Gun Control and the Control of Crime

Gun Control and the Control of Crime
Name
Institutional Affiliation
Gun Control and the Control of Crime
The United States of America formulated their Constitution from a set of rules and regulations that dictate the power of the people and draw a boundary on acceptable conduct under the governments watch. This rules are also known as amendments and are written with the aim of securing the rights of all Americans. Gun control is a controversial topic in America (Rossi, 2017). In the wake of rampant shooting like the recent Florida massacre where over 17 people died, the debate on gun control has been intensified as others propose lessening of the gun laws while others are pushing for restraints. There have been efforts to persuade the government to implement the gun control laws (Woldoff, Litchfield, & Sycafoo, 2017). However, this effort has proved futile since other government officials support the second amendments which support the people’s right to own firearms without violation.
I support the second amendment because when guns are restricted, the crime rate will rise since the helpless citizens will be an easy target for murder, robbery and other violations. Also, it is worth to acknowledge that guns do not kill people. Instead, it is the people who do. In fact, if the government bans the public from owning guns, they will still acquire them illegally from the black market (Rossi, 2017). Therefore, it is up to the people to regulate the way they use their weapons.

Besides, there are criminals out there in possession of guns illegally; they continue to terrorize the citizens. Therefore, the citizens have the right to own guns for self-defense purposes otherwise they will be left helpless. I believe that the arguments against the right to own guns are founded on statism philosophy that the citizens are irresponsible. One critical thing to note is that in whether guns are controlled or not, criminals will always be among us, this means they will still have a way to find guns whether it is banned or not. Besides, concerning crime rate, it is imperative to understand that many other weapons can be used instead of guns.
On the other hand, lack of gun control will exhilarate mayhem within the country. Without gun control, people will freely buy the guns of their choice even if they have the intention to commit suicide or massacre a group of people. If this is allowed, it would be difficult to convict a criminal who committed a crime as there would be no record of the gun owner. Hence there would be no evidence. The government will also be overwhelmed by the rising number of crimes. According to the recent statistics, the number of guns in America is enough to arm every citizen and still have leftovers. With this vast number of weapons and no control, criminals will be encouraged to commit their crimes with little chances of being caught.
This action will be contrary to the widespread belief that the government is trying to keep us safe by not placing gun control rules. It is also worth to mention that control measures such as on concealed carry, licensing and prohibition is aimed at control and not eliminate it entirely. The government must take a bold step and restrict access to firearms to prevent misuse and further mitigate the risks to public safety (Rossi, 2017). When strong gun control laws are implemented, the crime rate will decline as people will undergo intense scrutiny before they acquire the weapon hence limit the criminals from accessing them. Also, guns cause’s accidental deaths, therefore, gun owners need to be trained on how to store and use their weapons safely without endangering their lives and that of their colleagues (Wozniak, 2017). When citizens support gun possession, it means they have no trust in their government. In as much as Civilian’s possession of guns can help intervene and prevent crimes, there is very few case of such cases recorded. Instead, rampant mass shootings have been filed.
After the school shooting in Florida, the U.S president proposed changes to the gun laws by banning auto riffles for a mass shooting and limiting the age for this required to purchase some particular type of guns. However, this move has equally received opposition from the National Rifle Association (NRA) citing the failure of background check to stop a mass shooting (Wozniak, 2017). The NRA which is pro-gun organization claims that there is no proven evidence showing how gun control would reduce gun violence. Their main agenda is to protect and uphold the civilian’s right to possess firearms.
In conclusions, there is a need to control gun ownership. However, this decision is contentious and need keen attention to ensure that it benefits the Americans in the long run and resolve the issue of violent shootings. I believe that no or extreme gun control measure is not the solution to the challenges currently facing America. No gun control will heighten the mayhem while ultimate power will lead to resistance from the citizens. Therefore, the best solution is to ensure thorough background search is done and also keep track of those individual purchasing guns to determine if the weapons are used for criminal activities.
References
Rossi, P. H. (2017). Under the gun: Weapons, crime, and violence in America. Routledge.
Woldoff, R. A., Litchfield, R. C., & Sycafoose Matthews, A. (2017). Unpacking heat: dueling identities and complex views on gun control among rural police. Rural Sociology, 82(3), 444-472.
Wozniak, K. H. (2017). Public opinion about gun control post–Sandy Hook. Criminal Justice Policy Review, 28(3), 255-278.