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Sharon Luong
Professor Nathan Cole
English 1010
December 11, 2016
IEP Final Draft
Gun Control
There are many organizations for and against gun control. And I believe more gun control
laws and regulations will only hurt the law abiding citizens. The gun control issue is often talked
about when we are electing a new president or whenever there is a shooting. I chose this topic
because I want to see why some people and or organizations want gun laws so tough that it
would be almost impossible to get one legally.
There are two anti gun control organizations that have been around for quite some time
and well known. These two organizations are The National Rifles Association that was founded
in 1871 that started off as a shooting range for troops to have better marksmanship. The other
organization is Gun Owners of America that was founded in 1975. Although the NRA was
founded in 1871 they didnt become politically active until the 1970s when the gun control act
passed. The National Rifles Association and The Gun Owners of America's goal is to protect
and defend our gun rights(GOA & NRA). Anti gun control organizations dont want tougher gun
laws because it would be like taking away their tool. There are people who use guns to put food
on their table and by this I mean they hunt for their food and if they dont have their gun they
cant put food on their table. Guns are also used for protection of self and others, and if its
taken away it makes them vulnerable. Gun owners believe that the community is safer if more
people legally carried, criminals wont risk getting shot if they know a majority of people are
carrying.
There are also two gun control organizations that have also been around for quite some
time(90s). These organizations are, The Brady Campaign and New Yorkers Against Gun

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Violence. The Brady Campaign was created when Jim Brady was shot during an assassination
attempt on former president Ronald Reagan that left Brady partially paralyzed. After this
incident Brady's wife worked for Handgun Control Inc., and fought to pass a legislation that
required background checks before gun purchases. That bill was introduced in 1988 but wasnt
passed until 1993(Brady). New Yorkers Against Gun Violence was created by a group of
mothers when a teacher was shot and killed in Prospect Park. This organization's goal is to
reduce gun violence through legislative advocacy and providing education thats designed to
influence action to influence public opinion and lead to policy change(NYAGV). The pro gun
control organizations want guns banned because they believe guns are the source of violence
and without them there would be a lot less violence and families wont be torn apart. Accidental
shootings happen more often when guns are in the house with kids. 82% of weapons used in
mass shootings were obtained legally. The people in these organizations believe that if more
people carry a gun, everyday disputes will turn into a shooting which means more violence and
their goal is to prevent more violence.
There are three types people when it comes to gun control. People who wants so much
gun regulation that it will be almost impossible to own a gun legally. Ones who are trying to stop
more regulations and removes ones that are already in place. Others who believe there should
be a little more gun control regulations but not so much that it would be almost impossible to get
one legally. They believe that there should also be some sort mental evaluation along with the
background check to make sure you wont go out murdering people.
Here are some reasons gun control supporters want guns banned:

Having a firearm in the house with children is dangerous

Armed citizens mean everyday disputes can turn into shootings
Guns are the source of violence
Just call the cops when youre in trouble
Background checks prevents criminals from getting firearms
To counter these arguments

Responsible gun owners would lock up their firearms away from children

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Law abiding citizens have some sort of restraint which is why they pass a background check
Guns are not the only things that kill people, knives, cars, pens/pencils, pillows, bats can kill

people too, should those things be banned as well?

Average police response times is 10 minutes, a lot can happen in ten minutes.
Anti gun control remarks

Being able to own a gun is our right, its in the second amendment
Im not going to be a victim
Crimes go down if more people legally carry
People who want some gun control say

Assault rifles arent for citizens use but for the military.
They want more than a background check before someone is allowed to purchase a firearm.

My response for gun control organizations is, what makes you think taking away guns
will prevent violence? If someone wants to kill someone taking away their firearm wont stop
them, they will just find another tool. Guns arent the only things that can kill, baseball bats, our
hands, cars, knives, pens/pencils, pillows and a lot of other things can be used to kill. Do we
ban these too? Sure, taking away guns can prevent accidental shootings that involve children
but if its locked up when not in use like its supposed to be these things dont happen. Guns
have also saved people but guns saving people dont usually make the news its the mass
shootings that do. Heres a shooting by an armed citizen with a concealed carry permit(CCP).
There was a shooting by a good samaritan that happened here in Utah a little while back, in a
store parking lot. The concealed carrier heard a woman scream for help when a carjacker who
was fleeing from the cops dragged a woman out of her car. The permit holder who then had his
gun ordered the carjacker out of the vehicle and the suspect lunged at him and tried to get
control of the gun and thats when he fired one shot and killed the suspect(Demasters, Green,
Boyd). I believe that if these stories get out there more, criminals wont be so brazen to do
whatever they want.

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From the anti gun control view, they see guns as a form of protection and right. Our
forefathers have written it as our second amendment. Gun control only hurts the law abiding
citizens, criminals dont follow laws having more gun regulations isnt going to keep guns out of
the hands of the criminals but the hands of law abiding citizens who want to protect themselves.
The belief of anti gun control people is if more people legally carried guns, crime rates will go
down because criminals will think twice before breaking into a home, robbing or attacking
someone knowing that they might get shot. Your gun will save you from an intruder before the
police arrive.
From the gun control point of view I understand that they want the world to be a safer
place for their children. They dont want something like the Sandy Hook Elementary shooting to
happen all over again(the shooter took his mothers guns that were all obtained legally) and with
all the mass shootings where the guns were all obtained legally. These people are afraid that if
more people carry, everyday disputes can turn into shootings and having a gun free house
means no accidental shootings.
This gun control topic has been knowledgeable because I got to understand why some
people want stricter gun laws. I also understand why some people think there should be more
than a background check before a purchase. I think that every gun owner should take a gun
safety course and use a lockbox or safe for their weapons. While writing this paper I found it
interesting that people think that stricter gun laws will keep guns out the hands of criminals and
keep deaths down. Guns arent the only things that kill people if someone wants someone dead
theyll find a way. Criminals dont obey the law they will find a way to get a gun no matter the
restrictions just like drugs.
In conclusion I still believe that we shouldnt have more gun control because gun control
laws will only hurt the law abiding citizens who wants to protect themselves and/or others.
Criminals wont follow the law, if they want something they will find a way and taking away guns
from law abiding citizens will only make us vulnerable. If theres an intruder in your house you

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have a better chance if you had gun than to wait for the police to arrive. We may never need to
use our weapons in our lifetime but for me its something thats better to have and not need it,
then when you need it and not have it.

Works Cited

"Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence." Jim and Sarah Brady | Brady Campaign to Prevent
Gun Violence. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Nov. 2016.
"About GOA." About Gun Owners of America | General | General. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Nov. 2016.
"About." New Yorkers Against Gun Violence. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Dec. 2016.

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"Average-Police-Response-Time." Average-Police-Response-Time. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Nov. 2016.

"Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence." Jim and Sarah Brady | Brady Campaign to Prevent
Gun Violence. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Nov. 2016.
Chuck, Elizabeth. "More Than 80 Percent of Guns Used in Mass Shootings Obtained Legally."
NBCNews.com. NBCUniversal News Group, 05 Dec. 2015. Web. 12 Dec. 2016.
Demasters, Tiffany, Mark Green, and Robert Boyd. "Suspect Dead after Man with Concealed Carry
@newsmax. "Gun Control Pros and Cons: 3 Points on Both Sides of Debate." Newsmax. N.p., 28
Sept. 2014. Web. 30 Nov. 2016.
"NRA Explore." NRA. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Nov. 2016.

Prez-pea, Richard. "Gun Control Explained." The New York Times. The New York Times, 07 Oct.
2015. Web. 07 Nov. 2016.