I. Introduction & Thesis Statements
“Guns don’t kill, people do.” (Slogan of the National Rifle Association)
“Guns don’t die, people do.” (Pete Shields and John Greenya, authors of the book with the same title). (Roleff)
Thousands of people die every year in gun related deaths; therefore, guns should be banned. The above-mentioned quotes reflect both sides of the argument on gun control. People on both sides of the issue are very passionate in their stand.
II. Arguments
A. Arguments in support of thesis statement.
(In countries where it is illegal to own guns the crime rate is much lower than in the US.)
(Banning guns would make it harder for criminals to commit crimes using guns)
(Women should not own guns because the gun could be taken away from them and used on them there are other means of self defense – martial arts, pepper spray, car keys, etc)
B. Arguments against thesis statement.
(Gun ownership and high crime rates do not correlate)
Frequently, gun control advocates point to other countries to prove that gun control reduces crime. Take for example Great Britain. Great Britain is similar to the United States in demographics and culture, except Great Britain has extreme gun control laws. The rates of assault and robbery are twice what we have in the United States, and while homicide rates in the United States are declining, they are rapidly rising in Great Britain. (Torr 26)
In Great Britain in the 1950’s there was almost no laws and almost no gun crime (Torr 30). In 1967 Parliament enacted the Criminal Justice Act, which made it illegal to use a firearm against someone breaking into your own home. In 2000 an elderly man shot and killed a career burglar who broke into his house with a partner. The elderly man was sentenced to life in prison. (Torr 32)
It seems as if the British government values the rights of criminals over law-abiding citizens. Between the years of 1981 through 1995 the rate of convictions fell 12% in England while rising 43% in the United States. England went from having lower crime rates in 1981 to having crime rates twice that of the United States in 1995.
Another country that is often cited as having low crime rates and strict gun control laws is Australia. This also is a myth. Gun owners were forced to surrender 640,381 personal firearms. One year later statistics show that homicides were up 3.2%, assaults were up 8.6%, armed robberies were up 44%, in Victoria homicides with firearms are up a whopping 300%, and there has been a dramatic increase in break-ins and assaults on the elderly (Smith).
Now let’s look at Switzerland. Switzerland’s gun laws are more lenient than the gun laws in the United States. In Switzerland to obtain a gun one must simply attain a police permit. The permit is valid for three months and in that time the person with the permit may purchase as many guns as he wishes. The purchases are not usually registered. Anyone that has served in the Swiss army is allowed to keep their military rifle even after they leave the service (Smith). Guy Smith in his ebook entitled Gun Facts states that there are no laws requiring a person to obtain permission to carry a load handgun for 43% of the Swiss population. Despite these lenient gun laws, Switzerland has the third-lowest homicide rate of the top nine major European countries (Smith).
(Taking away guns from ordinary, law-abiding citizens will leave them defenseless.)
(Site cases of women who had guns saving their lives)
C. Arguments based on my opinion.
(If you take guns away from law-abiding citizens only criminals will have them. Do you really expect criminals to turn in their guns because the government bans them? They will just buy them illegally. Not to mention the fact that guns can be made.)
(Stricter gun laws and accountability on the parts of gun dealers and parents will lower gun related incidents.)
(If you own a gun, you should get to know your gun and spend time at the range. You have to be an idiot to get your gun taken away from you. If you pull a gun on someone it better be to shoot them. If they come towards you pull the trigger. If they get their hand on your gun pull the trigger.)
III. Conclusion
In conclusion I feel that that there are some gun laws that need to be stricter; however, guns should not be banned.
IV. Sources
Roleff, Tamara L., ed. Gun Control: Opposing Viewpoints. Sand Diego:
Greenhaven Press, Inc., 1997.
Karan, Judge Amy, and Helen Stampalia. “Domestic Violence and
Firearms: A Deadly Combination The Juxtaposition of Federal and
Florida Laws..” Florida Bar Journal 79 (2005). 13 Nov 2005
aa8f2ee03e185256aa9005d8d9a/b5a632b2f798038485257088007
0e703?OpenDocument>.
Volk, Oleg. Self Defense: A Basic Human Right. 1995. 20 Nov. 2005
.
LaPierre, Wayne. “Let The Gun Lie Die.” USA Today 08 Sept 2004. 12 Nov
2005 http://search.epnet.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db;=aph&an;=J0E304913313804&loginpage;=Login.asp
Kohn, Abigail A. “Straight Shooting on Gun Control..” Reason May 2005.
10 Nov 2005
8&loginpage;=Login.asp>.
Torr, James D., ed. At Issue: Guns And Crime. San Diego: Greenhaven Press,
2004.
Smith, Guy . Gun Facts. 2004. 15 Nov. 2005 .
