Gun control is something that can be seen as going against the freedom of the people. I believe that gun control doesn’t mean that we’re under control of the government, but that it can set us free by saving more and more lives everyday, and I’m not alone in my belief. Stricter laws need to be made on gun control in the United States. If we make the gun control laws stricter, it would bring more good to our country than bad. It will cause less crime, which will ultimately result in less death by firearms in the United States, bringing down the rates of mass gun use and death by youth.

More guns result in more deaths of kids and teens. Too many children have died due to gun violence. In fact, Jonathan Zimmerman, a SIRS Issues Researcher, states “roughly a third of those students still carry guns, which remain the most common cause of youth homicide in America” (Atlanta Journal Constitution). Children and teens are the bright future for the world and because of the massive ownership of guns, we are destroying the future. We must take action for this to help secure the safety of our youth. 

If we do not limit the amount of people who bear arms, then criminals will be just as prepared as the victim of their crime due to the fact that they understand many citizens are armed. In fact, James Wright and Peter Rossi, authors of, “Armed Criminals in America: A Survey of Incarcerated Felons”,state. “According to a survey of incarcerated felons by the Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research, 75% reported carrying a gun while committing a crime because ’there's always a chance my victim would be armed’” (ncjrs.gov). Criminals understand that their victims most likely have something to defend themselves, which lead the offenders to commit more violent and savage crimes.

The more people carrying guns, the better the chances of homicide and mass gun incidents growing in the U.S. For example, John Schultz, an author from ZUMA Press Newscom and the author of “Gun Control Laws” states, “a gunman walked into a sold-out movie theater prior to a showing of the highly anticipated film The Dark Knight Rises and opened fire, killing 12 people and wounding 58… people were shot and killed in Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, including 20 children under the age of 10” (Infobase Learning). It’s obvious that the damage that one person can do with a gun, without any form of special training, is very large. Therefore, the use of guns and the amount of people carrying them needs to be limited.

The people who go against gun control, mainly believe that it takes away not only their rights, but their protection and safety. For example, Gary Kleck, criminologist and author of, “Targeting Guns: Firearms and Their Control” states, "robbery and assault victims who used a gun to resist were less likely to be attacked or to suffer an injury than those who used any other methods of self-protection." He’s one of many who believe that since guns are used to protect us, gun control laws don’t need to be stricter. Guns don’t make everyone feel safer though. In fact, The Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence, took a poll around the United States in April, 2010. 57% claimed that they did not feel safer after learning that concealed guns may be carried in public without infringement. If the amount of permitted gun owners continues to rise, the number of people who feel safe will drop, until eventually no one will feel safe because no one is safe.

Many citizens are trustworthy and they should be allowed to bear arms. In fact, Tom W. Smith,  the surveyer of a National Gun Policy Survey of the National Opinion Research Center, talks about the use of guns to law abiding citizens. In fact he thinks that responsible people should have the right to bear arms. How can we know who’s responsible though? We can’t because no one can be trusted with a gun. For example, Patrick Johnson, writer of an article named “Florida Popcorn Shooting: Are Concealed Guns About Self-Defense or Power? talks about a shooting that occurred in a theater. In January 2014, a retired police officer used his gun and killed another man because of an argument over text. If we can’t trust the people who were entrusted with the duty of protecting us, why should we trust someone who seems like a responsible person?

Gun control does not go against our freedom. It protects us, causing less murder in youth and adults, making us feel safer everyday. There are people who use their rights the wrong way, and use laws as an excuse for their freedom of  gun use. Making more and stricter gun control laws will stop them from misusing the right to bear arms, and committing crimes without  infringement. If you want to make your loved ones safer, and if you truly love your country, then you’ll support the message that has been sent. Gun control laws must be stricter for the sake of our homeland.

     Work Cited Page

Abhay Aneja, John J. Donohue III, and Alexandria Zhang, "The Impact of Right to Carry Laws         
and the NRC Report: The Latest Lessons for the Empirical Evaluation of Law and Policy,"
nber.org, Aug. 2012

Gary Kleck, Targeting Guns: Firearms and Their Control, 1997

James Wright and Peter Rossi, "Armed Criminals in America: A Survey of Incarcerated Felons,   
1983," ncjrs.gov, 1985

John Schultz/ZUMA Press/Newscom “Gun Control Laws.” Issues & Controversies. Infobase
Learning, 17 Dec. 2012. Web. 21 Oct. 2014. .

Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence, "Guns in Public Places: The Increasing Threat of Hidden
Guns in America," smartgunlaws.org, July 1, 2011

Patrik Jonsson, "Florida Popcorn Shooting: Are Concealed Guns About Self-Defense or Power?,"
The Christian Science Monitor, Jan. 15, 2014

Tom W. Smith, "2001 National Gun Policy Survey of the National Opinion Research Center:
Research Findings," hawaii.edu, Dec. 2001

Zimmerman, Jonathan. "Firearms New Menace in an Age-Old Problem." Atlanta
Journal-Constitution (Atlanta, GA). Oct. 26 2009: A.8. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 21 Oct. 2014.