Dylan Fisher
Dr. Mace
Writing Communications
November 20, 2017
Guns Complicated Legal Status in Modern America
There is perhaps no bigger issue in the United States today than that of the legality of firearms. Firearms have been in our society since its infancy, and they aren't going anywhere. Ever since the founding fathers drafted the constitution, they put emphasis on the ability for the American population to own guns. In recent times guns have been incredibly controversial as the rise of mass shootings have attracted national attention. Shootings such as Sandy Hook, Aurora, and Pulse have sparked intense debates among politicians. One side believes that increased gun control won't have an effect on mass shootings and gun related crimes, while one side argues that increased gun control is a must and it will help ease crimes. The side of heavily increased gun control is statistically the most effective because if criminals have little access to guns it makes it harder for them to commit armed crimes.
German Lopez and Phoebe Maltz Bovy both argue that heavy gun control is a must and it will help the United State’s ever increasing problem with guns. Both have similar points when arguing their points. Mass shootings are a direct result of easygoing laws. Weak background checks let the mentally unstable have access to a powerful means of killing. Authors discuss the dire need to act quickly if the public wants the mass shootings to stop anytime soon.
German Lopez opens his article with the clear message “Gun control saves lives” He goes on to explain that when Australia was undergoing its heightened mass shooting period, they enacted serious gun restrictions and their gun related deaths dropped significantly. In recent years there has been increased study on guns and although “It’s not perfect by any means — this is a tough issue to study, for reasons I’ll get into below. But it’s fairly persuasive.” (Lopez) The United States is interesting because it is one of the most developed countries in the world but has the most guns by far, out of any country. There are 88.8 guns per 100 people in the United States so it is obvious why there are so many mass shootings in today's society. Lopez’ evidence is strong as he delves into multiple sources and studies to backup his claims. There are many socioeconomic factors that play into gun deaths. It is to be concluded that poorer places with easy access to guns have the most deaths. In addition around 90% of the time when a firearm-owning resident gets robbed they don't even use their firearm to protect themselves. This is critical information as anti-gun control advocates argue that it is imperative to own a gun at home to protect yourself. There is little reason to own said gun if one is not going to use it. The problem in America is that citizens believe that owning a gun guarantees safety but statistics say otherwise.
Bovy adds that owning a firearm outright should be banned and that no one should own...
