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Gun control is the legal measure intended to restrict or prevent the use or possession of firearms. Gun control is a more sensitive and controversial issue because gun possession is constitutionally protected, making crimes such as mass gun murders to be extremely common. The gun control debate is necessary for proper interpretation of the Second Amendment, which protects an individual right to purchase and possess a firearm that is unconnected with services in a militia and can use the arm for lawful purposes such as defense within their properties (Duignan). The supporter of gun control in the United States argues that limiting access to gun possession will limit the loss of life and effectively control crime. The opponents argue that limiting gun control will prevent law-abiding citizens from defending themselves from armed criminals. This is an argumentized essay limited to determining whether gun control is an effective way to control crime.
Effectiveness of Gun Control
Gun control supporters argue that it would effectively reduce the death associated with shootings and other criminal activities. Since the present and past laws have failed to reduce the increasing number of crimes, it will be profitable to regulate the selling and firearms to criminals and citizens of the United States (Cook and Jens). This will create a platform for reinforcing and enhancing the law enforcer employed for citizen protection. The mass shootings conducted by criminals are achieved because there is free selling of arms, making a lot of money to circulate through the black market, which settles in the wrong hands. As a result, the criminal can obtain arms more easily because they have money generated from the black market. Gun control will make it hard for criminals to purchase, access, and possess firearms because the law will be after them (Kleck et al. 500). These criminals who conduct massive shootings and other criminal activities are instilled with fear of being subjected to the law for accessing firearms illegally.
Gun Control Ineffectiveness
The opponent of gun control argues that it will not solve the crime challenge such as mass shooting. Enforcing laws to control firearm possession will be a deterrent because it is a form of violating the laws that give the citizen a mandate to defend against criminals intended to harm them. Controlling the possession of guns will not deter criminals from possessing a gun because they have lived not to obey the law, and whenever they get an opportunity to use guns in public, they will do so without fear (Britannica). For this reason, controlling guns will not be effective as the criminal will continuously operate irrespective of the law of demand and supply of firearms. There is a need to develop an effective method of controlling crime because gun control will lead to an increase in criminal activities.
Additionally, in the mind of criminals and gangs, there are more regulations put in place, they more criminals get chances to attack people. This is because the law will limit gun possession in the population, making it easier for them to have greater chances that the population will not defend themselves as criminals invade them (Duggan 1092). Since the civilians will not have a mechanism for defending themselves and will be simultaneously harmed and shot by criminals. Research shows that the states that have allowed their citizens to purchase and possess guns have a low rate of crime and massive shootings than the states that have enforced gun control laws (Siegel et al.). In addition, regulating and restricting arms affect citizens only because criminals have their way of accessing and using firearms for their advantage. This shows that curtailing citizens from accessing guns will worsen because criminals will invade them without any defense. For example, in England, banning and making possession of firearm illegal for individuals increase the rate of criminal activities in the streets of London, unlike in the days when individuals were allowed to possess a gun. It is therefore clear that gun control creates allusion when individuals develop a feeling of being unsafe while placing them in the hands of armed criminals.
From the argument, it is evident that enforcing gun control laws does not necessarily reduce criminal activities such as mass shootings. The argument has created an inverse relationship between the states that have allowed gun control laws and those that have allowed their citizen to possess firearms. Britain is among the states that have passed gun laws. The research shows that Britain’s rate of criminal activities had increased compared to when they had no strict laws concerning firearms. New York is another state that has embraced gun control law, and it has been observed that it has more than 20% incidences of robberies performed in the streets using guns. In addition, the burning of gun laws in Washington D.C. shows that the number of crimes such as homicide and robberies had decreased compared to when they had stricter gun laws. Therefore, an effective intervention needs to be implemented which will reduce massive shootings than endorsing gun control because it has been observed to be ineffective for crime reduction in the United States.
- Britannica. “Pros & Cons – ProCon.org”. Gun Control, 26 Jan. 2022, https://gun-control.procon.org
- Cook, Philip J., and Jens Ludwig. “Principles for Effective Gun Control.” Available at SSRN 624122.
- Duggan, Mark. “More guns, more crime.” Journal of political Economy 109.5 (2001): 1086-1114.
- Duignan, Brian. “Gun Control in the U.S.”. Encyclopedia Britannica, Invalid Date, https://www.britannica.com/story/gun-control-in-the-us. Accessed 3 August 2022.
- Kleck, Gary, Tomislav Kovandzic, and Jon Bellows. “Does gun control reduce violent crime?” Criminal Justice Review 41.4 (2016): 488-513.
- Siegel, Michael, et al. “Firearm-related laws in all 50 US states, 1991–2016.” American Journal of Public Health (ajph) (2017).