Arguments Against Gun Control Research

In order to understand the impact of proposed gun control laws, it is vital to understand gun control itself. Gun control laws are regulations of the owning, manufacturing, and use of firearms. In the United States, some see gun control as needed and others see it as a form of tyranny. This divide in beliefs is what has caused gun control to be such a highly discussed issue. The emotional connection that surrounds it, due to shootings and gun violence, also leads people to misjudge the impact on crime that the proposed laws may have. Gun control, a highly controversial topic, is often misunderstood when referencing its impact it would have on crime, this is due to the lack of knowledge surrounding the United States’ past and present position

Examples of those features are a folding or telescoping stock, a pistol grip, and a flash suppressor or threaded barrel. These features are for comfortability of the shooter and do not impact the ballistics of the bullet. Therefore, it can be inferred that the writers of the Assault Weapons Ban were trying to limit weapons that looked like a threat rather than combatting against weapons that were used primarily in gun crime. Because of this, the impact on crime by the Assault Weapon Ban was minimal at best. As said in a study by UPenn when addressing the Assault Weapon Ban, “We cannot clearly credit the ban with any of the nation’s recent drop in gun violence. And, indeed, there has been no discernible reduction in the lethality and injuriousness of gun violence.” (Plumer, “Everything You Need to Know about the Assault Weapons Ban, in One Post”). The ban did not have much of an impact mainly due to the fact that before the ban, assault weapons were only used in two to eight percent of gun crime (Plumer, “Everything You Need to Know about the Assault Weapons Ban, in One Post”). Another very important variable to consider about the Assault Weapons Ban is that it allowed for weapons defined by the ban that were owned previous to the law, to be legally owned. This variable, being essentially a loophole, allowed for

When combining all of these factors of gun control laws, past and present, the result is not quite clear. While taking away all guns that contribute to violent crime would be brilliant on paper, it would limit the ability of citizens to protect themselves. Leaving many without proper means of home protection and subjected to violent crime. The absence of firearms in the hands of U.S. citizens could also cause an uproar across the country. The confusion, in regards to statistics and effectiveness of gun control laws, is due to the different interpretation of crime, which undoubtedly is due to prior bias by the interpreter. This bias will most likely never completely leave the minds of debaters when arguing on the topic of gun control, forcing each individual to develop an opinion based on their own beliefs despite the statistics involved.

Works Cited
“Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.” National Firearms Act | Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, www.atf.gov/rules-and -regulations/national-firearms-act.
“Do Guns Save Lives.” Gun Sources, 1 May 2017, gunsources. com/guns-save-lives/.
“Guns in America | Facts and Statistics about Firearms in the USA.” Guns in America | Facts and Statistics about Firearms in the USA, americangunfacts.com/.