An Argumentative Essay about Gun Control

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Gun Control
After the Orlando shooting (mind you the 133rd mass shooting of 2016), President Obama said, “And we have to decide if that’s the kind of country we want to be. And to actively do nothing is a decision as well.” These words came from a man who had tried an uncountable amount of time to push for gun control in a country which has more than 50 mass shootings in a year. By this time according to Matthews (2016), Obama was already fed up and after giving many speeches after mass shootings, his became “a bit of a morbid ritual.” The country simply did not want to live without guns and coupled with the Congress’s unwillingness to pass any laws, Obama was indeed drained. The issue of guns in the United States has been one of the most contentious in the history of the country. This issue not only brings division among the public but also among the politicians. Two factions have come up and neither is ready to listen to the other nor give the other time to explain themselves. Whether one is pro-gun or pro-gun control, the truth is people are dying and something needs to be done. However, the truth is with less strict gun laws, more people are able to acquire guns and some people’s intentions are evil. Therefore, it makes sense to enlist more laws which will make it harder for people to own guns. The country’s position as a leader will not only be enhanced but also the rampant mass shootings as well as deaths of civilians will reduce.
The US is indeed the superpower of the world and it is no secret that its voice echoes around the world. However, the internal squabbles have dragged the country’s name to the dogs. The issue of guns has indeed divided the country into two halves and neither is willing to listen or even engage the other party. Currently, everyone is focused on pressing on with their agenda and no one has stopped to ask or even involve the other in a discussion with the aim of finding a solution. The truth is, the country’s “gun problem is so much bigger than mass shootings” (The Guardian, 2016). Mass shootings have indeed become rampant in the last few years. However, the problem is not about who owns the guns or who can or cannot acquire a gun but that people have refused to listen or constructively engage one another. In 1996, a man entered a café and opened fire killing 35 people and injuring 19 others. Immediately after this happened the president of Australia pushed for some critical changes to gun laws and since then, Australia has never had any other “large-causality mass shooting” (The Guardian, 2016). This incident united the country and almost everyone wanted to see a change in the gun laws. However, despite the US having its presence felt in all other aspects of the world, the country has failed to forge or find common ground in the issue of guns. As Toobin (2016) states, however, “the problem is not constitutional law but political will.” The country simply refuses to seek for stricter gun laws and the politicians seem comfortable with the status quo. Australia experienced almost immediate change and the mass killings stopped. While Australia’s ...