The United States Constitution says that U.S. Citizens have the
right to bear arms. Even though this guarantee was written with no
constraints, there are now laws that limit certain aspects of gun
ownership. The reasons for gun control fall under the flag of public
safety. Though there are many safety reasons why private ownership of
firearms should be banned, these arguments are outweighed not only by the
need for protection, but because the limitation of ownership rights could
become dangerous to personal freedom.
When the U.S. Constitution was written, some delegates thought
Militia was military forces because the Federal Government had its own army
to protect the people. The second amendment was made in response to the
fear of being helpless before a standing professional army. "Aristotle
said that decisions of a leader 'backed by a standing army' would be
different from those made by a leader 'awed by the fear of an armed
people'" (The Commission on the Bicentennial of the United States
Constitution, 28). Elbridge Gerry, a delagate to the Constitutional
convention from Massachusetts, was an activist for the right of the Militia
to bear arms. When asked what use a Militia has, he responded: "What sir,
is the use of a Militia? It is to prevent the establishment of a standing
army, the bane of liberty" (The Commission of the Bicentennial of the
United States Constitution, 26). On December 15, 1791, Virginia ratified
the Bill of Rights, making it, with the second amendment, part of the
constitution (The Commission for the Bicentennial of the United States
Constitution, 5).
The Constitution does not guarantee gun ownership for just any
reason. The second amendment makes it clear that only a well regulated
Militia needs arms. "As recently as 1980 the Supreme Court noted that 'The
second amendment guarantees no right to keep and bear a firearm that does
not have some reasonable relationship to the preservation or efficiency of
a well regulated Militia'"(Isaacson, 163). The meaning of the second
amendment, as interpreted by pro-gun control supporters, was to enable
citizens to protect themselves from and oppressive government, not to allow
anyone the power to shoot another human being.
The main reason for gun control boils down to the want for personal
and public safety. One upsetting fact about guns is they increase the
severity of a crime. "With guns, unlike knives or hands, rage and
recklessness are likely to be translated cleanly and quickly into death"
(Isaacson, 162). Another upsetting fact is that hand guns are people
killers, that is their only use. "With fewer handguns, there are fewer
chances to use them. It is as simple as that" (Isaacson, 162). People
with guns are more likely to take a life that with upclose and personal
weapons like the knife or the fist.
Gun control activists believe that a ban on hand guns would
gradually deplete the number of handguns in circulation. This would slowly
take care of the cheep Saturday Night Specials, which hold no use to police
or sports men, because they only last about 10 years. Little pistols are
not needed by ordinary people and can easily be concealed be street
criminals. "One in every nine Americans has already been threatened or
shot by someone wielding a hand gun"(Isaacson, 162). This statistic shows
the effect of the availability of handguns on America. The handgun is not
needed except when a person wants to hide a weapon. For home defense, the
shotgun is more effective with its wide blasting stopping power, while a
handgun has to be aimed exactly on target.
A big problem with keeping guns in the house is the curiosity and
ignorance of children. Children are more capable of finding guns than they
are given credit for. "Children under the age of 15 suffer approximately
one-third of the deaths caused by guns in the ho me" (Cruit, 18).
Even if a child is well behaved and listens when they are told not to touch
a gun, they may still cecum to peer pressure and let their friends play
with a gun. Not only is a gun dangerous to children, but the ammunition is
as well. A child could be seriously hurt by an exploding bullet which can
be set off by being hit by a rock, a nail, or being thrown into the
fireplace. Children are unpredictable and they do not know the effect of a
gun on themselves or their friends.
Having a gun in the house can also be dangerous because of
temperament, rage, and impulse because murder is usually a crime of passion.
"If you or someone in your family has a hot temper that leads to rather
violent reactions, you should not keep a gun around" (Cruit, 23). Guns are
an easy solution to problems in and enraged person's mind. They are quick
and clean and most of all impersonal. Enraged people are impulsive and
handguns make impulsive actions deadly. "In and all-too-typical case: A
retired railroad worker in San Francisco who bought a gun to protect
against muggers used it in 1982 to kill a neighbor in an argument over a
parking space" (Isaacson, 163).
A gun makes suicide easy and instantaneous. Thousands of people a
year commit suicide because of hopelessness and depression. "Although
there's no way of knowing if all these people would have taken their lives
by other means if a gun had been unavailable, it is reasonable to assume
that some of them would not have done so" (Cruit, 17). According to Julian
S. Hatcher, in Firearms Investigation, Identification, and Evidence, most
people would not actually commit suicide if their were no guns available.
He states "The chance of suicide if no firearm is present is relatively
remote" (Hatcher, 284). Many people who take pills or slit their wrists
think better of it before it is too late and ask for help.
Alcohol and drugs play a big role in the misuse of firearms.
People who have substance abuse problems may play and joke around with a
firearm, creating a hazardous situation. "Fifty-two percent of all
murderers act under the influence of liquor or drugs" (Cruit, 17).
Drinking or doing drugs mix no better with guns than they do with driving
cars. The real danger is that ...