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Ana Castro
Professor Melton
May 1, 2016
Guns Are the Problem
The power of a gun is more powerful than a knife, a bat, scissors or any sharp object that
can cross a human body and harm someones interior. Guns have been around for so many years,
and have been portrayed as a way for self defense, a sport, such as hunting or shooting, and to
defend their territory, but in reality firearms are causing more harm than we imagine. Gun related
crimes occur on a day to day basis having almost the same death rate as a fatal car crash in the
United States. All we hear on the news are gun related crimes that occur around the world and
within each year, the crimes are increasing. Many more crimes are occurring day by day and no
law has changed in order to reduce the amount of guns and ammunition that someone can own.
The number of deaths are increasing and no action is taken into consideration to have a better
and safer future. Gun control should be regulated and be restricted in order to reduce the crimes
that occurs and prevent deaths of innocent people and children.
The evolution of guns first began when they first recorded the use of a firearm in 1364,
and as the years progressed, it lead to the creation of an automatic pistol in 1892 by Joseph
Laumann. Many individuals were getting use to the idea of other using guns, but as the time
went on, Fully automatic Firearms have been banned from private possession since 1986,
except for those legally owned and registered with secretary of the treasury as of May 19, 1986
(Congressional Digest). Up to this day, in order to posses a gun, it has to be registered and it
cannot be modified by any way. They allow this to happen simply for the safety of many citizens
and people around. Gun laws have been created and passed and are continued to be changed in

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order to provide a safe environment and have less guns in the hands of the wrong individuals. It
is important to keep in mind that guns are not toys, and since they are easy to obtain, they can be
dangerous and bring lot of harm to any human being. Innocent children die at such a young age
due to the use of a gun from another person. It is better to do something about a situation, such as
not allowing individuals to have possession of an illegal gun, that has been causing many deaths,
than to let this tragedy continue.
On a daily basis, about 87 individuals are killed by guns from either a homicide or a
suicide, stating that gun laws are the cause of much of the violence that occurs, therefore there
needs to be a restriction on who can lay hand on guns. After doing a lot of research on gun
control rights and its violence on crime, it has shown that there are many deaths that occur due to
guns, About two-thirds of murders are committed with firearms- mostly handguns (Mantel).
Even though the second amendment allows someone to bare arms, these laws are not protecting
other individuals that are being harmed by them. The majority of the time, the individuals that
own these guns use them the wrong way, either day are not as familiar with the gun, dont put the
safety on, or are under the influence of any alcohol or drugs, causing them to harm other
individuals that might be present at the scene. Even since the incident at Sandy Hook Elementary
School in Newtown, Connecticut, there has been many controversies and debates on the gun
control issue. This lead to the topic of the modifications of guns, which is illegal in California.
This includes the modification to fit more ammunition in the magazine, and have it shoot faster,
causing it to do more harm. This then leads to the ability to obtain a gun, by passing a
background check, in which many cases people fail to do, the report concluded that 35.7 percent
of acquisitions did not involve a background check (Kopel). This is one of the many reasons

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why people who have a mental disorder end up causing harm to other individuals that are
innocent, or cause harm towards themselves.
I have recently received my firearm permit and I received it by passing written test of 30
multiple choice questions. In order to own a gun, a test has to be taken and a background check
had to be prior to owning the specific gun of your choice. I also know that not everyone can own
the gun they want. You have to be 18 years of age to own a long gun such as a rifle or a
shotgun and 21 years of age to own a handgun. Due to the easy process of how I obtained my
gun and the many crimes that have occurred, I was interested on researching how guns ended up
being used for the wrong purposes. It is said that the majority of the owners of any type of guns
have them for their safety but not everyone uses them for the same purpose. There has been
many shootings, as the news reports, in school, in our local areas and all around the world. The
power someone has over a gun can be taken into advantage and therefore be used in a un
responsible way causing them to commit a crime. It is important to keep in mind that many
people have the ability to possess dangerous weapons, as I did a couple of months ago by just
passing a multiple choice test. They might see the gun as a way of safety and protection but be
used in a violent way, not necessarily by the owner, but by anyone that can have access to it.
Many of the mass shooting gun news we hear about on television are the ones that cause
many deaths or involve deaths of children. What its not shown in television is that there Lismore
crime done by guns than just that one big shooting. Research will be conducted to find the
amount of people in the united states and around the world that own a gun and relate it to the
amount of crimes that have occurred. Based on the different surveys that have been done by
many other organizations and the amount of guns that are sold every year, I will gather that
information and relate it to the amount of crimes that have occurred in which many innocent, and

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young lives die. Having the possession of a firearm might provide safety and protection to one
individual, but it can cost the life of an innocent person.

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Reference
Gun Control Overview. Congressional Digest,92.3 (2013): 3-7
Kopel, David B. The Cost and Consequences of Gun Control. Cato Institute.01. Dec. 2015.
Web. 13 Apr. 2016
Mantel, Barbabra. :Gun Control: Should Lawmakers Tighten Firearms Restrictions? CQ
Research: In-Depth Reports on Todays Issue. 8. March. 2013. Web.