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May 30, 2012
Opposing Gun Control Laws
Watch out! Murder and mayhem is surely on the horizon as gun control laws are being dropped, and penalties could be imposed on those who do not comply. The debate over the use of guns in the United States can be traced back as far as 1791. The United States has the greatest percentage of private firearm ownership in the world. Most people do not just own one gun they own two or more guns. The average citizen comes to the realization that in order to deter and defend themselves and their loved ones against crimes, the burden becomes theirs. The police cannot protect every individual from a crime. The book “Dial 911 and Die”, through different stories, proves that citizens need to rely upon themselves for their own personal protection. Even though each state has its own individual gun control laws, there is no nationwide system of gun control. Criminals can very easily have someone buy a gun for them in a state with slack gun laws and then have it brought back to a state with stricter gun laws. With that being said, a gun that is locked in a gun cabinet, disabled, or even just unloaded is less readily available as one that is left loaded and ready to use. People should not have limited access to their guns in our society because it’s a person’s right to bear arms; in addition, opposing gun control laws does not lessen crime rates and it is counterproductive in saving lives.
Reasons for Owning Guns
According to Lepore (2012), “In 1973, there were guns in roughly one in two households in the United States; in 2010, one in three. In 1980, nearly one in three Americans owned a gun; in 2010, that figure had dropped to one in five” (Battle Ground America). The number one reason for owning a gun is for protection. It does not matter whether it is for self-defense, protecting family and friends, or your property. Being able to defend yourself from an aggressor can be the difference between
References: Argresti, J.D., Smith, R.K., (September, 2010) Gun Control Facts. Retrieved from http://www.justfacts.com/guncontrol.asp Gun Owners Foundation., (March, 2004) Gun Control Fact Sheet. Retrieved from http://gunowners.org/fs0404.htm Lepore, J., (April, 2012) Battle Ground America. Retrieved from http://ehis.ebscohost.com/eds/detail?sid=683bae9f-7cc2-402f-a0dd-954446cdabc4%40sessionmgr12&vid=5&hid=1&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWRzLWxpdmU%3d Squires, P., (2000) Chapter 1 Introduction. Retrieved from http://web.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.apollolibrary.com/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=13edec40-1de9-42ef-a40f-e57a03b5351e%40sessionmgr4&vid=6&hid=19 Squires, P., (2000) Chapter 3 The Making of American ‘Gun Culture’. Retrieved from http://web.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.apollolibrary.com/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=13edec40-1de9-42ef-a40f-e57a03b5351e%40sessionmgr4&vid=6&hid=19