The Myth of Gun Control in Crime Prevention
The Myth of Gun Control in Crime Prevention
America has a long tradition of gun ownership and for many Americans it is a fundamental part of life. The right to keep and bear arms is guaranteed by the Second Amendment to the Constitution. However, in recent years, there were many controversial discussions about the Second Amendment because there were a high number of gun-related deaths, wounding, accidents, and suicides in the US. School shootings and massacres shocked the whole country. Now more and more people ask themselves how such incidents could be prevented and if stricter gun control laws might reduce violent crime.
There are different opinions about the Second Amendment. The pro-gun lobby, and especially the National Rifle Association (NRA), thinks that gun control should be opposed because it would harm the Constitution and a fundamental right of the individual: the right to keep and bear arms. This right is guaranteed by the Second Amendment and therefore they are of the opinion that restricting this Amendment would mean that the door is open to restrict others. Advocates of gun control think that, in the 21st century, the Second Amendment is not appropriate anymore and that the individual simply does not need the gun the way he needed it three hundred years ago. They also say that guns are not only used for self-protection, but they are often used to kill people, especially young people.
In 1996, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention found out that 50 people die violently in American schools every year, and today the number is probably higher. It cannot be denied that guns are often a big danger. One of the numerous examples for that is the shooting at the Columbine High School in Littleton, and that is only one of the many appalling incidents that happened in recent years. Such incidents also show that guns are often too easily accessible for children and teenagers. The gun sellers are not the only ones to blame. In most households guns are not locked away properly and children can get them easily. Stricter gun control laws or the outlawing of private gun ownership would reduce the number of firearms in American households, and therefore it would reduce the number of gun-related deaths.
The government and the lawmakers have realized the problem of growing gun violence and they do not ignore the problem. Some...