Thomas Jefferson said in the first draft of the Virginia Constitution, “No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms.” 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 looked to the way they sound when you fire them. When I became of age to start shooting myself, I took every chance I can, because it felt like as if the world had paused around me. Throughout this essay, I will be able to explain about the importance of guns in The United States in terms of the history, types and uses, and the pros and cons.

To better understand the 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.” (Pg. 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, federal locations, etc. Many people have it to where their own homes are gun-free areas. John R. Lott Jr. talks 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 are in. Lott also discusses about how guns can help deter crime. He asks 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”?” (Pg. 75) The reason why everyone should take that into consideration is because there is a higher possibility of someone breaking into your home with them knowing 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.” (Pg. 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. But 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.