Gun control has become a major topic for many people in the United States. It has brought up many unsolved problems about whether or not owning a gun should be allowed. According to the Second Amendment, "A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.” However, this is a lot easier said than done. People are taking advantage of our gun privileges by using their guns for serious crimes. Lax gun control laws are causing issues in the United States resulting in theft, murder, and suicide.

The Second Amendment was originally created for self-defense. However, “guns are now used in the commision of violent crimes, and they have been involved in suicides and other mishaps, making the crime rates increase” (Topic Overview: Gun Control). There are two sides to gun control laws: pro gun control, and anti gun control. Pro gun control supporters believe that our gun laws should be stricter so that our crime rates will be reduced. Anti-gun control supporters believe that gun ownership shouldn’t be taken away. Many shootings have occurred these past couple of years because of lax gun laws. On September 16th, 2013, “a gunman at the Washington Navy yard shoots and kills thirteen people before taking his own life.” Too many crimes have occurred in stores because people have had easy access to guns. As a result, many stores are banning customers from bringing weapons, in hopes of keeping crime rates down. For example, three days after the ‘Washington Navy Yard Shooting,’ “Starbucks asks gun owners to stop bringing their weapons into their cafes” (Gun Control Timeline).
The production rate of guns in the United States is too high. Gun use has increased the amount of crimes, such as robberies and homicides in the U.S. According to Rosemary Erickson, “It is difficult to operate a retail business in a violent society. Crimes are committed with guns, but there are few restrictions on them. For example, handguns were used in 71 percent of homicide cases” (Erickson). Not only should guns be limited, but standard and medical background records should be checked. That way, citizens with a prison record will not be able to get a hold of guns. Numerous acts of violence have occurred due to people feeling angry, overwhelmed, or depressed. For example, “ Disgruntled over his academic suspension, Peter Odighizuwa, 43, shoots and kills the dean, a professor and a student, and wounds three others at the Appalachian School of Law in Grundy, Virginia” (School Safety Timeline). If more background checks were to be submitted, fewer weapons would fall into the wrong hands, decreasing the amount of crimes in the U.S.  

Guns are extremely dangerous. Due to lax gun laws, many accidents have occurred involving children using handguns. Guns are not harmless toys, they are deadly machines that can take anyones life in a matter of a seconds. Guns are not things that children should be exposed to. For example, according to Carcamo, “the accidental death of an instructor at an Arizona shooting range, resulted in a teacher being killed while teaching a 9-year-old girl to fire a fully automatic Uzi” (Carcamo). Also, children are gaining easy access to guns from older parents or relatives. This becomes a huge problem because children are careless with guns, and whether or not they want to, they can easily take someones life, or even their own. Based on an article called “School Safety Timeline,”  “A 12-year-old student shoots and kills a teacher and wounds two of his classmates at Sparks Middle School in Sparks, Nevada, before taking his own life” (School Safety Timeline).

If guns were to be banned, people would have a harder time getting a hold of them. This would defeat the purpose of owning a gun, which is to kill. Too many atrocities are occurring as                                                                                                                                
a result of allowing ordinary people access to guns. “The deadliest year was in 2012, with 90 people killed and 118 wounded in 21 incidents” (Devlin). The number of massacres would dramatically reduce if the gun law was to be changed. An example of these deadly massacres occurred when, “a gunman entered Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut and fatally shot 26 people. Twenty of the victims were children. The shooting fueled new calls for changes in gun control legislation” (Gun Control Timeline).

Although many incidents have occurred because of gun use, some people use their gun privileges for self-defense. For example, “Officer Mark Vaughan used his personal handgun that he brings to work to stop an attack by Alton Nolen on Friday in Oklahoma” (Jonsson). Unfortunately, this is not a perfect world. Other people have used those gun rights for something violent. For example, “James S. Brady was shot in the head during an assassination attempt from his boss, and later died at the age of 73” (Thurber). Also, when guns are used for self defense, they usually defend one person. However, when guns are used for violence, it leads to multiple deaths. “For every gun that is used for self-defense, there are 11 guns in homes used for completed or attempted suicides, 7 used in criminal assaults and homicides, and 4 used in unintentional shooting deaths or injuries” (Kellermann). Although many people use guns for self-defense, it doesn’t make up the eleven other people who have died because of someone using their gun dangerously.

Allowing people to carry handguns for self-defense will reduce crimes. Alan Gura, the lawyer who represents the group challenging the ban, says that owning guns “ is a fantastic improvement in public safety” (Julie Zauzmer and Ann E Marimow). However, when used in inappropriate places, guns become a huge threat. For example, a statement from the office of Mayor Vincent C. Gray said he "remains committed to having reasonable gun safety measures in the District and will work with the Office of the Attorney General and D.C. police to ensure that our gun laws remain strong." Also, a member of the council’s committee on the judiciary and public safety states, “the decision is troubling and threatens public safety” (Julie Zauzmer and Ann E Marimow).

The gun law has been a serious debate topic for many years. We need to do whatever we can in order to promote our country to become non violent. We need laws to protect our citizens in order to be safe. Guns can easily snatch away someones life. We don’t want someone with a prison record to have the right to own a weapon, then use it for something dangerous. We need to reduce the crime rates as much as possible. Lax gun laws have already caused enough damage as it is. However, it is not too late to change things.