The Price of Freedom in the United States

What distance would Americans go to protect their freedom? Most people would fight for it with their lives. That precious freedom is exactly what is at stake when it comes to the Second Amendment. If we allow our government to take away the Second Amendment, who can say that every other amendment is immune to this tyranny? Americans must focus on what is really on the line here: personal liberty. The laws that have been put in place are already smothering the American ideal of freedom. Strengthening the gun control laws in the United States would be a pointless, tyrannical, and ineffective way to stop violent crime against law abiding men, women, and children.

The federal government of the United States has many laws pertaining to gun control which have been around since the Constitution was first signed. Giffords Law Center clearly shows how these acts have affected society and what they really mean. The first act that was signed on a federal level was the National Firearms Act of 1934. This law placed a tax on the sale, manufacture, and transportation of firearms. The next significant law enacted was the Federal Firearms Act in 1938. This law imposed a license requirement on all persons who buy, manufacture, or sell firearms. It also required stores that sell guns to keep record of all purchases and it banned convicted felons from purchasing guns. “The Gun Control Act of 1968 (“GCA”). It revised the NFA and the FFA, reenacting and expanding upon provisions of the prior acts, and repealing the FFA. The GCA also enacted prohibitions on the importation of firearms “with no sporting purpose.” However, neither the GCA nor any other federal law regulates the domestic manufacture or sale of firearms which would not pass the federal criteria for determining whether a firearm has “a sporting purpose.” Among the other major provisions of the GCA were the establishment of minimum ages for firearms purchasers, the requirement that all firearms (domestic and imported) be affixed with a serial number, and the expansion of the categories of prohibited persons. (Key 1).” Since then, many more laws have been enacted such as a ban of certain assault rifles and a waiting period.

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Although many federal laws have been passed, the American government is polarized on the topic of gun control. The Democratic National Party, or the DNC for short, believes that guns should not be easily attainable for American citizens. They believe that a national gun registry should be put in place. They also push for stricter background checks, higher age requirements, and the overall ban of semi-automatic and automatic firearms. This is very hard to believe for the Republican Party, commonly referred to as the GOP (Grand Ole Party). They believe that guns are an innate right as a citizen of this country as long as laws are abided by. They disapprove of stricter background checks and especially of a national gun registry. They believe that the ban of semi-automatic and automatic rifles would be unconstitutional and a violation of personal freedom.

Because this topic deals with one’s freedom, one must take into account many factors. For example, legislation that strengthens gun control should be able to make a significant difference on the amount of violent crime in the United States. However, studies have shown that violent crime rates in areas with very strict gun laws are significantly higher than areas with more lenient laws. For example, Texas has some of the least strict laws in the country. It also has one of the lowest violent crime rates out of all 50 states. Gun ownership in general is also at an all time high. With this increase in gun owners, there has been a steady decline of violent crime, even on a national scale. Most large cities in the United States have been reporting the lowest violent crimes rates ever seen (James 7). These findings make sense because the threat of a gun is enough to deter most criminals from acting. Criminals often target areas where guns would be scarce because there is no threat of resistance. This is why more people owning guns would lead to extremely safe areas to live in.

Although the presence of guns creates safer spaces, the debate always comes down to the number of lives lost. Guns kill many people every year. This is a basic fact that has reigned true since the birth of our nation. These deaths are absolute tragedies and nobody on either side of the political spectrum would disagree. However, we must look at these deaths closely in order to determine the true cause and take action to prevent or reduce these deaths. For example, out of the 464033 deaths from 1999 and 2013. 58.2% were suicides, 37.7% were homicides, and 2.2% were unintentional deaths. Suicide and murder are both illegal, but that does not stop citizens from committing these crimes. Banning guns would not reduce the suicide rates because there are plenty of other options out there. The same goes for murder, where most occurrences still happen with an illegally obtained firearm. The laws in place are simply as strict as they can be. With stricter laws, these deaths would still be occurring, but the law abiding citizens would have no way to protect themselves. The only thing that can stop an evil individual with a gun is a good samaritan with a gun (“Background” 1). “Moreover, a look at other developed countries with very strict gun-control laws (such as Japan and South Korea) shows that the lack of guns does not lead to a reduced suicide rate. Unfortunately, people who want to kill themselves often find a way to do so — guns or no guns (Wright 1).” This means that 58.2% of gun deaths would not be able to be prevented, even if guns were banned. We must enact laws that would stop these deaths from occurring in the first place.

One of the main reasons that the Constitution includes the second amendment, which is the right to bear arms, is to protect the masses from a tyrannical government. Although this document was drafted a long time ago, the threat of tyranny is still alive and well in today’s society. If citizens allow the government to alter the second amendment of the Constitution, which is the very foundation this country was built upon, then what is to stop them from altering any other part of the document they pleased? These amendments are something that makes the United States so unique from other countries around the world. Most countries who do not allow citizens to own firearms also do not allow freedom of speech. These rights, and many others, are protected by the Constitution; altering it even in the slightest would be encroaching on every fiber of American freedom. We would not be any different from the other shackled countries of the world.

Gun control is something that no country has ever gotten perfect. In countries with national gun bans, such as Australia, it has proved extremely ineffective. Violent crime rates have shot through the roof and the average citizen has no way to effectively protect themselves against assault. Although the number of homicides has slightly fallen, the rates of rape, sexual assault, and mugging have drastically increased as criminals can be sure that nobody in the general populous is armed (Wright 1). A national gun ban in America would lead to a drastic increase in violent crime rates, more incarcerated people than ever, and an overall decrease in the quality of life. The effects of a gun ban would be catastrophic. It is clear that people who advocate for gun control come from an emotive place and wish to keep Americans safe, but without looking at the facts, taking action would be senile.

Taking away guns would put more American lives in danger than ever before. Guns kill criminals, stop robberies, deter rapists and kidnappers, and generally protect the average citizen. Although there is hard data about how many gun deaths are seen every year, obtaining the accurate numbers of how many lives guns save is a bit more challenging. This is because a sign that states there is an armed person on the premises is enough to deter criminals. Not to mention that many times, brandishing the weapon is enough to make the crime halt in its tracks. “According to the National Rifle Association (NRA), guns are used for self-defense 2.5 million times a year. The police cannot protect everyone all of the time. 61% of men and 56% of women surveyed by Pew Research said that stricter gun laws would 'make it more difficult for people to protect their homes and families.' Nelson Lund, JD, PhD, Professor at George Mason University School of Law, stated, 'The right to self-defense and to the means of defending oneself is a basic natural right that grows out of the right to life' and 'many [gun control laws] interfere with the ability of law-abiding citizens to defend themselves against violent criminals. (“Should” 2).' These instances often do not get reported which is why it is difficult to say how many lives guns save every year. Although this number is difficult to pinpoint, the ballpark estimate is well over the amount of lives that guns take every year. If suicide is take suicide out of the picture, gun related deaths is an even smaller scale problem. Instead of trying to take away the rights of law abiding citizens, the government should be advocating for more gun ownership and teaching people how to properly handle, store, and own firearms.

Gun education is one of the most important steps that needs to be taken. The government of the USA needs to realize that its citizens are dying and measures must be taken to stop it. The laws that are in place are sufficient, yes, but the law enforcement officers need to focus on getting illegally obtained firearms out of the hands of criminals who should not possess them either way. Law enforcement also needs to work on educating the public on how beneficial guns can be for protection. Instead of fearing guns and criminals, Americans must use the rights given to them in order to put a stop to violent crime. “Firearms were the 12th leading cause of deaths for all deaths between 1999 and 2013, responsible for 1.3% of deaths with 464,033 deaths” (Cox 3). Gun deaths are simply not a significant enough reason to infringe upon the rights given to citizens in the Constitution. Americans must not let the government take too much control, or we will be no longer a free nation.

Guns are an innate part of American culture and history. Placing limitations on Constitutional rights is not only tyrannical, but also has been proven ineffective and pointless. Americans are not dying in massive numbers because of guns, there are several other reasons before that. Guns protect innocent citizens from having their lives taken by criminals who wish to do them harm. Guns save far more lives than they take. Gun deaths are often suicide, which would occur with or without them. Guns give women a fighting chance against violent criminals like rapists and stalkers, against whom otherwise they would have very little chance. Gun control has been proven ineffective countless ways both in the United States and elsewhere. Places with stricter laws lead to more crimes, as many cities show. This is why gun control would be extremely detrimental to the law abiding men, women, and children of the United States of America.