Running Head: Gun Control in America

Community Problem Report:

The Need for Gun Control in America

Introduction
Gun control has become an increasingly prevalent issue facing Americans in this century. As the
number of mass shootings in the U.S this year increases, more and more people seem to divide
on the issue. The two largest sides of this debate are petitioning for or against a more strict and
strenuous policy for gun control. Though many believe the issue to be black and white, this is not
a debate on whether people should own guns or not. This argument is meant to find a solution to
reduce the number mass shooting related deaths in America. So in regards to the aging
conservatives screaming the liberals are trying to take my guns! Second Amendment! or the
teenaged self-titled proletariats crying out to rid all guns from the Earth and live in peace, rest
assured this is not the case.
Arguments for Stricter Gun Control
A person in the U.S can surmount a large collection of rifles and hand guns, without question,
and go on a shooting spree before anyone even asks how they acquired so many fire arms. In the
U.S its safer to assume someone near you is in possession of a gun than not. By making the
screening process more difficult, many can become dissuaded or simply denied access to owning
any type of firearm.
The Second Amendment
Though heavily debated, it seems that many in America believe their right to bear arms is more
important than innocent American citizens right to live. How far will some go to protect an
amendment created over 200 years ago, over protecting the citizens in the U.S today? On the
topic of the 2nd amendment; this amendment was created in a time where a firearm would take
around 15 seconds to reload a single shot , 4 shots a minute (varying on how skilled of a
marksman was firing). Not only that, but the muskets were very inaccurate due to the round

The Need for Gun Control in America

bullets in use at the time. It was impossible for one person to kill 20 people in the matter of
seconds, however this is very possible now with the advancements of firearms and ammunition.
The current military grade rifle, an M4 Carbine, can fire 700-900 rounds per minute (2). With the
recent lifting of Americas rifle ban, allowing citizens to obtain these high firing capacity rifles, it
seems the 2nd amendment has become rather dated.
Arguments against Strict Gun Control
A government with the power to strip rights from its civilians is a government that is too strong.
If a governmental power starts restricting its citizens from what they can or cant own, especially
if its something that can be used as a means of protection, than it renders its people helpless
from that power. Take for example, North Korea, where the undisputed leader has the control to
take away rights as they see fit, to hinder their subjects from acting against the main power. In
the U.S, people have the right to protect themselves as they feel fit, and taking away this right
would solidify the government as an undisputed power.
The Second Amendment
The Constitution is one of the oldest U.S documents still heavily regarded and used in modern
America. The reason it has survived so long is that the Constitution is a living document,
meaning it can be updated, and changed to better suit the needs and lifestyles of our society for
years to come. The Constitution was able to do this with the inclusion of the Bill of Rights.
Amendments are allowed to be revised, new ones can be introduced, and because of this our
Constitution can grow alongside the U.S. Among these amendments; we find the right to bear
arms. This right is guaranteed to Americans and is protected by the constitution under the 2nd
Amendment. Many believe going back to the Constitution and changing this amendment will

The Need for Gun Control in America

have more negative consequences than positive. That the government should not be allowed to
infringe on the citizens rights in such a way to outlaw them from carrying a fire arm.
Common Misconceptions
Guns dont kill people, people kill people. Or Gun control is not the issue, mental illness is.
While yes, a gun never gained sentience and shot a person, a totally unarmed person never
walked onto a school campus and killed 10-30 people in the matter of minutes. The gun may not
be directly at fault, it should be held just as accountable for mass murders as the person
committing the crime.
On the topic of mental health, while it is very important to make sure a person with a history of
violent tendencies stemming from mental health issues is unable to acquire firearms, mental
health related mass shootings is extremely low in the U.S. The correlation between mental health
and mass shootings is very slim studies have shown. People with mental health issues are not
usually violent, and are statistically more likely to be the victims of shootings than the culprits.
Britain outlawed private ownership of guns, and there are 130,000 stabbings every year because
of this.
This statistic is true, however America still had undeniably one of the highest ranked murder rate
of the worlds developed countries (according to research by the UNs Office of Drugs and
Crime). On that list the United Kingdom is ranked 18th, while America is ranked 4th. This statistic
can also be considered invalid by the fact that Japan also outlawed nearly every type of firearm
there is, and making it extremely difficult to acquire the few that are legal. Japan is the second
lowest ranked on this same ranking, with a whopping 2 gun related deaths in 2006 with a
massive increase to 11 in 2008.
Outlawing guns is pointless, people will find a way to get them anyways.

The Need for Gun Control in America

Using this same mentality one can question why any illegal act or substance is illegal. Why
outlaw black tar heroin? People will still find ways to get it anyways. Yes while outlawing
something does not 100% guarantee it will disappear from a country, it severely decreases the
likelihood it will be done in mass numbers. Many people will also argue against gay marriage, or
abortion, wishing to make it illegal, but how does this differ?
Statistical Analysis
According to the most
recent FBI guidelines,
"The general definition
of spree murder is two or
more murders committed
by an offender or
offenders, without a
cooling-off period". This
image showcases the
number of mass
shootings under the same
guidelines that the FBI
uses to file something as
a mass murder. The
image doesnt account
for how many are killed,
only those who are shot.

The Need for Gun Control in America

Ranked among other developed countries in the world (excluding undeveloped countries where
war or militia affiliation would make statistics inaccurate) the United States is by far the top
contender in terms of gun related murder. The U.S has a very lenient gun control policy,
especially when
compared to
countries like Japan,
Australia, or
Iceland, where open
carry and concealed
carry are prohibited,
and obtaining any
type of firearm is
heavily restricted or
all together illegal.
These countries are
also ranked as some of the safest, happiest countries in the world, with extremely low crime rates
as well. Below is a table displaying what various countries ban in regards to firearms, and their
stance on the validation of self-defense as validation for a gun related crime. This graphic paired
alongside the previous one, you will see a direct correlation between a countries stance on gun
control and its crime/murder rate.

The Need for Gun Control in America

Land

Automatic
Firearms

SemiAutomatic
Firearms

Handguns

Self-Defense
Valid Reason

Australien

Prohibited

Very
Restricted

Very
Restricted

No

Österreich

Prohibited

Restricted

Restricted

Yes

Bulgarien

Prohibited

Restricted

Restricted

Yes

Kroatien

Prohibited

Very
Restricted

Restricted

Yes

Zypern

Prohibited

Prohibited

Prohibited

Yes

Czech
Republic

Prohibited

Restricted

Restricted

Yes

Dänemark

Prohibited

Very
Restricted

Very
Restricted

No

Estland

Prohibited

Restricted

Restricted

Yes

Finnland

Prohibited

Restricted*

Restricted*

No

Frankreich

Prohibited

Restricted*

Restricted*

No

Deutschland

Prohibited

Very
Restricted

Very
Restricted

No

Island

Prohibited

Very
Restricted

Very
Restricted

No

Niederlande

Prohibited

Very
Restricted

Very
Restricted

No

United
Kingdom

Prohibited

Very
Restricted

Prohibited

No

U.S.A.

Allowed

Allowed

Allowed

Yes

The Need for Gun Control in America

References
Fisher, M. (2012). A Land without Guns: How Japan Has Virtually Eliminated Shooting
Deaths. The Atlantic. Retrieved from
http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2012/07/a-land-without-guns-howjapan-has-virtually-eliminated-shooting-deaths/260189/
Fisher, M. (2012). The U.S. has far more gun-related killings than any other developed
country. The Washington Post. Retrieved from
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2012/12/14/chart-the-u-s-has-farmore-gun-related-killings-than-any-other-developed-country/
Follman, M. (2015). No, mental illness is not the main cause of shootings in America. Mother
Jones. Retrieved from http://www.motherjones.com/mojo/2015/10/mental-health-gunlaws-washington-post-poll
Ingraham, C. (2015). Shooting in Oregon: So far in 2015, weve had 274 days and 294
mass shootings. The Washington Post. Retrieved from
http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonkblog/wp/2015/10/01/2015-274-days-294mass-shootings-hundreds-dead/
J. Morton, Robert. (2005). Serial murder; Multi-disciplinary perspectives for
Investigators. Retrieved from https://www.fbi.gov/stats-services/publications/serialmurder/serial-murder-1#two
M4 carbine specification (2013). M4 5.56mm carbine. Global security. Retrieved from
http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/ground/m4-specs.htm
Mass shooting tracker. (2015). [Graphic calendar of data compiled by
http://shootingtracker.com/wiki/Main_Page] 274 days, 294 mass shootings. Retrieved
from http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonkblog/wp/2015/10/01/2015-274-days294-mass-shootings-hundreds-dead/
Milligan, S. (2015). Congress is all talk, no action after gun deaths. U.S news and world report.
Retrieved from http://www.usnews.com/news/the-report/articles/2015/10/09/congress-isall-talk-no-action-after-gun-deaths
Gun Laws. (2013-2015) [Table of Countries gun regulations] Gun regulations
overview. Retrieved from http://www.veganpeace.com/gun_control/gunlaws.htm