Today, gun control is a big controversy, especially with growing reports of violent crimes. The basis for each side of the argument begins with the Second Amendment. It reads, "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."(United States Constitution, 1791) The anti-gun lobby stands firm that this does not give gun rights to the individual. The pro-gun lobby holds that the second amendment specifies the "right of the people," to bear arms. The Supreme Court seems to side with the pro-gun lobby in ruling repeatedly that the rights are given to the individual in not only the second, but also the fourth, ninth, and tenth amendments. (LaPierre p.3). This essay will focus on the subject of gun control and whether or not American citizens should have the ability to be armed. After reading this, the writer hopes that you will believe that a nation with armed citizens is a safe nation.
There are two simple facts that the pro-gun lobby cannot ignore. First, guns kill people. In fact, for African Americans between the ages of 14 and 25, guns are the leading cause of death (Guterl p.84), and one American will die every 21 minutes as a result of a violent crime (LaPierre p.48). Secondly, criminals use guns. This is because guns can give the weak an advantage over the strong. Criminals may use this advantage during home invasions or robberies. This explains why one American will be robbed every 46 seconds (LaPierre p.48) and a home will be invaded by a burglar every 5 seconds (LaPierre p.28). These facts provide a good argument for the anti-gun lobby. .
First of all, what the anti-gun lobby seems to not realize is that guns are not the only cause of death. "Every day in America we lose 13 precious children to gun-related violence." (Second Amendment Stuff) This statement has been used many times by anti-gun lobbyist.
