Research and Audience Assignment

I’m going to write my research paper in the form of an argumentative essay about gun violence and control to argue both sides that are affected by it and all the controversy that revolves around this issue. Gun Control is a term revolving the many laws and policies that control everything related to the use of firearms by the people. 

This issue is relevant today in the country and society and all the audiences involved in it, the people, the government, the politicians etc. because this issue is a very hot and  controversial topic and there are so many opinions surrounding it and many parties involved for different reasons. Gun control is also very relevant because based on my research, thirty three people are killed with guns every day in America. In 2018, in the span of two months there were eighteen school shootings. While Idaho and Montana have one the loosest gun control laws in America, other states like California and Connecticut after experiencing very unfortunate events because there were no strict laws about firearms which resulted in gun violence and a lot of unfortunate events like the Sandy Hook tragedy in Connecticut. Fortunately these states decided to make a change and took action by enforcing strict rules revolving firearms making it harder to get a gun and in Connecticut’s case, completely banned the purchase and possession of those weapons. I believe that others states should do the same or at least take some type of action against the gun violence. There has been 45 school shootings within 46 weeks across the country. That’s almost like one school shooting occurring every week. Some of them have been an accidental discharge of the weapons but it’s still shots fired and too many people’s lives/ serious injuries at risk. 

The issue of gun control is very controversial and always becomes a heated discussion about either political/legal, social or ethical views and opinions. Because people for gun control say that the second amendment gives an individual the right to have a gun and that guns are absolutely needed for self defense against criminals and that by them owning a gun it lowers the amount of crimes. John Lott even has a book called “more guns, less crime” in which he claims that more guns we own the less violent crimes there are and that states should pass those laws in addition he also included an analysis of crime data in every county in America during 29 years from 1977 to 2005. This goes to show how passionate people are about this issue and the extend they go to to try to prove a point or simply show that their opinion is more accurate or right and try to convince the rest of the world of that. The discussion of gun control is always either about self defense/crime control or people referring the second amendment. I don’t agree with people who say more guns equal less violent crimes. Studies have shown that in 2015 in America guns have taken the lives of more than 36,000 people which is unbelievable. I’m not saying guns should be completely banned and no humans should have access to any firearms, even though as I do more and more research and read more about this complicated issue, I do think to myself wow no human being no matter who they are and what position they’re in should have ownership to firearms just because of how horrifying the numbers of people affected by them are and the frequency of those incidents happening all over the United states. The second amendment was initially created to give individuals the chance to defend themselves but different studies have shown a home with a gun/guns in it not a safer home and that it’s more likely for the owners to get hurt than the invader and not just because them defending themselves could go wrong in many ways it’s also that having a gun in your home increases  the chances of suicides and people hurting themselves or someone they know. Also studies have shown the rarity of people using guns to defend themselves and that having access to more guns doesn’t lower gun violence and crimes in America and that the claim that states “more guns,less crime” is false, it’s nothing but a statement made by someone who has a lot of power speaking to the minority of people who think the same as him and in a way trying to get more people to agree with this statement and see the “positive” side of possession and purchase of firearms. 

I just believe that giving an individual this kind of power is a very dangerous thing to do because you never know what it’s actually intended for or that by owning it, it can drive people to do unacceptable things and call it self defense or whatever. and again being in charge of something this powerful that it could completely take someone’s live. I just think it does more harm than it does good. Or if someone needs to really purchase/ own a gun for very convincing reasons there should be crazy restrictions and a very tedious, detailed process that allows the government to keep tabs on that individual and be able to track them whenever where ever and for some people  that might be “invasion” of privacy but it’s not for personal reasons, it’s for a safer, greater good. And if someone has an issue with the rules and regulations of the purchase and possession of firearms then they shouldn’t buy them.

 

References: 

https://www.hercampus.com/school/agnes-scott/why-gun-control-important

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/more-guns-do-not-stop-more-crimes-evidence-shows/

https://www.heritage.org/crime-and-justice/commentary/here-are-8-stubborn-facts-gun-violence-america