RUNNING HEAD:1 Conflicting Viewpoints Essay - Part 1 1 Gun control in America is one of the most controversial and well fought areas in American...

Gun control in America is one of the most controversial and well fought areas in American politics which is clearly defined by the gun control activists and the gun rights activists pitted against each other. The United States is believed to have 88.8 guns per 100 people which translate to roughly 270 million guns in civilian custody and care. I think that gun control should be emphasized and more strict measures should be put in place to control buying and usage of firearms. I personally believe that The Second Amendment is not an unlimited right to own and use firearms without proper supervision and that stricter gun control laws would reduce gun deaths and injuries. Gun rights activists have placed several arguments to support their view and stand on the controversial issue as explained and analyzed using the “Believing game.”

The Second Amendment of the US Constitution protects individual gun ownership. It is very interesting to note that the gun culture in America dates back ages ago and some historians actually believing the tradition is older than the country itself. It is also important to note that the law clearly states that 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 thus enshrining gun ownership in the country legally. From believing this view it becomes clearly evident that The Second Amendment protects an individual’s right to possess a firearm unconnected with service in a militia, and to use that arm for traditionally lawful purposes. This is important as is provides the opportunity for gun owners to utilize them lawfully such as stop a crime or terrorism activity. I think this argument might be true in instances or situations such as an invasion by enemy countries or militias. Each citizen will thus have the ability to personally protect themselves and their loved ones while ensuring the integrity and democracy of the country is fought for.

Gun control laws do not deter crime; gun ownership deters crime. It is very important to note that states which reported an increase in gun ownership also reported a significant decrease in violent crimes. It is thus becoming clearly observable that gun ownership has a direct impact or effect on crime rate, an increase in gun ownership is directly related to reduction in violent crimes. This may be attributed to the fact that increased numbers of people are now capable of self-defense if the need arises. This argument might be true in violent burglary or theft cases since the attacker will be more cautious and worried about attacking a suspect. This is so because the suspect might be armed and thus ready and willing to defend him or herself if the situation arises.

More gun control is not needed; education about guns, gun usage and gun safety is needed to prevent accidental gun deaths. It becomes very interesting to note that guns don’t kill people, people kill people. Most gun accidents are caused by poor knowledge and ability to own, maintain and use a firearm. One notices instantly that a responsible and knowledgeable gun owner is rarely involved in a firearms accident of any kind. This is because the owner is capable of conducting himself with discipline when in procession of a gun. Thus more effort should be geared toward education of proper gun usage and maintenance. This idea might be true in instances where most gun accidents have been proven to occur due to negligence and poor discipline of the owner.

Reference

Gun Control in the United States. Retrieved from

http://gun-control.procon.org/

The editors (2015). The Science of Gun Violence and Gun Control in the U.S. Retrieved from http://www.scientificamerican.com/report/the-science-of-gun-violence-and-gun-control-in-the-u-s/

Gregory Krieg(2016). Gun control in America: How we got here. Retrieved from http://edition.cnn.com/2016/01/07/politics/gun-control-america-history-timeline/