gun Control
is Unnecessary to
Reduce Gun Crimes
Gun Control- Cost of Gun Violence

The consequences of gun violence have costed the world

around $550 billion. This large amount of money is 5 times the $2.8 Billion
nation’s budget for the Department of Education. From In medical costs
survivors and their families, to employers and tax places, billions $53.8 Billion
of dollars are being spend as a result of gun violence. Income Loss

“There are so many things our country needs. If we didn’t have $11 Billion
to be supporting the people whose lives have been ripped Police and Criminal
Justice Loss
apart from somebody irresponsibly buying a gun and using it, it $0.5 Billion
would make a huge difference. Everybody’s taxes are paying Employer Cost
for the damage.”
$489.1 Billion
—Carolyn Tuft, gun violence survivor “Wellbeing” Costs

https://everytownresearch.org/report/the-economic-cost-of-gun-violence/ (Main source)

Gun Control- Misuse of Arms

The misuse of arms is the false interpretation of the 2nd amendment, the right to bear arms
for self defense. But they are hardly ever used for self defense. There are many examples of
not using arms for the use intended by the constitution. Most notably, homicides, suicides,
mass shootings of any kind, and lastly but not limited to, shoot outs. Obviously, not for
self-defense.
Misusing guns can lead to tragic consequences. Guns can cause injury and death in a matter
of seconds. When guns are used irresponsibly, innocent people can become victims.
Children who accidentally shoot themselves or others, domestic violence incidents, and
mass shootings are all examples of the dangers of misusing guns.
Gun Control - Murder Rates
- The start of firearm deaths have going up and nothing is
- Gun control continues to be a contentious issue around
- Addressing the root causes of violence, such as poverty,
inequality, and mental illness, is also crucial. Additionally,
improving access to mental health resources and
strengthening law enforcement efforts to identify and
intervene with individuals at risk of committing violent
acts can also help to reduce gun violence.
going to change if nothing is going to change. There have
been numerous high-profile incidents of gun violence in
recent years, including mass shootings at schools,
churches, and other public places. These tragedies have
reignited the debate over gun control and prompted calls
for action from lawmakers and advocacy groups.
the world, with different countries taking vastly different
approaches. In the United States, for instance, gun
ownership is protected by the Second Amendment of the
Constitution, which has been interpreted by courts to
allow for relatively permissive gun laws. Other countries,
such as Japan and Australia, have much stricter gun
control laws and have seen correspondingly lower rates
of gun violence.
Change in Perspective

- Chloe: This project helped me realize that there are rational reasons to advocate for gun rights and that
there’s always more to an opposing argument than popular media would like to suggest. I do feel more
enlightened on the topic and the possible solutions for gun crime, including and without gun control.
- Valeria: Through the making of this project I have grown to learn that issues regarding guns are
complicated and that there is no ideal side to situating the matter. Both sides have valid reasons for
their bias and now I feel more informed on both sides of the argument.
- GySelle: The argument project has let me discover the arguments behind gun control and gun rights are
realize the many grey areas of both sides. Now the topic of gun control vs gun rights is less black and
white too me.
- Caroline: Researching about my debate topic led to me discovering the many complexities and nuances
of gun control and rights. I am more enlightened now on the arguments for and not for gun control and
how both of them play into the real world.
- Hailey: This argument project has led me to getting a more unbiased perspective on the topic of gun
control. It also taught me to draw from reliable resources to back my arguments, rather than opinion.