Gun control refers to proposals, policies, practice, and laws that govern use, sale, shipment, importation, production, and ownership of fire arms like guns by private citizens.
Gun control refers to limiting or restricting personal ownership of firearms, especially long guns, shot guns, automatic weapons, and hand guns. Laws and policies governing ownership of guns vary from one state to another.
For instance, in the United Kingdom, ownership is governed by strict rules whereas in the United States most of the citizens own personal guns for self-defense at their homes. Gun ownership is legal in the United States with about 40% of the population owning guns.
Despite this, legalization of guns has remained a hot debate because of its associated negative effects like accidents, which causes injuries and deaths. The issue of gun control is a debatable issue in many countries with its proponents arguing that gun ownership is dangerous whereas opponents hold that it is an effective tool for self-protection.
Gun control is an effective tool for controlling crime although like drug prohibition, no country has controlled successfully the use of guns mainly because of availability of guns in the black markets (Bijlefeld, 1997).
Reasons in Support of Gun Control
According to Bijlefeld (1997), gun control reduces suicide, homicide, and crimes related to gun use. For instance in the United States, guns use is the main cause of most of the suicidal and homicide cases.
The estimated number of children, men, and women dying annually because of gunshot wounds is 30 000 out of, which 1500 deaths are caused by accidental shooting.
Many Americans think that limitation of use and ownership of guns in the United States would reduce homicide and gun violence. Gun use is associated with series of assassinations in the United States.
For instance in 1865, President Abraham Lincoln was assassinated. Other violent incidents involving gun use include the 1999 Columbine High School Massacre, and the 2007 Virginia Tech Massacre. In both incidents, students, teachers were shot dead.
Gun control makes it easy for the government to manage use of fire arms. The government is in a position to tell the kind of guns used is a particular area.
This is important, especially in cases when the government wishes to recover some kinds of fire arms like assault rifles. Gun control prevents the occurrence of accidents. Children are likely to injure themselves or others when they get hold of guns and begin playing with it.
It also prevents suicidal cases. People may be tempted to shoot themselves, especially when they are emotionally, mentally, and physically stressed. This does not imply that gun owners get more depressed than other people but because suicide through the use of gun is considered quick, easy, and effective means of death.
Whether or not guns are used for used for committing a crime or self-defense lack of a murder weapon makes it hard for an individual to participate in murder. In addition, this reduces deaths of rivals and conflicting enemies.
In the United States of America, suicide is a major cause of death. In 1998, the approximated number of suicidal cases from use of guns was 17 424.This shows that an average of 50 people commits suicide daily (Bijlefeld, 1997).
Reasons against Gun Control
Opponents of gun control argue that gun ownership is an effective tool for self-defense. Possession of guns prevents homicide and gun violence.
For instance criminals take the advantage of unarmed citizens to rob them their properties because they are confident that they will not be attacked back.
If citizens are allowed to own guns, the likelihood on injuries and loss of properties to the would-be victims will be low compared to those victims who did not or defended themselves without guns.
The production and supply of guns is not prevented by gun control, but shifts the production of guns to the black market.
This is a disadvantage to law-abiding citizens who find it hard to own them because it is against the law. Criminals will break the laws, buy, and use guns to cause destruction to people (Carter, 2006).
Carter (2006) argues that guns play an important role in the sports industry. Firearms are used for sporting purposes, control of pests, hunting, and target shooting. People have the right to ownership of properties as long as they do not violate the rights of other people.
Possession of gum does not imply that an individual will use it to cause harm to other people. In the United States of America, citizens are granted the right to own weapons in the Constitution.
Possessions and use of guns is not bad. It depends on the context in which it is used. Human beings are entitled to the right of self-ownership, thus allowing them ownership weapons for self-defense.
Gun control should be banned because it violates individual’s right to self-ownership. Even if production and sell of guns is illegal, guns will still be produced and sold in the black market. This will increase the rate of crimes in the society with unarmed citizens bearing the consequences.
Citizens are likely to be threatened by oppressive governments. Considering advantages and disadvantages of gun control, gun control would be an unnecessary, unsuccessful, and immoral act (Carter, 2006).
References
Bijlefeld, M. (1997). The gun control debate: a documentary history. New York, NY: Greenwood Press
Carter, G. (2006). Gun control in the United States: a reference handbook. New York, NY: ABC-CLIO