The debate on gun control has been a hot topic in the past several years, especially after the seeming rise in gun violence. Mass shootings at schools, government buildings, and concert venues are just some of the larger locations affected by gun violence. Is there really a rise in gun violence or is there just more media coverage? Firearms have a long history in this country and have many positive uses. The gun control versus gun rights debate is a very broad subject, consisting of the many uses of firearms, gun laws, and their specifics, and whether gun laws do more harm than good.
The United States and firearms history together is intertwined all the way back to the conception of this nation. If it had not been for firearms, the founding fathers and other patriots would not have been able to fight and ultimately win independence from Great Britain. Even before the Revolutionary War firearms had an even more important use that is just as important in today’s modern world, hunting. Even with widespread supermarkets and grocery stores many families still rely on hunting to put food on the table. Deer, squirrels, rabbits, ducts, raccoons, and even bears are just some of the animals that are hunted to provide for families. Protection from criminals or even aggressive animals is another very important use of firearms. A small pistol could be very useful while hiking in woods in the situation of a rabid fox or raccoon, or a rifle to protect any livestock from coyotes on a farm. Criminals are also less likely to break into a house or business that they believe may have armed inhabitants. In a research study sponsored by the United States Department of Justice, James Wright, and Peter Rossi questioned 1,800 convicted felons’ opinions of citizens being armed with firearms. 33% of the surveyed criminals stated that they had been scared off, shot at, shot, or apprehended by a victim possessing a firearm and 69% knew or knew of a criminal who had experienced the same. Also, close to 80% of convicted felons state that they do intentionally avoid citizens' homes and businesses who may be armed. “Plinking or the informal target shooting done at nonstandard targets such as tin cans, glass bottles, and balloons filled with water,” and competition shooting is the favorite pastime of many Americans. These past times are not just fun, but completely safe if gun safety is closely practiced. The last use of firearms to be discussed is that firearm ownership assists in protecting the freedoms and values of this nation, which will be further explained in the next paragraph.
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The first 10 amendments to the US Constitution, also known as the Bill of Rights, were ratified on December 15th, 1791. One of the most important amendments to the Bill of Rights is the 2nd amendment, which states: “A well-regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed.” This can be interpreted as saying that mass gun ownership protects the citizens, values, and freedoms of this nation from possible foreign or domestic threats. As discussed earlier, if it had not been for firearms, the founding fathers would not have been able to gain independence from the English Empire. Fredrick Douglas, who was a civil rights leader after the Civil War, stated: “A man’s rights rest in three boxes: the ballot box, the jury box, and the cartridge box.” Throughout this nation's history, there have been several gun control legislative measures. The National Firearms Act was passed by President Franklin Roosevelt in 1934. This gun legation introduced a tax to be paid on any short-barreled rifles or shotguns (less than 16 inches), fully automatic weapons, and suppressors. The Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act of 1993 made it mandatory for background checks to be performed and completed prior to any firearms being purchased from a licensed dealer. The first ever gun ban was introduced in 1994, it banned the manufacture and purchasing of semi-automatic assault rifles including the AR-15, AK-47, and 17 others, it also banned a magazine capacity higher than 10 rounds, this ban lasted a decade. The most recent federal gun law passed is President Trump's ban on “bump stocks”, which was passed in 2019. However in the last several years, several new and controversial laws have been proposed that would further restrict access to firearms, these include but are not limited to: outlawing conceal carry, red flag laws, and a new assault rifle ban.
While stricter gun control with less access to firearms may seem like it would help curb crime and gun violence, recent studies show that it may increase both. For instance, England banned all handgun ownership and quickly saw a 50% increase in homicides committed with firearms. Also in England where gun control is strict over 59% of homes are involved in burglaries annually versus 28% in the United States. In contrast, 2500 women who were residents of Florida attended a handgun training event that was highly publicized in 1966. Shortly after this, rapes fell from 36 per 100,000 to 4 per 100,000. There also seems to be a higher risk for mass shootings in gun-free zones, roughly 98% of mass shootings occur in gun-free zones. In recent news, there was a mass shooting a in government building which happened to be a gun-free zone. The gunman was a disgruntled employee who brutally shot and killed 12 of his co-workers before police even arrived on the scene to stop him. One can also look at past world history to show the correlation between strict gun control leading to violent crimes, even crimes committed against citizens by their own government. 20 years following the USSR enacting strict gun control, 20 million Russian citizens were killed, Nazi Germany passed strict gun restrictions in 1939 and by 1945 over 13 million Jews had been systematically murdered, and most recently in 1994, the Rwandan government confiscated firearms and executed roughly 1 million people of the Tutsi tribes.
In today's world, it seems every time one turns on a television or a radio there is talk of a mass shooting of a school, movie theater, or government building. It is completely understandable for politicians and citizens alike to want to ban the very items used to create such tragedy. Firearms can be very dangerous, but when used properly they are extremely useful in acquiring food, protection, and even maintaining freedom and liberty from a possible tyrannical government.
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