The Issue Of Gun Control - 1870 Words

The Second Amendment to the United States Constitution states: 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. (1) Gun control is not one issue, but many. To some people gun control is a crime issue, to others it is a rights issue. Gun control is a safety issue, an education issue, a racial issue, and a political issue, among others. Within each of these issues there are those who want more gun control legislation and those who want less. On both sides of this issue opinions range from moderate to extreme. Guns are not for everyone. Certain individuals cannot handle a firearm safely, and some individuals choose to use firearms†¦show more content†¦People should also be aware that most gun-related deaths are suicides, and not murders. There are twice as many suicides in the U.S. by guns as there are homicides. (4) A 1998 review found that suicide rates generally declined after gu n control laws were enacted, and concluded that The findings support gun control measures as a strategy for reducing suicide rates. (9) Every day in the U.S., an average of 289 people are shot. Eighty-six of them die: 30 are murdered, 53 kill themselves, two die accidentally, and one is shot in a police intervention, the Brady Campaign reports. (2) There are many negative elements to this problem and people are being killed everyday from guns, whether it’s caused by other people or people themselves. The American people want an answer to what to do next. People all over the U.S. are being affected by this problem. All the families that have lost someone in any of the mass shootings are being affected by this problem. Kids are being affected by this problem, 82 children under five years old died from firearms in 2010 compared with 58 law enforcement officers killed by firearms in the line of duty (sources: CDF, CDC, FBI). (4) More kids ages 0-19 died from firearms every three days in 2010 than died in the 2012 Newtown, Conn., massacre (source:CDF, CDC). (4) Nearly three times more kids (15,576) were injured by firearms in 2010 than the