Gun Control Is Bad Essay

Gun control laws should not be strengthened, instead they should be enforced. Instead of making it harder for law-abiding citizens to obtain guns, guns should be taken away from unstable individuals or people who should not have guns like criminals. The first reason why gun control should not be strengthened is that citizens have the right to own guns; it is one of those entitlements that makes the United States different from other countries. Secondly, criminals are criminals and that is why they are called criminals, they don’t follow the law; basically if a criminal wants a gun they will get a gun, legally or not. My third reason is that guns are used for protection. Strengthening gun control laws will not prevent violence, guns aren’t the only tool used to hurt people, and people will use other objects to hurt people if they can’t have guns. Without a gun, murderers will still murder people whether they use a gun, knife, baseball bat, or any other object, it doesn’t matter. If not that many citizens have guns thanks to stronger gun laws, what if the government becomes tyrannical or does not protect the citizens’ rights? Well they won’t be able to do anything because they will be helpless, they can’t take out the leaders and fix the government. The second amendment states, â€Å"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. Adolf Hitler took away guns from the Jewish people during his reign of power in Europe, the constitution states that guns are â€Å"necessary to the security of a free state† and Hitler did not want a free state, he did not want them to fight back. Same goes for Fidel Castro and other leaders like them. Guns are necessary to for the people to have, to make sure the government is kept in line. The founding fathers wanted citizens to be able to own guns to make sure that the people are in charge. Thomas Jefferson said, â€Å"When the people fear the government there is a tyranny, when the government fears the people there is liberty.† If stricter gun control laws went into effect then citizens will begin to lose a basic right as a citizen of the United States. Some people who think strengthening gun control will reduce gun violence but it will only make law-abiding citizens not want to go through the process of getting a gun. Criminals will find a way to get guns if they want them which is why instead of strengthening gun laws, it should be made sure that criminals and unstable people do not have guns. When alcohol was illegal during Prohibition, the criminals still found a way to get it, if guns are illegal they will still find a way to get them. Chicago has some of the strictest gun control laws in the nation. In 2010 it was illegal for a citizen to own a handgun. In that same year more Chicago police officers were killed by gunfire than any other police agency. According to theacru.org a Harvard study showed, â€Å"Norway has the highest rate of gun ownership in Western Europe, yet possesses the lowest murder rate. In contrast, Holland’s murder rate is nearly the worst, despite having the lowest gun ownership in Western Europe.† This is showing how gun control does not work. According to dosomething.org, â€Å"Most guns used in crimes are stolen either from homes or gun dealers.† A criminal will find a gun illegally if they have to, they won’t care about gun control laws, only citizens who will follow the law will, and they will be the ones to get hurt by the criminals. If they want it, they will find a way to get it. Guns don’t kill people, people kill people and if guns are not available then people will still kill people, gun control laws being strengthened will not stop people from killing each other. The proof is in the facts, gun control doesn’t work. Guns can be used to balance power between the strong and the defenseless which can save innocent lives. For example, if an elderly woman was home alone and someone was breaking into her home she could easily shoot the intruder and defend herself. According to justfacts.com, in a survey done by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention from 1994, â€Å"Americans use guns to frighten away intruders who are breaking into their homes about 498,000 times per year.† An example of this is a story done by ABC News on October 20, 2012 a 12 year old girl was home alone when an intruder broke in, she hid in her closet with her mom’s gun and when the intruder came to the closet she shot him in the shoulder and he got scared off, that probably saved her life. Also, a survey from the Journal of Quantative Criminology from 2000 stated, â€Å"U.S. civilians use guns to defend themselves and others from crimes at least 989,883 times per year.† If gun control laws are strengthened it will be harder for citizens who obey the law to obtain guns which they would use to protect themselves therefore the crime rate will spike as the smaller and weaker cannot protect themselves. Stricter gun control laws will only make it harder for citizens who actually follow the law to acquire guns, criminals don’t care if it is illegal or not. It is an unalienable right as a U.S. citizen to own guns and guns are used as protection from people like who want to do harm to others. If gun laws are strengthened criminals will still get the guns if they want them, they don’t care if they break the law. Guns are used for protection by citizens. I think that the only way to lessen violence with guns is to have stronger penalties for murders and harm to other people. Also, I believe that people should keep track of their guns and keep them in a safe place so no one can steal them.