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Ethan Dutko
Mrs. Bell
Advanced English 10
3 April 2019
Gun Control
Gun control has become a big topic in the United States and all around the world. The
common arguments are if we need gun control or if we do not and if we do need gun control,
how many laws are needed and how strict should they be. Some people want gun control and
some do not, then there are the people that are in the middle and like some of the ideas. An
article from ProCon.org, claims that there were about 464,000 gun deaths between 1999 and
2018. That sounds like a lot but it was over 19 years and compared to cancer which is estimated
to kill 609,640 in just one year (“Cancer Statistics,) it is not as bad as some would think. Either
way, gun control can be good or bad depending on who looks at it. (ProCon.org. "History of Gun
Control." ProCon.org. 25 Mar. 2019.)
Gun control debates have been going on for a long time. Since the Revolutionary war
there have been arguments about whether to let people own guns in their own homes. Since the
creation of the constitution most of those arguments have been impossible to win because it is
now an amendment. Although it is an amendment, people still argue that it isn't an individual
right to bear arms, it is a militias right. Many people argue that there would be less deaths if less
guns were owned, which is technically true, but only about 40,000 people died from guns in
2018, nearly 40,000 People Died From Guns in U.S. Last Year, Highest in 50 Years. That is not
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a lot of deaths when compared to other things like cancer or heart disease. (ProCon.org. "History
of Gun Control." ProCon.org. 25 Mar. 2019.)
Guns can help deter crime, for example if someone wanted to rob someone else and they
realized they had a gun, they are probably less likely to rob them. On the flip side, it may also
create more violence because the burglar might get a gun of his own. Banning high capacity
magazines would also help with protecting people from mass shootings, because they can't shoot
as much, more people would survive. Also there is no good reason to have high capacity
magazines besides having fun. (ProCon.org. "History of Gun Control." ProCon.org. 25 Mar.
2019)
Guns can be helpful for self defense for people smaller than their attacker. During a
domestic dispute, women are 500% more likely to be injured or murdered (Gun Control). 31
states do not ban the right to own guns for people who have been convicted of stalking, which
can turn violent quickly. Guns are rarely used in self defense even though they could aid you in
defending yourself. (PÉREZ-PEÑA, RICHARD, Gun Control Explained, The New York Times, 6
October 2015.)
In extreme gun control laws, banning guns overall is sometimes brought up, this sounds
good because if there are no guns, no one can get hurt by the, right? Even though guns would be
banned does not mean people can not get their hands on one. Just like drugs that are banned there
will always be a blackmarket ...
