Gun control

           A.Pou
           ESL67W

           “…The right of the people to keep and bear Arms,  shall  not  be
           infringed.”
                                  Article   [II.]    Amendments    to    the
                                  Constitution

                                 Gun control
      America is faced with a growing problem of violence. Streets have
become a battlefield where the people can be beaten for a couple dollars,
where women can be brutally attacked and raped. Every day criminals try to
divide territories to sell their illegal drugs, and innocent people are
caught in the crossfire of drive-by shootings. We cannot ignore the damage
that these criminals are doing to our society, and strong actions must be
taken to stop this from happening. However, the efforts by the gun control
supporters to eliminate the legal ownership of firearms do not address the
real problem, and simply disarm the innocent law-abiding citizens who might
need firearms for self-defense. There are three main reasons why gun
control law should take firearms from hands of criminals, not law-abiding
citizens, first historically legal ownership of firearms in America, second
if Congress passes laws restricting ownership of firearms, as a result it
will affect law-abiding people only, third statistic shows that the people
who go through legal process of obtaining permits do not want to break the
law.
      First of all to understand the reasons of the gun control efforts, we
must take a look at the history of America, and the role firearms have
played in it. The second amendment of the Constitution of the United States
makes firearm ownership legal in this country; it says, “… The right of the
people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed”(1). Firearms in the
new world were used initially for hunting, and for self-defense. However,
when the colonists felt that the burden of British oppression was too much
for them, they picked up their personal firearms and went to war. The
founding fathers of the country understood that an armed populace aided in
fighting off oppression. They made the right to keep and bear arms a
constitutionally guaranteed right. Thomas Jefferson wrote, “No man shall
ever be debarred the use of arms“(2).
      Second, today Congress, claiming that they want to take guns out of
the hands of criminals, has worked to pass legislation that would take the
guns out of the hands of law-abiding citizens instead. The point is the
efforts of gun control do not address the real problem of crime. Therefore,
if congress passes laws restricting ownership of firearms, as a result this
will affect law-abiding people only. Criminals will continue to violate
these laws, they will continue to carry their firearms, and they will that
commit a crime much easier when they know that their victims will be
unarmed. Unarmed victims will have small chance against an armed one. In
many states, including Florida and Texas, citizens have stated that they
want to keep their right to carry firearms for self- defense. Since the
late 1980's, Florida has been issuing concealed weapons permits to law-
abiding citizens, and these citizens have been carrying their firearms to
defend themselves against crime. The result is that the rate of violent
crime has actually dropped in contrast to the national average. Previously,
Florida had been leading the nation in this category, and the citizens of
that state have welcomed the change (3).
        Third, gun control supporters tried to claim that there would be
bloodshed in the streets when these citizens were given the right to carry
guns. They claimed that the cities of Florida would become the Wild West
city with shootouts on every street corner, and duels over simple
disagreements. These gun control supporters were wrong. More than 200,000
concealed carry permits have been issued so far, with only 36 of these
permits revoked for improper use of a firearm (4). This statistic shows
that the people who go through legal process of obtaining permits do not
want to break the law. The people who do intend to break the law will carry
their guns whether or not the law allows them to do so. Today, criminals
often carry illegal weapons, such as sawed-off shotguns, machine guns;
ignore the current laws that make these weapons illegal. When they are
caught, the courts usually dismiss these weapons charges; prosecute for the
more serious charges, like murder, that are being committed with the
weapons. The gun control supporters say that the gun is demon itself,
rather than deal with the criminals. This is the main flaw in their
argument. The gun control supporters claim that possession of a gun can
turn average citizens into bloodthirsty maniacs. This theory falls apart
under close analysis. If legal possession of a firearm caused this sort of
attitude, then why are crime rates highest in areas such as New York City
and Washington, D.C., which have strict gun control laws? Why are crimes
rates dropping in state such as Florida where private ownership of firearms
is encouraged?
      In conclusion, three main reasons why gun control law should take
firearms from hands of criminals, not law-abiding citizens are first
historically legal ownership of firearms in America, second if Congress
passes laws restricting ownership of firearms, as a result it will affect
law-abiding people only, third statistic shows that the people who go
through legal process of obtaining permits do not want to break the law.
Legal ownership of a gun does not cause crime, the same time, the laws,
which make it illegal to own firearms, do little to prevent criminals from
getting guns. These laws only restrict people who respect the law, the
people who would only use firearms for legal purposes. Criminals have fear
that they can be the victims themselves, when people have the rights to own
firearms and defend themselves and their families. The government must look
at the problem of reducing crime in America realistically, and develop laws
that would be effective. Gun control laws are neither realistic, nor
effective in reducing crime. Therefore, the lawmakers should direct their
efforts toward controlling crime, not controlling legal ownership of
firearms.



Works Cited


Article [II.] Amendments to the Constitution
www.house.gov/Constitution/Amend.html

 Florida State Laws. http://www.fdle.state.fl.us/Crime_Statistics/index.asp


Thomas Jefferson. Virginia Constitution. 1776.

Virginia Constitution http://www.harbornet.com/rights/virginia.txt