Colin Gallagher

Ms. Boyle

ENG 160

November 14th, 2021

 

Gun Control: It’s No Easy Debate 

 

This is a very hard topic to address effectively without taking a stand. It would be easier to argue that gun control is the most controversial issue in the world than it is to actually debate. There are two sides to this argument: you are either pro gun-control or anti gun-control. In the present day there is something both sides of the debate can agree on, and that’s that there needs to be some restrictions to keep firearms out of the hands of dangerous people. But in reality, most of the proposed solutions have been proven to be ineffective. I would like to analyze both sides of the gun control debate and discuss how they both make weak arguments before proposing my solution to this issue.

 

On the anti gun-control side of the spectrum, you will often hear the claim that there are relatively few gun related deaths, which is objectively false. According to CDC statistics, in 2013, there were 33.636 people who died from firearm related injuries. (CDC National Vital Statistics Report, 2013). This total is similar to the amount of people killed in car accidents in that same year. Interestingly enough, only a third of those firearm related deaths were caused by homicide. Making up the larger two-thirds of that piechart is suicide. This information is very important and cannot be dismissed. Anti gun-control advocates will also claim that there is no direct correlation between gun ownership and suicide, stating that if a person really wanted to kill themself then they would find anyway to do it. Once again this is simply not true. According to a study conducted by Harvard T.H. School of Public Health, firearms are the most effective suicide method, holding a 82.5% chance of succeeding with the act, while methods like drowning and jumping are less likely to be successful. Suicide attempts are often impulsive acts, and many who have failed a attempted suicide are glad they’re still alive. (https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/means-matter/means-matter/case-fatality/). 

 

Another claim you’ll hear from anti gun-control advocates is that more people owning guns will reduce the amount of gun violence. This is a purely subjective statement, as human nature is hard to predict. The statement hypothesizes that a person is less likely to attempt homicide with a firearm if everyone surrounding them also has a gun. Reality check, we are not living in the wild west. In this scenario, if someone didn’t value their own life and only wanted to kill someone else, once that trigger is pulled what follows is irreversible— A bullet to the head from any firearm is fatal. 

 

Now let’s take a look at the arguments on the pro gun-control side of the debate. The first argument that the pro gun-control crowd makes is that the 2nd amendment is being interpreted incorrectly, and that it is not explicitly stated anywhere that it alludes to an individual’s right to ‘bear arms’. When the 2nd amendment was drafted, the United States had just declared independence from Great Britain. In case of invasion, the founding fathers wanted the citizens to own guns so they could defend themselves from the attackers. In the present day, individual gun rights are unnecessary to defend the country from invaders as we have a very advanced military. Despite this, the 2nd amendment has since then been interpreted by congress to defend an individual’s right to own a firearm. 

 

Another argument that the pro gun-control argument makes is that it is too easy to illegally obtain a firearm, and that there needs to be stronger government regulation. Even though it is hard to prove just how easy it is to buy a firearm from a secret criminal network, the statistics show that our current regulation of firearms is ineffective. According to a 2016 survey, of the convicted prisoners who committed a crime using a gun, 43% of them obtained it off the street or from an underground market, and 25% of them obtained the gun from a family member or friend, or as a gift. (https://bjs.ojp.gov/content/pub/pdf/suficspi16.pdf). In light of this survey, it’s fair to say that stronger government regulation will not help the issue, and explicitly banning guns will not solve anything either since they will continue to be obtained illegally.  

 

By now you can see that the current gun-control discourse is failing to solve the United State’s raging problem of gun violence. The best I can do is offer my stance on the argument and back it up with research. Do I think there needs to be tighter gun restrictions? Yes, I do, but continuously saying “There needs to be more background checks conducted” won’t solve anything. That’s a promise given by anti gun-control politicians is that they’ll advocate for universal background checks. That sounds good on paper, but in practice the universal background checks have been proven to fail. The universal background checks are conducted by accessing an FBI database for criminal records. This FBI database however is outdated, and the data it can give isn’t always decisive over whether or not the person in question is allowed to own a gun. Dylann Roof, a white supremecist known for perpetuating the Charleston church shooting in 2015, was able to buy a gun despite having an FBI universal background check. (Nakashima, Ellen, “FBI: Breakdown in background check system allowed Dylann Roof to buy gun”. The Washington Post, 2015, July 10). 

 

Instead of only using the FBI database to conduct universal background checks, we should universally adopt the state of Massachusetts’ current system for gun licensing. Using this system will reduce the amount of  homicides and suicides using legally obtained guns. It works like this: First, people who want to buy a gun must take a firearm safety course, then they must go to their local police station and submit an application alongside a fingerprint and references for a background check. Then the FBI database is consulted alongside all local law enforcement agencies as well as the department of mental health. This process takes around 3 weeks to pass, eliminating the possibility of an impulsive suicide attempt. 

 

If this nation is seriously invested in reducing it’s record breaking rates of gun violence, then law enforcement agencies need to work harder to crack down on firearm trafficking and criminal markets. This is no easy task, but if accomplished, our nation will be a little bit safer; When there’s a will there’s a way.

 

In conclusion, the topic of gun control is an incredibly complex and delicate issue and despite both sides having very passionate views on the topic, there are flaws and contradictions in every argument. Personally, I do not want to be shot by a gun and I hope that I never see a gun in my life, but now it’s up to you to decide what is right. It’s alright if you struggle to take a stand on this issue, but you can’t wait for long. This is urgent, and your support is needed.