Anyone who watches the news or reads online articles will know that there have been a shocking amount of homicides and mass shootings across the nation in the past few years. Since the turn of the millennium, there have been about 160 mass shootings (averaging to 11.4 incidents per year) leading to 1043 casualties. This staggering number excludes mass homicides by gangs or gang related violence. Clearly something needs to be done, but exactly what is to be done is under intense debate. .
As of three months ago, forty-nine percent of Americans desired stricter gun laws or complete bans, a decrease from about sixty percent in early 2013. Through an enormous number of arguments, several emerge as the most supported and recognizable. One of the most popular for stricter purchasing power is the correlation between the rise in gun ownership and the rise in homicides. As more civilians obtain guns for whatever reason, more gun trafficking occurs, allowing mentally unstable people, criminals, or gang members to buy guns and use them for illegal and often deadly purpose. The hope is that an inverse correlation can hold, meaning that the less guns are sold, the less homicides will occur. Coming from a different approach, many citizens are okay with the ability to purchase semi-automatic or automatic weapons, but push to limit the magazine size to 10 rounds. According to the website Gallup, 60% of the people polled reported their guns were for self-defense (other high percentages included hunting and recreation). In none of these activities are more than ten rounds necessary. For self-defense, the assailant will be wounded or scared away after the first two or three shots. Likewise, the animal being hunted would be spooked and run after hearing the first round. .
On the flip side, fifty-one percent of Americans are okay with gun laws as they are now, or actually want less regulation.
