ARGUMENTATIVE - Research Paper Example

Download file to see previous pages... However, while everyone acknowledges that initiatives need to be taken to significantly decrease gun violence, the methods of doing so have caused a rift between Americans. Narration The concept of gun control, which “refers to any action taken by federal and state governments to regulate the purchase, safety, and use of firearms” (Saxton & Skinner 1), has been a political debate for many decades. Politicians have been trying to determine if citizens are obtaining guns in ways that could be considered reckless toward the safety of society. In the past two decades, though, with more people than ever being affected by gun violence, and gun violence going from an occasional terrible event to daily headlines on various news channels throughout the United States (Hunt 1), the debate of gun control has moved into the public. With the ease at which it seems people are able to purchase handguns and assault weapons, there has been a rush to create rigorous regulations to ensure that these objects do not end up in the wrong hands. Unfortunately, the attempts to decrease gun violence by proposing the moderation and control of firearms have caused more controversy than beneficial solutions to this issue. There are potentially three sides to the gun control debate: the neutral, the proponents, and the opponents. Those that have taken a neutral stance concede that gun violence has increased significantly due to the overwhelming ease at which people can purchase handguns and assault weapons, and while certain measures should be taken to prevent the wrong people from purchasing guns, these individuals do not feel that citizens should be completely disarmed. Proponents of gun control feel that guns do not belong at all in the hands of private citizens, and that only police officers and military men and women should have access to firearms. The opponents of gun control, also acknowledging that measures need to be laid out to decrease gun violence, believe that gun ownership is not just “our right as per the Second Amendment of the United States Constitution” (Burton 1), but a requirement to guarantee our own safety against criminals. Partition There is no question that gun violence needs to be deterred in America. Very seldom does a day go by anymore that does not end in multiple gun-related deaths. However, placing extreme restrictions on guns will only prove to be more dangerous as doing so would prevent citizens from protecting themselves and their families should they ever be confronted with a dangerous individual or group (Worsnop 507). Strict gun control is not the answer to putting an end to gun violence, but making sure that obedient citizens have the means to protect themselves against those on the other side of the law. By restricting and controlling firearms, honest citizens are being punished, the ability to self-protect is being taken away, and the restrictions will not prevent criminals from purchasing firearms to use as weapons. Argument and Refutation Those that are opposed to gun control make the argument that they are being punished as a result of the dangerous actions of criminals. The criminals are the ones who are misusing and taking advantage of our Constitutional right to own firearms, using them for robbing businesses and individuals, and for causing harm to their enemies and, more often than not, to innocent bystanders. Many criminals do not even ...Download file to see next pagesRead More