Should There Be Stricter Gun Laws

Gun violence seems to be all we hear about these days. The amount and force of weapons available today is much more than we ever foresaw. With the mass shootings and increasing street violence, one could come to the conclusion that gun laws should be stricter, or guns should be outlawed completely. However, would harsher gun laws really work, or would criminals find more ways to get around them?

The National Rifle Association has a slogan stating that “Guns don’t kill, people do.” (Gun Control: opposing viewpoints, 1998) If a person owns a gun, they have sole responsibility for their weapon. If they were to use their own gun to commit a crime, it would be their doing and should not affect other owners around them. For example, if you are over

Criminals do not usually acquire their guns through the proper channels as law-abiding citizens would. Those who would need stricter gun laws would not even be affected by the change. For instance, there are plenty of illegal drugs that are used by people every day. Just because something is outlawed does not mean that no one will take part in it. The theory that if gun laws were more strict this would cut down on crime. However, it seems like the criminals will still go their way of getting the guns and ammunition, but people who obey the laws will be the ones who suffer, since it will take them longer to get the guns for protection. At this time, many people who break the law are better armed than the police officers that are supposed to protect the citizens. It is difficult for them to do their job against higher power from the criminals. Those who properly own guns would not be able to defend themselves if a situation came to that point. Making something illegal means that its production will spread into homes of such criminals, thus possibly making weapons less safe. New, stronger gun laws are not the answer. “The problem with such [gun control] laws is that they take away guns from law abiding citizens while would-be criminals ignore them.” (Lott) We need to work on enforcing current gun laws to ensure the safety of others. While there should be a background check, looking at criminal history, history of

Someone intent on committing a crime may have a gun, but not be planning on using it. However, once faced with a gun from someone else, they may choose to use theirs, thus creating a bigger, more dangerous situation. Even citizens who know how to properly use a gun may not be able to fire accurately when faced with a life or death situation. Their misfire could cost someone else their life. Although they could be trying to assist by threatening the “bad guy”, they may just threaten him enough to cause him to become extremely violent. Although guns are great for personal safety, they can turn a small problem into a much bigger and harder to control one in just seconds. “A gun is more likely to be used against you than you use a gun in self-defense.” (Southern California Public