Recently, due to the looting of stores in the recent protests, many store owners have defended their stores with guns, reigniting a very hotly debated topic in the United States: Should gun control exist in the U.S. or not?
Currently, the country has over 393 million guns, or 120.5 guns per 100 people, the highest total and per capita number in the world. 22% of the American population owns at least one gun. The idea that the population should have the right to bear arms comes from the Second Amendment: “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 sentence has sparked the debate over gun control for decades.
Generally, the debate over gun control has been mostly split over party lines: Democrats generally favor stricter gun control, while Republicans generally oppose gun control.
Those against gun control mainly refer to the aforementioned Second Amendment. They say that the amendment specifically protects the right to individual gun ownership, and stricter gun control laws would infringe upon the right to bear arms. They also point to research and facts stating that gun ownership helps to deter crime: for example, as gun ownership doubled in the 1900s, the murder rate decreased. In addition, because people own guns, criminals may fear retaliation from their victims, thus de-incentivizing crime.
Also, those opposing gun control state that without guns, people would not be able to defend themselves, thus denying people a sense of safety. National Rifle Association (NRA) statistics say that guns are used for self-defense 2.5 million times a year and that the police cannot always protect everyone. The Pew Foundation reported that a large majority of gun owners said owning a gun made them feel safer. However, proponents for gun control say that if no one in the population had guns, then people wouldn’t need guns for self-defense.
Gun owners also point to the fact that gun control rarely deters people from committing crimes and that control has been ineffective. They say that if a criminal wants a gun, they will get it, no matter if it is illegal or not. In addition, gun control laws do not reduce firearm death rates, according to a Lancet study.
On the other hand, because the Second Amendment was written so long ago and is so vague, proponents of gun control interpret the amendment to mean only the militia has the right own guns, not individuals. The Supreme Court has refused to rule in favor of individuals many times in history, and there is nothing in the amendment that mentions the right belongs to the individual, rather than the militia.
Also, those in favor of gun control mention the high rate of gun homicide, violent conflict, and the fact that guns are rarely used in self-defense. Compared to countries with strict gun control, the U.S.’ gun homicide rates are significantly higher. In fact, 82% of all people killed by firearms were from the U.S. Furthermore, the presence of a gun is likely to turn conflicts violent. Without guns, conflicts would be far less likely to turn violent. Also, there would be no more accidental gun deaths if there were no more firearms.
Besides that, a large majority of people do support background checks, bans on assault weapons, and bans on high-capacity magazines. Polls among gun owners and voters consistently show that most people support universal background checks, mandatory waiting periods for gun purchases, and a nationwide ban on assault-style weapons. In fact, 77% of people support requiring a license to purchase a gun, according to NPR.
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