Missing the Target: Gun Control Gun control and Second Amendment rights seem to be stealing the headlines in the news and have been in the spotlight of American politics in recent years. One reason for this media obsession is that every time a violent gun crime occurs, more and more states increase the severity of their gun laws, not always with the intended results. As tighter gun laws are implemented in attempt to control violent gun crime in America, the Second Amendment has become an increasingly controversial topic over the last decade. From whatever side of the issue you stand, there is zero evidence that stricter gun laws lead to decreased gun crime. The most vocal and recent attempts of curbing gun violence focus on abolishing private gun ownership and neutralizing the NRA (National Rifle Association) which, in fact, will result …show more content…
In states with strict gun control laws, not allowing citizens to defend themselves against violence, statistics show that these areas report some of the highest gun related crime in the country. Illinois, especially Chicago, enforces extremely strict gun laws and yet reports some of the highest gun crime rates in the country. While the purpose of these laws is to prevent criminals from buying guns and committing violent crimes, they instead keep law-abiding citizens from protecting themselves and their families. As a stark contrast, Colorado enforces loose gun laws and reports some of the lowest gun crime rates in the country. Another example of backfiring gun control is the entire country of Mexico. Mexico enforces extremely strict gun laws and yet yields three times more gun-related crime than the United States. As a contrast, every family in Switzerland is issued a gun and trained how to effectively use it. As a result, Switzerland boasts a significantly lower gun crime rate than other countries with higher than gun