In a country where gun violence seems to continue rising, gun control is a sensitive subject for the United States. There is an ongoing argument brewing in this country about the validity of the second amendment and the way people interpret it. Throughout the years, there has been much opposition to the right of gun ownership in the United States and many believe that the second amendment should be stricken from the bill of rights. The solution to diminishing gun violence does not lie in amending the bill of rights, but toughening laws in order to take guns out of the hands of criminals. The simple fact is that removing the amendment would only strip law-abiding citizens of their right to owning firearms and would in no way would be effective in reducing or bringing an end to gun violence in the United States. The individuals who want to remove the second amendment are only trying to alter and misconstrue the intention of those who wrote the bill of rights over 200 years ago.
Many would say that the world would be a better place without guns and that the best sensible resolution would be to outlaw them. This is true, but unfortunately, it is impossible to get rid of guns just as it is impossible to get rid of drugs. Making gun ownership illegal would only take firearms away from law-abiding citizens, not the true criminals who get guns from illegal sources on the black market. According to the Bureau of Justice, 80% of inmates in 1997 who committed a crime with a gun got their weapon from family, friends, a street buy, or an illegal source. It is apparent that the law enforcement needs to primarily target the black market to prevent crimes and to get guns off the street. In the cases of homicides involving guns, 81% of the criminals had at least one arrest, 67% had a felony, and 70% had at least one conviction in 2001. Another way to discourage these crimes is by strengthening prison sentences for those who use firearms to commit offenses, as the government has been doing recently. In terms of education, schools in areas of substantial gun violence could work to teach youths about the disadvantages of choosing a criminal lifestyle involving guns or crime in general. Many believe the solution lies in making background checks more elaborate and demanding, however they do not fully solve the problem of violence. Background checks help ensure that criminals or people with substantially flawed records cannot purchase firearms from legal sources but not from the illegal sources. A better answer for decreasing gun crimes could be by routinely checking people, who have a substantial record of violence, for firearms through parole or other types of enforcement. Unfortunately, it would be almost impossible to try and take guns away from those who do not have a criminal record but will use guns to commit homicide because we cannot see the future. The reality remains that only a small percentage of the homicides involving guns occur with legally purchased firearms. It would be much more effective and practical for the government to concentrate on eradicating illegal arms, not by revising established doctrine. It is impossible to get guns away from every criminal just as it is impossible to completely prevent every crime, but there still needs to be a logical effort to do so.
The United States government simply cannot violate the rights of its citizens and should never take firearms from people without criminal records even though a small percentage will use guns in a crime. The majority of legal gun owners do not use their guns in any crime; they use the weapons for protection, sport, target practice, or for collection. People need to understand that there is a problem within our society, not within the bill of rights. At this point, relying on better law enforcement, education, and stronger sentences is all we can do to stop gun violence throughout the nation, for infringing upon the rights of the population is not the answer.
Many would say that the world would be a better place without guns and that the best sensible resolution would be to outlaw them. This is true, but unfortunately, it is impossible to get rid of guns just as it is impossible to get rid of drugs. Making gun ownership illegal would only take firearms away from law-abiding citizens, not the true criminals who get guns from illegal sources on the black market. According to the Bureau of Justice, 80% of inmates in 1997 who committed a crime with a gun got their weapon from family, friends, a street buy, or an illegal source. It is apparent that the law enforcement needs to primarily target the black market to prevent crimes and to get guns off the street. In the cases of homicides involving guns, 81% of the criminals had at least one arrest, 67% had a felony, and 70% had at least one conviction in 2001. Another way to discourage these crimes is by strengthening prison sentences for those who use firearms to commit offenses, as the government has been doing recently. In terms of education, schools in areas of substantial gun violence could work to teach youths about the disadvantages of choosing a criminal lifestyle involving guns or crime in general. Many believe the solution lies in making background checks more elaborate and demanding, however they do not fully solve the problem of violence. Background checks help ensure that criminals or people with substantially flawed records cannot purchase firearms from legal sources but not from the illegal sources. A better answer for decreasing gun crimes could be by routinely checking people, who have a substantial record of violence, for firearms through parole or other types of enforcement. Unfortunately, it would be almost impossible to try and take guns away from those who do not have a criminal record but will use guns to commit homicide because we cannot see the future. The reality remains that only a small percentage of the homicides involving guns occur with legally purchased firearms. It would be much more effective and practical for the government to concentrate on eradicating illegal arms, not by revising established doctrine. It is impossible to get guns away from every criminal just as it is impossible to completely prevent every crime, but there still needs to be a logical effort to do so.
The United States government simply cannot violate the rights of its citizens and should never take firearms from people without criminal records even though a small percentage will use guns in a crime. The majority of legal gun owners do not use their guns in any crime; they use the weapons for protection, sport, target practice, or for collection. People need to understand that there is a problem within our society, not within the bill of rights. At this point, relying on better law enforcement, education, and stronger sentences is all we can do to stop gun violence throughout the nation, for infringing upon the rights of the population is not the answer.
