Introduction
Governments need to create a favorable economies and environments that can make it easier for their citizens to pursue their personal and professional goals. They achieve such an objective by providing security, job opportunities, high-quality healthcare, and education. The American government has continued to promote established policies and laws that have the potential to empower and encourage more people to succeed in life. Unfortunately, cases of domestic violence, crime, and insecurity have been on the rise in this country. A tighter gun control law will be good for all Americans since it will result in minimized cases of shootings and family-based abuse. The purpose of this paper is to present a strong case for this proposal and analyze some of the potential counterarguments that exist today.
Background Information
The number of insecurity cases recorded in the United States within the past three decades has been on the rise. For many years, Americans have focused on the Second Amendment to the Constitution to explain why the government should never infringe on their right to possess, purchase, and own guns. The purpose of such a policy was to ensure that more individuals were capable of protecting themselves against any form of danger. Similarly, the emergence of stand your ground and castle doctrine ideologies supported this guideline as a way of safeguarding more citizens against imminent danger (Silverstein). However, certain events and shootings recorded in different parts of this country explain why opinion has changed regarding the issue of gun control.
Analysts need to consider several aspects in order to get a clear understanding of the nature of this controversial issue. According to Yuill, around 100 citizens possess a total of 120 firearms in the United States (23). This fact explains why the country leads in the world in terms of guns per capita. These statistics indicate that around 22 percent of the citizens have more than one gun (Yuill, p. 25). This situation is attributable to the revolutionary nature of America’s colonial past. The developments recorded during the time encouraged the founding fathers to present a legal protection to ensure that more people were able to safeguard themselves against any form of attack.
Despite the validity of such a historical past, America has been recording many shootings targeting innocent or unarmed citizens. For example, Silverstein indicates that the nation has experienced over 48 shooting incidents within the past year alone. In August 2019, an armed person managed to attack and kill around 20 citizens in El Paso, Texas (Andone). During the same period, another man used an assault rifle to murder a total of 10 people in Dayton, Ohio (Silverstein). With such occurrences, many people have shifted their views and ideas regarding the importance of tighter gun policies or laws. For instance, Gramlich and Schaeffer observed that around 67 percent of the country’s population believed that stricter policies and laws would reduce such cases and protect more lives. This number had increased significantly from that of 55 percent in 2013 (Gramlich and Schaeffer). Experts have gone further to reveal that more people will be willing to support such policies due to the challenges experienced in the country.
The current statistics go further to give a clear picture of the nature and reality of this contentious topic. From 1999 to 2017, around 572,000 people lost their lives in the United States due to gun-related attacks (Beckett). Firearms also form the leading cause or reason behind all homicides recorded in this country at around 67 percent (Silverstein). Within the past eight years, the country reported over 12,000 deaths associated with unintentional use of guns (Gramlich and Schaeffer). Beckett also observed that many children were dying due to gun-related attacks in the United States than ever before. These statistics and occurrences explain why there is a need for policymakers, government agencies, and citizens to focus on some of the best approaches to find a long-lasting solution.
Supporting Tighter Gun Control Laws
The above information indicates clearly that more people have died in America due to the availability and access to firearms. With many citizens having such weapons, it becomes possible for some of them to engage in violent attacks or even misuse them. Women and children tend to have higher chances of being assaulted when there is a gun in the affected home (Gramlich and Schaeffer). Beckett goes further to link the current level of domestic violence to firearms. Many school going individuals have been murdered in the recent past due to the presence of more guns in the hands of the public. These developments could only be overturned if the country considers the importance of stricter control measures.
Some proponents of the current status quo cite the Second Amendment to the Constitution to explain why Americans have a right to possess weapons for maximum protection. However, such a law needs to be examined from the wrong perspective when more people are losing their lives (Gramlich and Schaeffer). Mentally disturbed citizens and felons planning to commit heinous crimes do not need any form of protection through the use of such an amendment (Campbell, p. 47). The same idea is applicable to the possession of concealed weapons that could be used to attack innocent or unsuspecting citizens. The consideration of these attributes will encourage different stakeholders to focus on a better policy that protects more citizens.
Most of the shootings and mass murders associated with rifles tend to be facilitated by the availability of high-capacity magazines. In a study by Campbell, it was reported that such resources had the potential to increase death rates by around 63 percent (49). The victims were also at risk of recording serious or fatal injuries. The possession of such magazines makes guns killing machines in the country (Campbell 62). Many gang groups focus on the best ways to access such weapons and commit heinous criminal acts. These developments explain why it would be appropriate for the government to consider new ways of protecting its citizens by ensuring that such high-capacity magazines or cartridges are not longer available to unauthorized persons.
As described above, women tend to have higher chances of being assaulted or abused by spouses who have weapons. Campbell observed that the risk for murder increased by over 500 percent if a gun was involved in any form of domestic violence (63). This remains a major challenge since more people in the country have access to one or two firearms. From 2000 to 2012, over 6,000 women died in the hands of their partners (Campbell, p. 62). Such criminal acts took place simply because such abusers had access to different types of guns. The level of homicides increased to over 57 percent in the nation during the same period (Beckett). Those who survive such attacks would record serious injuries and eventually become incapacitated or incapable of pursuing their goals in life.
Another issue to consider is the idea that people should be allowed to possess guns for self-defense or personal protection purposes. While this might be the objective of the Second Amendment to the Constitution, the agreeable fact is that many people who die from gun attacks would not have succeeded in protecting themselves. The reason behind such an argument is that majority of the felons or abusers understand the right time to attack or murder their victims (Campbell, p. 79). Those who engage in domestic violence locate their targets when they are unable to defend themselves. Past studies have revealed that only 0.12 percent of potential victims manage to use firearms to protect themselves against such threats (Beckett). This observation is a clear indication that majority of the people would suffer in the hands of an abuser even if they had a licensed weapon.
Counterarguments
Although the above statistics and arguments manage to support the introduction of stringent measures or measures, some people still believe that such a move would be inappropriate or incapable of reducing the current number of deaths. For instance, Yuill uses the case of the Second Amendment to explain why specific groups believe that any attempt to tighten the proposed laws would be unconstitutional and an infringement of the right to keep and use a gun (12). A sizeable number of citizens acknowledge that such a law is part of the United States’ history and tradition that should never be taken lightly. Such individuals expect a scenario whereby the government treats it as an essential freedom or right.
The relationship between the increasing number of shooting incidents and the implementation of additional gun control measures is an area that increases the level of criticism. Some analysts argue that the move might only reduce the number of guns in the hands of the public without resulting in positive outcomes (Yuill, p. 78). This argument is founded on the idea that many criminals and gang groups are connected and capable of acquiring such firearms from neighboring countries across the region. The individuals can go further to attack more innocent people since they would also lack adequate weapons to engage in self-defense.
Similarly, the people’s right to protect themselves against any potential assault is another reason several groups present regarding the inappropriateness of stricter gun policies. Such individuals believe that the introduction of the proposed law will make it impossible for more citizens to defend their assets, property, or even children (Campbell, p. 92). This fact explains why some states have been reluctant to consider such additional measures. The current levels of criminal acts and shootings could be a reason for more people to consider the need to acquire additional guns for personal protection.
Rebuttal
The above discussions and viewpoints reveal that the gun control debate will remain controversial for several years. However, the outstanding fact is that the divisions and ideas all the arguers present fail to safeguard more citizens from criminals and persons with disturbed minds (Yuill, p. 82). The levels of attacks and murders have increased significantly within the past two decades (Campbell, p. 65). The possession and availability of firearms becomes one of the outstanding explanations for such a trend. The relevant governments agencies, citizens, policymakers should acknowledge that more lives are being lost every single day. The decision to continue allowing more individuals to access guns will complicate the situation and result in additional deaths.
The introduction of superior laws to tighten gun application procedures will ensure that people with mental illnesses or past histories of crime are detected. The intended policy should go further to monitor the manner in which different owners use their firearms (Yuill, p. 102). Such measures will create a scenario whereby all people are accountable for their guns. Those who misuse them should be punished in accordance with the established laws and barred from owning one in the future (Yuill, p. 102). The outlined proposals have the potential to change the situation and protect more lives. All stakeholders need collaborate in order to find a long-lasting solution and make it possible for all citizens to achieve their professional or personal objectives.
Conclusion
The above argumentative paper has identified the issue of gun control as divisive and capable of affecting the lives of many American citizens. The consideration of the Second Amendment makes it hard for the government to introduce stringent measures to reduce the number of gun owners. Consequently, more deaths and attacks continue to be reported in different parts of the nation. Such occurrences claim lives and leave many citizens disabled or incapable of pursuing their economic goals. This paper, therefore, recommends stricter gun policies to improve the level of security and minimize the current number of criminal attacks and violence.
Works Cited
- Andone, Dakin, et al. “20 People Killed in El Paso Shooting, Texas Governor Says.” CNN, 2019. Web.
- Beckett, Lois. “A Gun Is Fired on US School Grounds Twice a Week, Database Reveals.” The Guardian, 2019. Web.
- Campbell, Donald J. America’s Gun Wars: A Cultural History of Gun Control in the United States. Praeger, 2019.
- Gramlich, John, and Katherine Schaeffer. “7 Facts About Guns in the U.S.” Pew Research Center. Web.
- Silverstein, Jason. “There Were More Mass Shootings than Days in 2019.” CBS News, 2020. Web.
- Yuill, Kevin. The Second Amendment and Gun Control: Freedom, Fear, and the American Constitution. Taylor & Francis, 2019.