Gun violence: a colossal problem requiring action
It is estimated that over 13,000 people were killed and 26,000 were injured in the United States in 2015 due to gun violence. Gun violence is becoming a colossal problem in America and across the globe and many United States government officials are debating about guns and gun violence.
According to statistics, the United States has the highest rate of gun violence among all developed countries. With such a colossal problem, should guns stay in the hands of citizens or should the government repeal the Second Amendment, which is the right to bear arms?
I believe in a middle ground. I believe that the citizens of the United States should have the right to access or bear arms, but I also think that it is not safe for every single citizen to be allowed to have a gun because of the frequent mass shootings that have occurred recently. I think that when people apply for a gun license, they should be background checked more thoroughly and tested for any possible mental health issues or connections to other people that can abuse guns. After all, gun violence has been increasing rapidly along with the mental health illness rate in America.
…the United States has the highest rate of gun violence among all developed countries.
Guns are also falling into the hands of people whose gun license applications were denied. I think that this is happening because people are selling guns to people illegally for higher prices. The recent mass shooting in Sutherland Springs, Texas, which holds the record of largest mass shooting in Texas, was performed by a man who was denied gun access, but was armed anyway. He also had a connection to a woman in the church. This means that people that apply for a gun license should also be checked for a history of domestic violence.
Many mass shootings that occur are carried out with very powerful weapons that shoot multiple bullets per second, which increases the death rate. I think that people who do have a gun license should not be allowed to have powerful or military-grade guns. I think there should be a law passed that gun owners are only allowed to have a small handgun for protection or a hunting rifle. This law would have an exception for law enforcement and active members of the military.
With our colossal gun-violence issue, the United States should try to prevent future incidents by rewriting our gun laws.
FACTS: 43% of United States civilians own guns, and around 300 million guns are owned in the US. On average, a gun-carrying American citizen owns 8 firearms.
Sources: gunviolencearchive.org | “Texas Church Shooting” from NBC News
Collin keeney • Dec 21, 2018 at 10:25 am
Ok so people think that the gun is the problem? No the gun would never go off and the bullet would not fire if someone didn’t touch the gun. Guns where created for hunting so people could get food easily and not have to use traps and bows. Then when it was made people started using it to kill others and it got out of control. The gun is doing what it was made to do and the person pulling the trigger is the killer not the gun. It’s like when dinamite was made the man that made it made it for mining and to make things easier. Then we put it into bombs to kill and not to help. It’s like saying that 9/11 happened because of the plane. No it happened because some people hijacked the planes and crashed them into the pentagon and the twin towers. The plane was doing its job and the people flighting the planes where the ones that did it not the planes. The person behind the gun did it not the gun.
cat • Oct 10, 2021 at 2:41 pm
This is why we need stricter gun regulations. It’s not the guns fault, it’s the people. That is why this article talks about better regulations, so that the people who abuse this power will be arrested and America will be safer.
. • Mar 2, 2018 at 1:15 pm
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Somone you don't know • Jan 18, 2018 at 9:43 am
Did you know that the Nazis and the soviet union took away guns? The main reason of the second admendment is so that if there is a military take over the people will have the means of defending. Aso what is there is a whole gang trying t rob your house? That will you do? Will a hole gang be scared of a little hand gun? If they see AR15 or a Ak11 or a AK12 or any gun like that they will run.
Pierre Gehlhar • Jan 2, 2018 at 12:32 pm
300 Million gun and over a trillion rounds of ammunition, if we had a real problem we would know it. Also yes, the US has the highest rate of gun violence in the world, but if we exclude Chicago, Washington DC, Las Vegas and Las Angeles (The only cities with a total gun ban in effect.) the US is suddenly the 4th lowest is gun violence. The gun used in the Texas church shooting was an AR15 the gun used to stop that gun man was an AR15, it is not the gun but the person using it. The shooter was also dishonorable discharged from the military and never put on his record, if the military would have put that on the gunman’s record he wouldn’t have been able to get that gun. It is not the gun, it is the person.
Brady C • Dec 7, 2017 at 3:54 pm
Yes, I agree with what in my bowl said. Saying that guns do the violence and not people is like saying that the planes did 9/11 and not the terrorist. For those of you who think it is a good idea to repeal the 2nd amendment. Just know that our founding fathers who wrote the bill of rights were not stupid, and that they actually knew what they were writhing.
In my bowl • Dec 6, 2017 at 2:39 pm
Technically guns aren’t the problem, people are. If we didn’t have guns we’d just use knifes.
Somone you don't know • Dec 12, 2017 at 8:31 am
I agree the gun is not the killer the human is. Also no matter what the government might do to take away guns, terrorists will always find a way to get their hands on them. Let’s say that they do take away all guns from innocents and terrorists, what will they be doing running around with 12″ Knifes!? This is where I stand and any human with common sense stands. But when we live in a world where most people are liberals, it might one day be a possibility that one day there will be terrorists running around with 12″ knives.
Pierre Gehlhar • Jan 2, 2018 at 12:36 pm
The terrorists and criminals can always get guns, the only way to help this growing problem is to have most law-abiding people using guns properly.