Gun Violence in America

The right to bear arms is a popular debate in countries such as America. There are many conflicting viewpoints on the issue ranging from gun enthusiasts trying to relax the laws involving firearms even further to make it easier for them to obtain restricted firearms, protesters advocating to ban guns altogether based on moral grounds and general American citizens who are unsure or neither for or against the idea of guns being owned by a number of the general populace, for personal safety. 'Banning' guns is not the answer to America's so-called gun control problem, it is a naive solution to a problem that was not caused by the inanimate objects themselves but the troubled individuals who could just as easily pick up a knife or a baseball bat to finish the job.

Firearms are generally viewed in three different types of classes, Long guns, Handguns, and Automatic and Semi-automatic weapons. Long guns are often associated with hunting and sport, and include rifles and shotguns respectively. Some states allow for the open carry of weapons that fall into this category, few of which do not even require a permit for purchase and/or possession, allowing citizens, if they wish, to freely carry their firearms in a non-threatening manner, providing they understand and adhere to the laws of their state regarding firearm possession. Handguns are smaller firearms that can be held in one hand, such as revolvers and pistols. They are much easier to conceal, and so many of the American states consider carrying a concealed handgun on one’s person without a permit to be a felony punishable by state law. Automatic and Semi-automatic weapons are associated by the general public with military uses as an automatic weapon will fire multiple rounds with only one pull of the trigger, and semi-automatic weapons will fire one round with the pull of the trigger, then automatically load the next round for discharge. These types of weapons include machine guns, sub-machine guns and assault rifles. These firearms are completely illegal for possession in some states as they are the most dangerous when used on people due to the rapid fire and larger ammo capacity, which was obviously designed for warfare, as such a weapon would be useless for sport and hunting purposes.

There has been a recent outcry in America for stricter gun control and even attempts to ‘ban’ guns altogether in lieu of the recent shootings that have taken place, one of the most recent and tragic cases being the Sandy Hook shooting, where twenty children and six adults were gunned down at Sandy Hook Elementary, Sandy Hook, Newton, Connecticut. Despite the public outcry against guns and violence in general, it is the view of many that banning guns altogether is not the answer, after all it is the person holding the gun that does the damage, and many feel that helping and educating people on the subject of violence would be a more worthwhile pursuit. To ‘stop violence at the source’ so to speak, before another tragedy such as the Sandy Hook massacre takes place in the future.

The regulation and control of firearms is important for the prevention of gun violence. If all the states had similar gun legislations that required all weapons to be registered and require permits to carry, such as New York, which requires handguns to be registered and also permits to purchase and carry them, it is likely there would be a noticeable decline in the statistics of gun-related deaths in America. Though try as they might to provide stricter gun control laws in the future, it still does not account for all the illegally imported and black market weapons that will inevitably be sold to people with ill intentions, so arguably removing or ‘banning’ guns from society is not going to stop those few people who are determined to cause trouble and hurt others, whether it be for personal gain or their own pleasure.

From the many different viewpoints on the issue, many would presume it safe to say that relaxing gun laws, such as allowing restricted firearms such as some automatic weapons to be easier purchased, and at the other extreme, banning guns altogether, is not the best solution to the never ending problem that is gun violence. However, better regulation on the purchase and ownership of firearms and education of what causes violence in society would better help the general public to understand the causes of gun violence and therefore help prevent it.