Gun Control in the United States
Gun Control laws in the United States need to be stricter
Introduction
Gun control has been an ongoing debate in the United States for the past couple of centuries. Even though American politicians constantly argue over the gun laws and interpretation of the Second Amendment, the United States seems to have more firearm-related incidents than any other country in the world. In 2011, 68% of the murders in the United States were committed with a firearm("Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence"). Even with the United States having over 20,000 gun laws, guns always seem to be getting into the wrong hands. Gun control statistics in the United States have been worse than any other country. Last year, handguns killed 10,728 people in the United States("Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence"). That is 185 times more then any other country in the world. The United States needs to strengthen its gun laws in order to reduce crime rate and prevent those who are not allowed to get guns from obtaining them.
Concession
Some people say that stricter gun control will not reduce crime rate
Concession
Some people also think that criminals will be able to obtain guns no matter how strict the gun control law is
Rebuttal
Firstly, the United States needs to strengthen its gun laws to reduce crime rate. Countries like the UK have very strict gun laws and gun violence statistics there are astronomically lower. It is estimated that in 2011, 68% of murders, 41% of robberies, and 21% of aggravated assaults that occurred in the United States were committed with firearms("Expanded Homicide Data"). This is significantly higher than any other weapon choice. Guns are the perfect way to get away with a murder. Guns shoot fast and if the gun has a silencer, it is barely even heard and that is exactly what a killer wants("Can Stricter Gun Control Laws Decrease the Rate of Crimes Involving Guns?"). Every crime requires means and the means of gun crime is a gun. Each gun that is not in circulation is a gun that cannot be used to commit a crime. With limited circulation of guns, murders and robberies would be significantly harder to pull off, thus decreasing the crime rate
This video shows celebrities who support gun control and are demanding a plan to end gun violence
Demand A Plan to End Gun Violence
Secondly, stricter gun control laws in the United States will prevent people who are not allowed to have guns from obtaining them. These people are mainly criminals and the mentally unstable. Stricter background checks should be done too to ensure no gun gets delivered right into the hands of these people. A smaller circulation of guns would result in a lower likelihood of a criminal or a mentally-ill person from being able to get a gun. Most people think that all criminals steal their guns. However, stolen guns only account for 10-15% of guns used in crimes(Noyes). The most common way criminals obtain a gun is for a friend to buy it on their behalf(Noyes). A stronger background check could at least make sure the friend buying it for the behalf is innocent. Stricter gun control will not prevent all people who are not allowed to have guns from obtaining them, but it will drastically lower the amount of those people obtaining them. The only way a criminal or a mentally-ill person should be able to attain a firearm is either by stealing one or illegally purchasing one from a non-criminal citizen.
Conclusion
The United States needs to strengthen its gun laws in order to reduce crime-rate and control the way people are illegally obtaining guns. This is essential so the United States can end the everlasting gun debate and take a step forward as a nation and focus on other ongoing problems.
Works Cited
Beck, Glenn, Kevin Balfe, and Hannah Beck. Control: Exposing the Truth about Guns. Print.
Noyes, Dan. "How Criminals Get Guns." PBS. PBS, Web. 28 Feb. 2015.
"Can Stricter Gun Control Laws Decrease the Rate of Crimes Involving Guns?" Can Stricter Gun Control Laws Decrease the Rate of Crimes Involving Guns? Web. 27 Feb. 2015.
"Expanded Homicide Data." FBI. FBI, 20 Aug. 2012. Web. 03 Mar. 2015.
"Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence." Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence RSS. Web. 23 Mar. 2015.
Noyes, Dan. "How Criminals Get Guns." PBS. PBS, Web. 28 Feb. 2015.
"Can Stricter Gun Control Laws Decrease the Rate of Crimes Involving Guns?" Can Stricter Gun Control Laws Decrease the Rate of Crimes Involving Guns? Web. 27 Feb. 2015.
"Expanded Homicide Data." FBI. FBI, 20 Aug. 2012. Web. 03 Mar. 2015.
"Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence." Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence RSS. Web. 23 Mar. 2015.