Gun Control Research Paper

Submitted By yashtulsani
Words: 1357
Pages: 6

Gun control is without a doubt one of the largest and most polarizing social debates of the year. The shootings in Newtown, Connecticut and the indiscriminate use of guns by individuals to harm the society has brought the issue into the foray of public debate. These incidents throughout the country have woken the public up from its slumber of ignorance and shown them the danger guns pose to the society. The response demanded by different sections of society like the National Rifle Association is surprisingly very different and contrasting with each other. While some want a complete blanket ban on the ownership of guns, others wants an easier access to guns so that every person may look after their own security. In addition, the debate forming on this issue is turning into borderline bizarre, as the fallout of the debate is actually increasing the sales of guns—presumably due to the potential ban on certain kind of guns. Gun control is efforts to regulate or control sales of guns (Oxford English Dictionary). The debate on control is, however, a very vague and diverging one in the public sphere and there is a need for an extensive debate on the issue.
Gun control is very vague term that does not explain the details of the issue and the demands, apart from literally controlling guns. The two prominent sides of the debate are the groups who ask for liberal gun laws that make it easier for a person to procure guns and conversely, there are groups who want to repeal the second amendment. I personally am a strong believer in a society without guns, but due to our current society and the widespread use of guns in our society, it’s not possible to ban guns completely. Therefore, the most pragmatic thing to do is to reduce the availability of guns and make it difficult to procure guns by making sure that guns are given to people who are mentally capable of handling them. There is a definite need to ban guns since their liberal usage leads to large-scale public massacres, which are suited for the field of war, not civilized society. Assault weapons have no logical place in our society and that is something that each and every person who is worried about the safety of our society must agree with. The argument made by gun owners associations and other vested interests in liberal gun laws like Nation Rifle Association is that assault weapons for the public are a way of keeping society from falling into anarchy, while also providing as a safeguard against oppressive government. This argument though is as flawed as the argument that a ban on guns alone can make the society much more safer. They are not even open to the idea of limiting guns in the society which or having any measures to limit the sale of guns or stop them from falling into the wrong hands (CBS News). The society in which the second amendment was adopted is much different than the society in which we live in today. Therefore, it is time that we change our laws according to the needs of our current society. Specifically, a blanket ban on weapons, if desirable for some, is not a pragmatic solution considering guns have become an important facet of leisure for many Americans in different parts of the country. Consequently, the need of the hour is more regulation of guns and stricter rules for their procurement that will require politicians to rise above partisan lines to stop these incidents from occurring ever again.
The need for firearms is further diminished when one considers the reason behind the adoption of the second amendment. During the framing of the constitution, the standard of living and the way of life enjoyed by the colonial citizens was very different than the life we lead today. The only way to protect oneself was through guns in the absence of a very effective state of government. The war with Britain for independence convinced Americans to hold on to their guns, as one of the important grievances listed in the Declaration of independence was the forced