Research Paper

Jesse George

Professor Palz

English I

March 31, 2019

Protecting A Nation’s Right’s

“In the years from 1999 to 2013, homicides, bicycle accidents, firearm accidents, falls ,and swimming pool drownings accounted for 31,827 of the total 32,464 reported deaths, while deaths in school shootings numbered 154, or fewer than 0.5%, according to James Alan Fox, a professor of criminology, law and public policy at Northeastern University”(Toppo).

Firearms are a divisive subject, and gun laws and gun control are two of the most controversial aspects of firearms. From politicians to the civilians, this is a topic whose flame will not burn out for quite some time. As any other debate, there are people whose beliefs lay on one side or the other.  It is also possible to be in favor of most freedoms involving gun rights while still believing that certain laws, rules, and regulations could be implemented to avoid firearms getting in the hands of those who wish to do violence or harm with them. “Throughout this process of federal gun control legislation starting and stalling, states have continued to have their own battles, at a seemingly much faster pace. Despite the countless gun tragedies that have marred this country, federal gun control continues to move slowly, as it struggles against party divides and the second amendment itself” (Gruskin). While the second amendment is without question in our constitution and having the ability to possess a firearm is a constitutional right, there are some who argue that the number of gun sales directly correlates to crimes or gun involved tragedies. The people who are against these gun laws and want more gun control make a valid point and have a reason to believe in more gun control. They may not know all the laws, rules, and procedures that are involved in legally obtaining a firearm. While every state has different laws of what specifications and individual can have within each state, every firearm purchase process is the same. One must apply to get the firearm, get a background check, the background check comes back, and be either accepted or denied.

A concealed carry permit has even more things to go through including fingerprints and background check. However, since firearms have been invented there has always been a way to get them illegally, and it will continue. More laws and control may help the situation; however, they will not take all firearms off the streets and completely remove them from society. Think about all the people who illegally buy a gun off the street, not registered or having any legal documentation. That will still occur for the remainder of firearms existence. Just like anything else on the black market, it could be harder to get but not impossible. “As it sits in the current day the number of firearm sales has dropped from a high of 78 percent in the 1990s to 44 percent in 2009 (Shipley).”

It is illegal to possess a gun in Colorado if any of the following apply to said individual: illegal aliens; • unlawful users of certain controlled substances; • those adjudicated as mental defectives or incompetents or those committed to any mental institution; • those dishonorably discharged from the armed forces; • any person subject to a court order restraining that person from harassing, stalking, or threatening an intimate partner; and • those convicted in any court of a misdemeanor or felony crime of domestic violence hose convicted of (or under indictment for) crimes punishable by a term of imprisonment of more than one year, except state misdemeanors punishable by two years or less; • fugitives from justice; • United States citizens who have renounced their citizenship. Explained by Jessica Shirley.

It is not as simple as turn eighteen years of age and can walk into the store and buy any type of firearm. There are already many rules and laws to control who is even eligible to apply for a firearm.

Now on the other side of the spectrum, there are people who believe that gun laws and control are fine just the way they are and shouldn’t be any harder to get a firearm than it already is. While some think they are bad and cause nothing but harm the people on this side of the debate make an argument that a firearm is a tool to be used properly and safely to provide safety for themselves and or their families. They view firearms as a way to protect themselves from burglary, robbery, rape, and other tragic events that are possibilities on this earth. Referring to the last paragraph, if you were to get robbed and the person robbing you illegally got a pistol from the black market on the streets and broke into your home wouldn’t it only be fair to “fight fire with fire.” Make it an even stand for the victim against the invader or threat. This view has people worried about their safety being taken away from them by laws or control that is taking the protection from those who are a responsible and safe gun owner. If they did nothing wrong, why should they lose permission to obtain firearms? They already had to go through the process to obtain it and had nothing on their record that prohibits them from owning a firearm.

While school shootings and gun-related violence is a terrible thing that we live with today on this earth. “Of the 31,672 deaths in 2010 by firearms, 11,078 (35%) were homicides; 19,392(61%) were suicides; and 1,202 (4%) were accidents, the result of legal intervention (e.g., a death in the course of an arrest), or deaths of undetermined intent (National Center for Injury Prevention and Control). Across all age groups, firearm suicide and homicide are the fourth and fifth leading causes of injury-related death in the United States”(Gold 4). I am not sure that there is a way to completely prevent any of this from happening. While more laws and more harsh control would certainly help it will not keep the trigger off the finger of those who really want one or want to create mass havoc and terror. These people will do whatever it takes to carry out their “mission.” While these missions are self-made there is no one that can tell them they can not do it. Look at the shooting in New Zealand here recently. Even if firearms were banned and illegal that individual would have done whatever it took to cause pain and terror to the Muslims on that day. It is not preventable by something written on a piece of paper. Like any other law or rule in our constitution, they are bound to be broken. Firearms in the correct hands can be used for good, to stop evil, protect one or one’s family, or eliminate a threat. Firearms in the wrong hands cause pain, death, destruction, crimes, terror, and other negative things. Taking firearms from the responsible people would be wrong however it would not be fair to solely take to one side without acknowledging the other.

In addition,  all these facts a common misperception is that it is also related to mental illness and mental troubles. “People with serious mental illness are rarely violent. Only 3%–5% of all violence, including but not limited to firearm violence, is attributable to serious mental illness. The large majority of gun violence toward others is not caused by mental illness (Gold)”.
Gun violence is gun violence and no matter what the rules say there will be those who break the rules. As some say rules are put in place to be broken. Not everyone complies. How would they put a law into effect to take guns from civilians?

The best path lies somewhere in the middle.  The second amendment has a great value and needs to be preserved and respected, however certain fail-safes could be set in place or administered to limit and make the access of firearms a little more in depth. Firearms are a source of protection from evil. Without access to firearms and defense evil has the upper hand potentially making a victim. Limiting where one may carry a firearm, what type of firearm and specifications one is allowed to have would be a great starting place. Followed by more control and protection in place for these unfortunate instances. Armed guards at schools to protect students from potential threats. This type of task is not just as simple as making a few rules and laws about it, put them into effect and call it a day. This is an extremely complex process that is only complicated by the subject itself.

Works Cited

Gold, Liza H., and Robert I. Simon. Gun Violence and Mental Illness. Vol. First edition,     

American Psychiatric Publishing, 2016. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=sso&db=nlebk&AN=1610193&site=eds-live&scope=site.

Gruskin, Adena. “Does Tragedy Prompt Change? A Look at Gun Control in the Aftermath of

Mass Shootings.” DttP: A Quarterly Journal of Government Information Practice & Perspective, vol. 42, no. 4, Winter 2014, pp. 18–21. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=sso&db=lih&AN=103544166&site=eds-live&scope=site.

MONTGOMERY, BEN, et al. “The Gun Divide.” Time International (Atlantic Edition), vol.

192, no. 2, July 2018, pp. 32–37. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=sso&db=bth&AN=133085606&site=eds-live&scope=site.

Shipley, Jessika. Colorado Gun Laws. [Electronic Resource]. Colorado Legislative Council,

2009. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=sso&db=cat03772a&AN=cmc.b35083542&site=eds-live&scope=site

Greg Toppo, and USA TODAY. “‘Generation Columbine’ Knows No Other World.” USA.        Today. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=sso&db=f5h&AN=J0E173670720418&site=eds-live&scope=site. Accessed 7 Apr. 2019