What Kills? Guns or People?
Thomas Jefferson said in the first draft of the Virginia Constitution, “No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms” (qtd. in “No Freeman”). That is a very strong quote by a very famous man in our country. Since I was little, I always admired guns, from the way they look to the way they sound when you fire them. When I became of age to start shooting myself, I took every chance I could, because when shooting it felt like as if the world had paused around me. It is important to be able to explain guns’ importance in The United States in terms of the history of gun control, types and uses, and the pros and cons.
To better understand gun control in the US, it is essential to know about the history of guns. The use of guns dates back for hundreds of years. It is said that guns have been in America since the first settlers. As time went by, more guns appeared in the colonies and were used widely around the land. The biggest use of guns in America during that time was for the Revolutionary War. After the war, The Bill of Rights was created and signed by the founding fathers. The first national Gun Control law didn’t come into effect until 1934, which imposed a tax on high powered guns. Since then, there have been arguments between gun control advocates and gun rights advocates. One gun rights advocate, Larry Craig, states that “The Bill of Rights protects the rights of people from being infringed upon by Government—not the other way around” (95-96). He said that because of how gun control supporters would interpret the Second Amendment the wrong way. Supporters for gun control claim that the Second Amendment is meant only for the militia, associating it with the government and military.
There have been many gun control laws that have been passed over the past eighty years. With all of these laws, there are also many gun-free zones. Gun-free zones are areas, such as parks, schools, malls, and federal locations. Many people have their own homes as gun-free areas. John R. Lott Jr. talked about these gun-free zones and how that a lot of shootings and massacres happen within these areas. Not all schools have gun-free zones. Some universities allow students and staff to carry handguns on campuses. To be able to carry the handgun, you would need to have a concealed carry license issued by the state or by another state that is recognized by the state you reside. Lott also discusses about how guns can help deter crime. He asked a question that everyone should take into consideration. The question was, “If a killer were stalking your family, would you feel safer putting a sign out front announcing, ‘This home is a gun-free zone’” (75)? The reason why everyone should take that into consideration is because there is a higher possibility of someone breaking into your home that you don’t have any protection such as guns.
Gun advocates do agree to some gun control laws that have been passed, but believe that if the government keeps going the way it is, it will take away the rights given to the people in the Bill of Rights. Many of those gun advocates have made the argument of enforcing the gun laws we have now, instead of creating new ones. Wayne LaPierre is an executive vice president in the National Rifle Association. He argued with Bill Clinton during the time that Clinton was in office. Lapierre stated on national television, “[President Clinton] has the power to enforce the federal gun laws against violent criminals with guns. He won’t do it” (98). Lapierre had no problem saying this because he feels that the government would rather make new laws instead of evaluating the ones we have and enforcing them to have better control. Everyone can agree that they don’t want guns to be put into the hands of the wrong people. However, to just keep adding more and more laws isn’t going to make that happen. There are already laws that prevent people with mental illness and ex-convicts from buying, selling, and owning firearms. Even there are those laws, criminals can still get their hands on guns.
It is essential to know the different types of firearms there is and the different uses they have. There are only a few main categories; shotguns, rifles, assault rifles, and handguns. One thing to remember is that there are different calibers for each type of gun. Shotguns and rifles have had the primary use of hunting and sporting. There are many different companies that make different models. When it comes to shotguns, it is crucial to know the dimensions and the aspects of each model. The reason why is because shotguns are also for home protection. Jim Carmichel stated in an “Outdoor life magazine,” that, “good shotguns don’t come cheap” (86), which is very true. Shotguns can range anywhere from between two-hundred to three thousand dollars. Of course, the more efficient the gun, the higher the price. The same can be said about any gun made. When it comes to rifles, they can be used for long distances. That is why they are great for hunting. Carmichel also said, “We recorded some of the smallest groups ever and also the most consistently good accuracy” (89). The different calibers also affect how much recoil the gun will give. So when you are hunting, you would want one that has little recoil, good accuracy, and that will penetrate your target.
Another type of gun is assault rifles. Before talking about the use of assault rifles, first one must define an assault rifle? Some people would describe it as an assault weapon because of the word “assault. However, Joe Zychik, a writer and counselor made the statement, “A semi-automatic is not an assault weapon just as a needle and thread is not a sewing machine” (63). He used that analogy because the difference between a needle and thread and a sewing machine is that a sewing machine keeps going as long as you hold the peddle down and a needle does one at a time. The same can be said with an assault rifle. An assault rifle is a semi-automatic rifle that only fires once every time you pull the trigger. With an assault weapon, as long as you hold the trigger, it keeps firing. Assault rifles have been used for mainly military and police use. Many civilians own them, and use them for target practicing. The last type is handguns. Handguns are pretty self-explanatory; they fit in your hand. There are some that are five inches long, some are eight to ten inches long, and some revolvers are twelve inches long. Handguns have also been used for home defense and military/police use.
There are many pros and cons to guns and it’s very important to understand both sides. As you know, handguns have been used in many criminal acts, but they have also been used to stop those criminal acts. Thomas Sowell gives the statistic in a statement of, “More than ninety percent of all uses of guns in self-defense do not involve actually firing the weapon” (69). Sowell isn’t the only that feels that way, many others do too. Morgan Reynolds and H. Sterling Burnett feel that handguns are useful. A quote from them is, “Carrying a handgun allows millions to effectively provide for their own protection” (30). They say this, because they chances of the police to show up and stop an attack are very low. It takes police on average six minutes to arrive at the scene of where the call came in. Within that six minutes, many things can happen. Someone can be raped, murdered, or robbed. Giving that person the ability to protect themselves decreases the chance of those things happening.
Where there are pros, there are also cons. Yes, guns can be used to protect one’s self, but they can also be used to harm another person. Criminals have used guns to get what they want. They threaten others to obtain money, jewelry, and many other things. Guns not only can be used to take another’s life, but they can also be used to your own life. Guns have been used in many suicides in the U.S. Matthew Miller and David Hemenway state that, “A suicide attempt with a firearm rarely affords a second chance.”
I have discussed how important guns have been in the USA by discussing gun control, different types of gun and what they are used for, and by giving both pros and cons of guns. I have always been a full supporter of guns, but that doesn’t make me biased. Even after learning more about the topic, I still support them. Though, I do believe that they should monitor certain people that buy guns or be more careful of how transactions are made. If things could go a certain way, I would have it to where owning a gun didn’t make you look like a bad person and that guns wouldn’t be a cause of many crimes within the United States. I want to own a bunch of guns as I get older and have a lot of land to shoot them on.
Works Cited
Carmichel, Jim. “Shotguns & Rifles.” Outdoor Life 209.4 (2002): 84. Academic Search Complete. Web. 3 May 2016.
Craig, Larry. “The Second Amendment Protects the Inalienable Right to Self-Defense.” Gun Violence: Opposing Viewpoints. Ed. James D. Torr. San Diego, CA: Greenhaven, 2002. 94-100. Print.
Kepple, Benjamin. “Enforcing Current Gun Laws Will Reduce Gun Violence.” How Can Gun Violence Be Reduced? Ed. Laura K. Egendorf. San Diego, CA: Greenhaven, 2002. 97 -102. Print.
Lott, John R., Jr. “Gun Bans Disarm Law-Abiding Citizens, Not Criminals.” Guns and Violence. Ed. Debra A. Miller. Detroit: Greenhaven, 2009. 73-76. Print.
Miller, Matthew, and David Hemenway. “The Availability of Guns Increases the Risk of Suicide.” Gun Violence. Ed. Louise Gerdes. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2011. Opposing Viewpoints. Rpt. from “Guns and Suicide in the United States.” New England Journal of Medicine 359 (4 Sept. 2008): 989-991. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 3 May 2016.
Reynolds, Morgan, and H. Sterling Burnett. “Carrying Concealed Weapons Reduces Crime.” Guns and Crime. Ed. Tamara L. Roleff. San Diego, CA: Greenhaven, 2000. 29- 32. Print.
Sowell, Thomas. “Gun Ownership Increases Personal Safety.” Gun Violence: Opposing Viewpoints. Ed. James D. Torr. San Diego, CA: Greenhaven, 2002. 67-70. Print.
“Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello.” No Freeman Shall Be Debarred the Use of Arms (Quotation). N.p., n.d. Web. 25 May 2016.
Zychik, Joe. “Law-Abidng Citizens Have a Right to Own Assault-Type Rifle.” Guns and Crime. Ed. Tamara L. Roleff. San Diego, CA: Greenhaven, 2000. 62-64. Print.
