The United States Gun Debate It is estimated that firearms are used 2,500,000 times per year to defend innocent people against violent crimes, resulting in 600,000 lives that are saved by people who had firearms to protect themselves and others. These 600,000 lives equal three hundred times more lives than are taken by murder in the United States each year (Vizzard 889). The Second Amendment guarantees the right to keep and bear arms under the U.S. Constitution. There is great controversy about the Second Amendment, which declares “A well-regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed” (Cornell 1). Many people question the Second Amendment and how it …show more content…
A sense of protection is valuable in today’s society. In order to obtain this sense of protection, people must be allowed to own guns and defend themselves in a state of emergency. The United States makes up about five percent of the world’s population and owns almost half of the world’s firearms (Collier 81). Crime rates have declined from 1992 to 2012, despite the growth in gun ownership (Vizzard 891), resulting from the amount of people who can protect themselves. Even though military-style weapons are banned from civilian ownership by the Federal Assault Weapons Ban (1994-2004), criminals like the Connecticut shooter still find ways to possess these guns (Cooper 339). This is because most people who are not allowed to legally own a firearm purchase them off of the secondary market or from acquaintances (Vizzard 894). Examples of persons who cannot legally own firearms are felons, illegal aliens, people who have had a documented drug problem, or a documented mental illness. No matter how many laws, regulations, and acts that the government puts into effect citizens who bypass these laws will still commit these crimes. When criminals use a gun against innocent victims, victims need a way to protect