Heather Novak

3/31/14
Period 2
Gun Control

Guns dont kill people, people kill people. Some people agree with that
statement, but others strongly disagree and believe guns must be controlled. Gun
control is important to know about because guns may serve many purposes. Guns
can be helpful because they can be used for hunting to provide food for ones
family. They can also be used for sports, like trophy hunting or target shooting.
But guns can also be very dangerous. Some people are against gun control
because they feel that it is taking away their second amendment right to bear arms.
Others are for gun control because they feel that putting more restrictions on guns
will bring down the crime rate and keep people safe.
I know about the topic of gun regulations mainly because of the media. Through
the media I hear about school shootings, mall shootings and other shootings that
cause death and injuries to innocent people because they are in the hands of
dangerous or mentally unstable people. I have read about it in the newspaper and
heard it on the news. I have also discussed this topic with my family. I selected the
topic of gun control because I feel it is a very important topic to address because of
all the shootings that have happened recently. I know that people have very strong
feelings on one side or the other, so I wanted to find out more about the topic so I
could provide a strong argument in favor of gun control.
I found my information through the SIRS Knowledge Source database. The most
helpful sources were the timeline, the article on the White House required

background checks by Joseph Tanfani, and the assault weapons ban article by
Edmund Mahoney. I encountered problems with finding different examples of pros
and cons for my note cards because a lot of the databases had a lot of the same
information.
Gun control has been an issue in America since colonial times. The 2 nd
Amendment of the U.S. Constitution gives the right to U.S. citizens to bear arms.
Since then, the meaning of the 2nd Amendment related to gun control has been
hotly debated. Some people believe that gun control is consistent with the 2 nd
Amendment while others feel gun control infringes on peoples rights to bear arms.
The 2nd Amendment states: A wel l-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. (SIRS Gun Control Timeline, online). Legislation and court cases have
addressed gun control throughout our history. For example, in 1938, the Federal
Firearms Act was passed to required gun sellers to obtain a Federal Firearms
license and to maintain records of the names and addresses of gun
purchasers.(SIRS Gun Control Timeline, online). It prohibited gun sales to
convicted felons. But there have also been decisions against gun control. The
Supreme Court in Printz v. United States ruled that background checks required by
the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act are unconstitutional. (SIRS Gun
Control Timeline, online).

The controversy over gun control continues today.

Gun control advocates believe that tougher gun control measures are needed to
make sure people are safe from gun violence or accidents. Gun control advocates
cite the high crime rates and death toll from gun-related violence as evidence that
tougher laws are needed. (At Issue: Second Amendment and the Right to Bear
Arms, online). Recently, Connecticuts Attorney General defended Connecticuts

ban on assault weapons arguing that Handguns and rifles on the states list of
banned assault weapons were designed for killing people, and should not be
generally owned and used. (Edmund Mahony, online). He said that gun control
opponents arguments are not about the 2nd Amendment but instead about the
gun lobbys interest in making guns and selling them to as many people as
possible.(Edmund Mahony, online). In other words, those in favor of gun control
believe that it makes sense to control deadly weapons and that the argument
shouldnt be about the second amendment but instead about the safety of the
public.
Those opposed to gun control believe that it infringes on a persons right to bear
arms that is guaranteed by the 2nd amendment. They state that guns dont kill
people, people kill people. (At Issue: Second Amendment and the Right to Bear
Arms, online). They maintain that people have a right to protect themselves and
feel that gun control infringes on that right. For example, gun opponents disagree
with Connecticuts ban on 138 weapons and large capacity ammunition magazines.
They argue that the ban discriminates among different categories of gun users,
and most significantly, infringes on their Second Amendment right to bear arms
(Edmund Mahony, online). They also believe that gun control discriminates against
certain populations of people. For example, advocates for people with mental
illness have pushed to restrict reporting rules, saying they unfairly stigmatize
people who arent violent (Joseph Tanfani, online). So the arguments against gun
control range from protecting ones second amendment rights to protecting people
from discrimination.
Because guns are deadly weapons, their ownership and use should be controlled
to make sure that people are safe. After all, people must get licenses and pass tests

to drive cars which can be dangerous if misused, just like a gun. The argument that
guns dont kill people, people kill people is ridiculous and only proves that guns
should be kept out of the hands of dangerous people. Background checks and
licenses will keep guns out of the hands of dangerous people and will not infringe on
the 2nd amendment rights of law-abiding citizens. People will still have the right to
bear arms but in a responsible way. I believe that a waiting on a background check
is a small price to pay to keep yourself or your family safe. And if your background
check shows you have a dangerous history, you shouldnt be given a deadly
weapon. Everyone has the right to be safe, so doesnt gun control make sense?