Gun Control: Why is it difficult for the United States to change the gun law?

YE EUN YANG
22. Dec.2015

Nowadays, more young Americans die from guns than cars. At least 32,000 people are
killed by guns in the United States per year. According to the Guardian data blog, 29.7
out of 100,000 Americans die from guns while only 5.1 Canadians die. (as cited in
Forbes 2015) Gun control is a controversial issue whenever acts of gun violence occur.
American citizens, lawmakers and gun lobbyists have been debating the issue of gun
control for more than a century, and there has yet to be a definitive answer. Moreover,
46% of Americans are still against the stricter gun laws. Proponents of gun control do
not believe that state and federal gun control acts do enough, and gun rights advocates
believe that the laws go too far. I strongly believe that strict gun laws are not enough to
prevent people from dying from gun accidents.
This essay will carefully investigate the situation of gun laws in the U.S.A and it will
also cover the pros and cons about the gun control laws. In addition, I will prove my
argument that gun laws have to be stricter than present laws.
What are gun laws in the U.S.A?
Gun laws in the United States vary dramatically from state to state. However, there are
some similar points from each state. Many states require background checks as part of
the permit or licensing process, but a person could become ineligible between the time
the state issues the permit or license and the sale of the firearm. Furthermore, some
states do not have a formal process of revoking licenses or permits once a person
becomes ineligible. Also, transactions between private sellers have fewer regulations
and make it possible in some states for a sale to occur without the buyer having to

undergo a background check. Most states do not require the reporting of lost or stolen
firearms.
Opposing Views
1. Self-defense is the first law of nature.
Opponents of gun control laws argue that Americans have the right to possess arms.
They say that gun control laws would prevent individuals from defending themselves
and their property when gun control laws are strict. They also support the rights of
hunters and sport shooters. According to the Second Amendment of the U.S.
Constitution which includes the sentence 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. (Amendment II, the U.S Constitution) Therefore, opponents of gun control
laws insist that the right to own and use guns is the personal freedom guaranteed by the
Constitution.
2. Gun control laws should be examination exactingly.
Opponents of gun control laws insist that the right to keep and bear arms is fundamental.
They claim the right to keep and bear arms is essential while agreeing that the gun
control laws should be strictly inspected. This argument states that, to enact valid gun
control laws, the laws must contain persuasive context. In other words, gun control laws
should be based on a firm argument and solid data to show a real relationship between
the law and its intended goal.
3. The National Rifle Association: NRA

The National Rifle Association of America (NRA) is an American social welfare

organization which advocates for gun rights. The NRA is America's foremost defender
of Second Amendment rights. According to NRAs website, purposes and objectives of
the NRA include protecting the right to keep and bear arms, furthering the shooting
sports, marksmanship and safety training, and the promotion of hunter safety.
Additionally, the NRA is considered one of the most powerful lobbyists in Washington.
Unlike corporate lobbyists, the power of the NRA comes from its massive membership
and powerful activist base, as well as from millions of dollars from dues and corporate
sponsors. In 2010, the NRA spent more than $240 million. (The Washington post, By
Chris Cillizza, 2012, December18). The gun owners who consist of the NRA are voters
who are passionate about firearms, and tend to be fiercely loyal to the organization. The
NRA spent $11,159,167 on the 2012 U.S.A election according to the Open Secrets,
which is nonpartisan guider to money's influence on U.S. elections and public policy.
(OpenSecrets.org, 2012) Therefore the NRA is one of the most powerful organizations
for both political and economic gains.
Points for Gun Control
1. More gun control laws would reduce gun deaths.
It is a definite fact that, if individuals have easy access to guns, they are more likely to
get into gun accidents, compared to people who do not have. According to decades of
data analyzed by the Harvard School of Public Health, guns and homicides go together.
Studies have consistently found that places with more guns have more violent deaths,
both homicides and suicides. Women and children are more likely to die if theres a gun

in the house. The more guns in an area, the higher the local suicide rates. Generally, if
you live in a civilized society, more guns mean more death, said David Hemenway,
director of the Harvard Injury Control Research Center. There is no evidence that
having more guns reduces crime. None at all. Thus when people can easily access
guns, gun crimes are more likely to happen.
2. Guns leads to many accidental deaths.
The legal ownership of guns could cause unnecessary tragic deaths, many of which
were provoked unintentionally. Legally held guns are stolen and ended up in the hands
of criminals. Every gun that is stolen is automatically in the hands of the criminal. Thus,
private gun ownership leads to increased gun crimes. In addition to, there are too many
deadly accidents involving children and guns due to the carelessness of the adult. In
April 12, 2015 a one-year-old baby was killed after he was shot in the face with a gun
fired by a three years old boy, in Cleveland, Ohio. A handgun was found near the 3year-old. The family was unaware that any weapons were in the home and suspect it
may have belonged to the child's father. (Independent By Lamiat Sabin, 2015, April, 13).
Through legalized gun possession, guns have a greater chance of passing into the
hands of kids, which could lead to dangerous accidents. Therefore, the US government
has to implement stricter gun control laws immediately in order to prevent many fatal
accidents.
3. Prevent potential criminal having weapons
Most violent crimes are committed with guns. It seems that restricting gun ownership
would likely reduce the number of such crimes. Proponents of gun control believe that

stronger laws, especially background checks for gun buyers, can prevent the needless
loss of life. Even individuals who support gun rights acknowledge that certain people
should not be permitted to own guns. Current gun control laws prohibit individuals who
have been convicted of crimes and those who have been diagnosed with mental illness
from obtaining firearms. This is for the purpose of attempting to keep away future crimes
from being committed by unstable individuals who are considered to be at high risk of
attempting mass shootings, murders of deadly assaults. Unfortunately, gun crimes are
perpetrated by both mentally ill people and normal people who are not defined as ill.
Furthermore, it is difficult to preemptively determine who is most likely to engage in such
crimes. Background checks will help keep guns out of the hands of people who should
not have them. Advocates insist on background checks to prevent criminals, domestic
abusers, and seriously mentally ill people from buying guns. Moreover, gun control
advocates believe tougher gun laws could potentially prevent crimes. When the laws
governing background checks for guns pass, massacres will be reduced. Between 1982
and 2012, the US had roughly sixty-two mass shootings. (Mother Johns, 2015) However,
more tragic fact is that forty-nine were caused by using legal weapons. Current gun
registration laws are not adequate for law enforcement. To help defend and to help
solve crimes, guns should be registered and characterized to prevent someone from
using them to commit a crime.

Conclusion
It is confirmed that many incidents are caused by gun usage in the United States.
Many people argue that these accidents could have been prevented if the US
government imposed stricter gun control. The U.S government must implement stricter
gun control laws immediately in order to reduce gun crime rates and many fatal
accidents. Almost two weeks after a shooting stunned Australia in 1996, leaving 35
people dead at the Port Arthur tourist spot in Tasmania, the Australia government
enacted stricter gun laws, including a 28-day waiting period before purchase and a ban
on semiautomatic weapons. Since the Australian gun laws have been reformed, rates of
both homicide and suicide have been dropped 50 percent, and there have been no
mass killings. In this case, it is clearly revealed that the strict gun laws help decrease
gun crimes. It is overdue that the U.S.A government take solid action to decline gun
crimes. No more innocent people have to be killed by guns accidents or crimes. If the
U.S government cannot implement stronger gun control laws, maybe Americans can
adopt safer ways to use their guns.

Reference
Forbes.com (2015, August 26). More Young Americans Now Die From Guns Than Cars,
Retrieved December 14, 2015, from
http://www.forbes.com/sites/dandiamond/2015/08/26/americas-gun-violence-problemin-three-charts/

The Washington post (By Chris Cillizza, 2012, December 18). The NRAs big spending
edge in 1 chart,
Retrieved December 13, 2015, from
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2012/12/18/the-nras-big-spendingedge-in-1-chart/
OpenSecrets.org (2012) 2012 Outside Spending, by Group
Retrieved December 13, 2015, from
http://www.opensecrets.org/outsidespending/summ.php?cycle=2012&chrt=V&disp=O&t
ype=I
Independent (By Lamiat Sabin, 2015, April, 13). Braylon Robinson shooting: Threeyear-old boy shoots baby dead in latest US child gun accident
Retrieved December 15, 2015, from
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/three-year-old-boy-shoots-babybraylon-robinson-dead-in-latest-us-child-gun-accident-10173290.html
Mother Johns (2015). A guide to mass shootings in America