Against gun control - Research Paper Example

? Against Gun Control Background Gun tragedies are frequently taking place throughout the world. Research indicates that only in United States of America the rate of gun homicides is 72% i.e. of every 100 homicides 72 are committed using guns (Stray). In addition to this guns have also been involved in suicides and other crimes such as theft, bank robbery, etc. This increasing trend of keeping guns and their unauthentic use has actually raised many arguments. Analysts are recurrently debating over the subject on how to limit the use of guns or how to effectively implement gun control so that the increasing rate of crime and violence can be reduced (Myers). There are some people who are actually against the control of guns. Though they are very few in numbers yet their argument is far substantial as compared to those who are in favor of it. This paper aims to put forward the arguments from both sides while maintaining a firm position against it. Thesis Gun control is a significant need of today’s world in order to protect and safeguard humanity. However if one would closely analyze the overall situation then it is easy to identify that the real issue is not with the access and availability of guns, but rather the main problem is with the people and their peculiar mentality which compels them to harm or kill others. Therefore the present strategies related to gun control do not seem much beneficial and neither have they shown any decrease in the rate of crimes. People in favor of gun control usually emphasize upon the affects and influence of external environment. However, they neglect the fact that most of the human actions are driven by an internal force or motivation which is not only uncontrollable but it is also only under the influence of one’s mind. Therefore it would be more favorable to change the overall mindset of people rather than implementing laws regarding gun control through an outside force. Evidence In order to understand the concept of gun control and why few individuals stand against this argument, it is substantial to first look at why the government agencies want to remove guns from the society. The answer to this lies in the current statistics of homicides and other criminal activities such as bank robbery, theft, kidnapping, etc. Guns are largely considered to facilitate the overall crimes especially homicide because of its distinguishing features (Myers). For instance, it is significantly easier for a gun holder to kill someone from a distance. Similarly it is a very handy weapon which can be easily kept in pockets or in bags. People who are shot by these guns due to any reason undergo serious injuries which prove fatal most of the times. Therefore the legislation is forced to remove guns from societies and to limit its use so as to grant maximum protection to the citizens. However, the most important point which they fail to consider is the hidden mentality and the real attitude of people which compels them to get indulged into such crimes. For instance, if an individual has determined to kill someone then he could do that through a knife or other weapons as well, representing that guns are not a necessary element of criminal acts. This indicates that it is far better to work on the mentality and human nurture rather than gun control since the former would generate more substantial results on long term basis. Research and analysis of the subject clearly indicates that people who are in practice of using guns are of the point of view that the use of gun is actually not the real issue rather the problem lies in the attitude of people (Sherfinski). Gun possession and its use to save the dignity of an individual is the most significant constitutional right. However with the legislation of gun control, this right of the population is challenged while the real issue remains the same i.e. the ever increasing rate of crime. The seemingly simple elimination of guns from the society is in real the removal of protection and liberty of masses which will have more serious consequences in future (Sherfinski). Guns are frequently used for hunting purposes which is a renowned leisure activity for many. Due to the implementation of gun control, hunting will also be affected representing a deep concern for the people involved in this hobby (Sherfinski). Furthermore, it will affect the safe and protective travelling of people who are required to frequently drive through the highways and other similar places. This emphasizes upon the point that if the violence and homicide is controlled through the ban on guns then who is going to protect the lives and dignity of travelers and leisure hunters. One thing that is of prime importance over here is that the number of individuals travelling through the highways or involve in animal hunting is significant enough to compel the government authorities that their decision of gun control would substantially affect their lives rather than ensuring the protection of citizens. Argument People arguing in favor of the subject usually base their argument over the point that one cannot make an attempt to kill someone without a gun, since it is the easiest and least time consuming way of committing a crime. Guns are source of practicing great power over those who does not possess it and usually people misuse this power by making their things done by threatening innocent individuals at gun point. These people also put forward another point of view that the mental attitude of an individual behind the gun does not really matter because when someone suddenly realizes that he has an opportunity to influences others to whatever extent he wishes, and then it is a genuine consequence that he would fall for committing crimes and harming innocent people (Sherfinski). A significantly large proportion of people actually favor this argument and majority of them are those who have gone through the phase of losing someone really close in a criminal act where gun played the major role. Therefore these people are more concerned about the immediate control over the access and availability of guns while ensuring the removal of threatening weapons from the society. They say that it is the most crucial step that must be taken in order to extend maximum protection to the citizens and also to decrease the crime rate (Lowry). Refutation of argument The first point of argument put forward by those in favor of the argument is refuted on the basis of the fact that homicides have been a part of unjust societies with significantly poor moral backgrounds. This can be substantiated through analyzing the rate of crimes when guns were not in possession of a common man or even when they were not invented. This indicates that the real issue is with the use of the weapon rather than the weapon itself since it is the same guns which are used for protection purposes and safeguards an individual’s life. Therefore people who have lost someone due to an unauthorized use of guns must consider the other side of its usage that it is a big source of protecting people. Elimination of guns can be used to reduce the rate of gun homicide which is not expected to impose substantial results over the rate of crime, since it will not decrease the percentage of homicides which are committed through other weapons. In addition to this people who believe that guns actually increases the practice of power influence over innocent citizens must realize that the accumulation of power and its practice is itself refuting their argument due to its direct relationship with the mental state of an individual. If the person himself has sound moral and ethical personality then the possession of gun won’t really matter to him (Sherfinski). Furthermore, it is fairly understandable that gun control cannot fully eliminate the access and availability of guns and neither can it completely control the use of guns while ensuring that people in possession would not indulge into criminal activities. This indicates that gun control would not represent positive effects over homicides or other gun related crimes. Therefore it is substantial to build awareness about the use of guns in addition to explaining the consequences of wrong use of the weapon rather than implementing gun control. This will significantly reduce the overall crime rate while providing extensive protection to the citizens in form of gun possession so that if they need they can actually safeguard themselves against the criminal attacks. Conclusion Homicides and crimes involving the extensive use of guns are rapidly increasing throughout the world, imposing serious threats over the lives of common citizens while paralyzing their freedom and freewill (Stray). In order to solve this issue government has come up with a legislative act of limiting the use of guns and its elimination from the society in order to extend maximum protection to the people. However, they haven’t realized that their attempt to guns control would actually result in more genuine problems leading to other crimes. Guns are a great source of providing personal protection to an individual but their use solely depends upon the mental and emotional state of people in possession of guns while having its roots in the ethical and moral upbringing and overall awareness about its use. The above arguments suggest that it is significant to limit the use of guns. However gun control does not reflect more substantial results as compared to the improvement in overall attitude of people when it comes to the use of guns. Therefore government must implement laws concerning the right use of guns rather than its complete elimination from the society. Works Cited Lowry, Brian. ‘Glee’ Risks Taking Aim at Gun-Control Debate. Variety Media. 9 April 2013. Web. 10 April 2013. Myers, Ryan. Gun Control Debate: How Owning a Gun Changes the Dynamics of Conflict.Policymic: UNC School of Government. 2013. Web. 10 April 2013. Sherfinski, David. Maryland girl is armed with arguments against gun control. The Washington Times. 7 April 2013. Web. 10 April 2013. Stray, Jonathan. Gun Violence in America: The 13 Key Questions. The Atlantic. 4 Feb 2013. Web. 10 April 2013. Screenshots Read More