Topic > Against Gun Control: Analyzing the Balance between Rights and Safety

Firearm control/regulations are policies/laws passed to regulate the use, sale, manufacture, modification, possession or the transfer of firearms by civilians. In most countries, there are strict policies regarding the possession of firearms by the civilian population. Legislators who prefer to use terms like gun safety, gun violence prevention, or illegal guns have sometimes politicized the term gun control. Handguns are classified into three types: handguns, pistols, and rifles. In 2014, the United States had a population of 319 million people with 371 million firearms owned by law enforcement or private citizens (Just Facts, n.d.). Of the 14,249 homicides committed in the United States in 2014, 68 percent or 9,675 of the homicides were committed with firearms. Such statistics have increased pressure for gun control in the country from pro-gun control crusaders. However, guns should not be controlled because the right to bear arms is enshrined in the Constitution through the Second Amendment, while owning more guns will prevent deaths. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay The Second Amendment guarantees citizens the right to bear arms. There have been numerous attempts to change the law to limit gun ownership among civilians. In the case of Columbia v. Heller in 2008, the Supreme Court in a split 5-4 decision ruled that bearing arms is a constitutional right (Phillips, 2015). However, the decision was only applicable to federal laws but not state laws. A subsequent Supreme Court ruling in 2010 included the right in both federal and state laws. This case is one of several cases between pro-gun control movements and anti-gun control groups. Some data from states with stricter gun laws show there were fewer gun deaths once suicides, which account for more than 60 percent of gun-related deaths, were removed from the final data, half of the top ten states with the lowest rates of gun deaths have few firearms. restrictions (Phillips, 2015). For example, Chicago, a state with some of the most restrictive gun laws, experienced 2,089 shootings and more than 390 homicides in 2014. Evidently, support for no gun control laws is justified. More guns would prevent more gun deaths. It is difficult to know what would have happened if there had been more armed citizens in mass shooting situations. Additionally, shooters tend to choose soft targets where they know people are not armed; therefore, carrying firearms serves as a deterrent against attacks. A survey of prisoners found that most would not attack a civilian if they knew he was armed (Phillips, 2015). According to the former Republican presidential candidate and respected neurosurgeon, if the teachers in the Oregon shooting were trained and carried a gun; they may have fought the attacker (Phillips, 2015). Most Americans, including independents, oppose stricter gun laws. Pew research in 2014 showed that, for the first time in more than two decades, opinion had changed and there were more supporters of gun laws than gun control (Phillips, 2015). Conversely, reducing the number of firearms, expanded background checks, and bans on assault rifles and high-capacity ammunition magazines would decrease deaths/