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Need for Gun Control in US

The right to own firearms in America is protected by the constitution. However, with
increasing cases of gun related violence, there is need to pass legislations that make it harder for
people to own guns. Gun control is not new and has been in existence in the past such as
criminalization or gun ownership by Catholics and slaves and laws on storage of gun powder in
people residences (Eargle & Esmail). Those regulations served the society in those days. There
should be gun ownership regulation in todays society to address some of the problems that
emanate from civilians owning guns.
A lot of people who support gun ownership say that it is defended by the Second
Amendment of the United States. However, the amendment states that given that there is need
for a well regulated militia to ensure security of Free states, the right of people to own guns
should be preserved (Cook & Ludwig). Clearly the drafters of the constitution intended that they
be used in a militia only and to ensure guarantee the independence of the nation. It does not
allow the American citizens to own and carry weapons for whatever purpose and manner. It
should not be used to allow convicted criminals and people with mental problems to own guns. It
also should not be the basis on which people carry gun to places such as learning institution or
public offices or fight laws that seek to regulate commercial trading of guns.
We have the responsibility to preserve life, both at personal level and at the government
level. While some causes of death are hard to prevent, others can be easily prevented with the
right laws. Death from gun violence is a good example. Gun deaths accounted for more than half
a million of all the deaths reported in the last 15 years (Eargle & Esmail). Suicide, homicide and
unintended deaths accounted for over 90% 0f all the gun related deaths (Eargle & Esmail). A big

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part of all the accidental deaths from guns would be easily avoided if guns were not readily
available. These accidents occur more to children under the age of 15 with studies showing that
American children are ten times more likely to die from accidental shooting as compared to
children from other developed countries (West). Homicide and suicide cases could also be
reduced if the gun were not readily available as many of the cases are not pre-planned (Cook &
Ludwig). If for example there was a domestic quarrel and the couple starts to fight, the fight may
end with minimal or no injuries. However, if there is a gun at the living room and one part
reached for it and the other tries to snatch it, the is a chance of one pulling the trigger and killing
the other. Gun control would help reduce instances of such non premeditated murders.
The gun control should not only be about own a gun but also the type of gun that one
owns and the size of the magazine on the gun (Rosenthal). The civilians and hunters should not
be allowed to own military grade weapon. These are weapons that will go through the walls of
ones house and cannot be justified as necessary for personal protection or hunting. They are
useful to the criminals who prepare to face law enforcers so as to be a match to their weapons.
When high capacity magazines are used, the chances of fatalities in a shooting also increase with
statistics showing that when high capacity magazines are used, the number of the dead increases
by 60% (Eargle & Esmail). These magazines are also liked by criminal in gangs so as to increase
the number of people that they harm even with limited shooting accuracy. The Newtown
shooting on December of year 2014 resulted in the high number of the children casualty because
the assailant was using a high capacity magazine. Therefore, there is no justification for having
an over 30-round clips and an AR-15 military rifle at home.
To many people, the first reason to consider when making a decision is the economic
sense. With the hard economic times and debt problem in the United States, the people would do

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with a project that is economic like gun control. According to studies, gun violence costs each
American about $600 per year (Eargle & Esmail). The government and the private sector incur
costs through lost taxes, costs for mental care to victims, insurance claims and other fees that go
to caring or the victims. Other costs incurred go to the police officers and other law enforcement
activities associated with the addressing the crimes as well as for the medical aid offered to
victims. Other economic effects of gun violence include cost of imprisonment, costs incurred by
the victims family as many gun violence cases are not insurable lost earnings among other.
Conservative estimates put the total costs incurred by the government at around $20 billion per
year (Eargle & Esmail).
The increase in the number of guns, even if they are bought by law abiding citizens, is
likely to increase the number of guns in wrong hand through theft (West, 2016). Guns are small
and easy to conceal and have a high resale value; therefore they encourage cases of break in and
burglary. Statistics show that about 1.5 million were stolen in the United States from 200 to 2013
(Eargle & Esmail). The only way to reduce the number of guns in the hands of criminals is to
ensure that there are few guns in the hands of the law abiding citizens.
The hard truth is that civilians are not likely to stop a crime and instead, they are likely to
make the situation worse. In the last 30 years there has been more than 60 mass shooting in the
US. None of these shootings were stopped by an armed civilian (Eargle & Esmail). The few
cases that have been raised by those who advocate for non-gun control have been questionable. A
good example is the shooting at the Appalachian School in Virginia. While the shooter was
subdued by civilians with weapons, those civilians were former servicemen and only subdued the
shooter when he ran out of bullets. Civilians, even those that have guns do not have the right

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training to handle cases of mass shooting and many guns in such a scene is likely to bring chaos
and confusion other than solutions (Rosenthal).
Finally, gun control has worked in other nations. Good examples are in Finland and
Switzerland where gun owners have to acquire licenses and be subjected to background checks
on their criminal and mental records (Eargle & Esmail). Gun ownership in these countries is high
and similar to that of the US. However, gun violence cases are very low in these two countries.
Therefore, gun control is the only solution to the many gun related violence in the US.
In conclusion, the American people must act on the gun control now. They must petition
the congress and the senate to expedite passing of laws that would help regulate the gun
ownership in US. During the current electioneering period, the citizens must demand that the
presidential candidates pledge to have laws on gun control passed. Gun ownership has not helped
improve the security of the American people and has resulted into avoidable deaths especially
those of children. We all have a responsibility to protect life and all American citizens must play
their role in ending gun violence.

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Works Cited
Cook, P. J., and J. Ludwig. Gun violence: The real costs. New York: Oxford University
Press, 2002. Print.
Eargle, L. A., and A. Esmail. Gun Violence in American Society: Crime, Justice and Public
Policy. UPA, 2015. Print.
Rosenthal, L. "Effective Firearms Regulation Is Constitutional." New York Times [New York]
24 Feb. 2016: n. pag. Print.
West, L. "The macabre truth of gun control in the US." guardian 13 Mar. 2016: n. pag. Web.
<http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/mar/13/the-macabre-truth-of-guncontrol-in-the-us-is-that-toddlers-kill-more-people-than-terrorists-do>.