Without a doubt, gun control and the respective regulations regarding the topic belong to one of the most controversial and the most spoken topic in the current affairs of the United States. Both, politicians and citizens have different views on how to deal with the problem, too, given the fact that more and more citizens die because the gun happens in the wrong hands. While looking back in the history of the country for the two previous years, one can clearly note that too many deaths occurred because of gun ownership. That is why it is critical to understand both sides of the problem and then decide on how to deal further wit the issue. Therefore, should the United States ban gun ownership at all to prevent unneeded deaths from happening, or should the country keep moving in the usual direction? Both sides of the issue would be provided below.
While analyzing both strengths and weaknesses of gun control from the perspective of both opponents and proponents, it shall be mentioned that both sides present solid argumentation that can yet be perceived as controversial. In particular, those who are in favor of the strengthening of gun control regulations refer to such facts as “With 5 percent of the world’s population, the United States has 50 percent of the guns.” (Zakaria, 2012). That number is certainly way too high, and in the context of the global spread of terrorism and other security threats, the issue of owning guns can then be placed on the top again. That is why, one can certainly reassure that those who refer to the number of the population and compare it with the number of people who own guns certainly have a right point, for which they should be given credit.
While looking back in history, it is clear that gun possession has also been a known factor of the US history for a very long time. The country was large, and guns would help people to survive in the difficult circumstances and facilitate facing challenges. Furthermore, the United States had a regulated legislative basis for the adoption of the gun control laws that were not really strict while comparing to the legislation of other countries around the world that would usually take a stricter approach to gun control. That was another reason why gun ownership found its proponents in the country, too. Besides that, a political talkings was chosen by each of the dominant political parties in the US also makes a solid contribution to the debate, given that the politicians take the question of gun ownership to gain the electorate, too. For instance, if you have followed the last Presidential debate, you could see that both Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump were asked the question on their positions on gun ownership, too. That is because the question is really striking in the current settings, when the United States faced some critical moments in the country while yet having a strong gun lobbying, too. That is why it was rather difficult for both candidates to state their positions on that issue, but they managed rather well.
Another argument supported by those who are in favor of stricter regulations is the fact that the US “has the highest rate of homicides among advanced countries” (Farley, 2012). Yet, it is important to understand that those who support the gun ownership refer to the fact that homicides do not necessarily understand the correlation between homicides with the gun ownership. What’s more, the purpose of gun ownership cane also is referred for protective measures of individuals who may suffer from danger. It is critically important, too as it shows that the country does not manage to handle gun ownership in a respective manner, too. That is why those people insist on the stricter regulations, too. While referring to the arguments by those who were in favor of a stricter regulations, it is clear that those who are in favor of gun control really understand the threats and the risks related to gun ownership. Also, we’ve seen that politicians are also expected to have a strong opinion on gun control and gun ownership, as the issue became really sensitive in the recent years.
The debate on the gun control and gun ownership is rather difficult to resolve. There are different positions of proponents, but it is no less important to understand those who still want to see gun ownership in the country. In particular, what they state is that gun ownership is useful for many families in the United States, and historically they were used for owning guns to help them out. Hunting is another important reason why people need guns and use them a lot. Thus, they should be given credit for their position, too. What is, however, important to understand is the fact that there is a heavy lobby of gun ownership organizations which do not want to see the gun control in the United States, as it would negatively reflect on their incomes. Thus, one should be really critical and aware of the heavy lobbying , too.
As mentioned above, there is a clearly existing issue related to gun ownership, as the level of unneeded deaths highly increases. Thus, the being aware and alert of all sides of the potential implications is critically important to understand, too.
Let’s look at the potential solutions. One of the ways to tackle the problem would be political. As the United States faces the upcoming elections rather soon, both candidates should and could contribute significantly to resolving the issue of gun control. Probably, the position of the Democrats would encourage a stricter control of gun ownership whereas the Republicans would have a much milder position on resolving the issue. Thus, both sides would make their proposals as Presidents. However the ultimate decision on gun control will have to go through the voting in the House of Commons before it gets implemented. That is why, I would presume that there is a need for a deep analysis and thorough research on the given topic, as well as politicians will have to listen to the opinions of the US even better to find the most balanced solution possible. On the contrary, the proponents of gun ownership are expected to find alternative arguments to prove that the fact of gun ownership does not necessarily correlate with the numerous instances of shootings that occurred in the recent months and years. Therefore, there is still a long way for gun control issue to be resolved on the political, legislative and people-to-people level, as well as there is a need for the measures that would be imposed in the balanced and a respective manner.
Personally, I believe that in the light of the massive shootings, proponents of stricter legislation will have a significantly higher chance to push their agenda on the legislative level. Yet, given the fact that the United States is a democratic country, there is a strong need to listed to the positions of all people, even if their positions would be different. Thus, the ultimate solution to the problem will arise after a long and thorough work on different levels.
- Henderson, Harry. Gun Control. New York: Facts On File, 2000. Print.
- Roleff, Tamara L. Gun Control. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2007. Print.
- Farley, R. (2016). Gun Rhetoric vs. Gun Facts. Factcheck.org.
Retrieved 7 July 2016, from http://www.factcheck.org/2012/12/gun-rhetoric-vs-gun-facts/ - Zakaria, F. (2016). Fareed Zakaria: The solution to gun violence is clear. Washington Post.
Retrieved 7 July 2016, from https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/fareed-zakaria-the-solution-to-gun-violence-is-clear/2012/12/19/110a6f82-4a15-11e2-b6f0-e851e741d196_story.html
