Composition II Essay 2 Gun Control in America

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Gun Control in America
INTRODUCTION
Gun problem has been identified as a significant societal issue plaguing the United States Citizens in almost all areas of their lives. Many people have attributed the problem to be as a result of the second amendment of the US constitution, which accorded the citizens the right to bear arms for security purposes. However, leniency in gun issuance procedures and lack of adequate regulations on gun ownership have seen the problem get out of control, leading to rising cases of fatalities from gun-related incidences. Civilians who may not be in the right states of mind can purchase guns not only through the black market but also from the regular ammunition stores in the cities which have not instigated proper checks for all individuals who require weapons from their stores. Gun violence incidences as witnessed by the increasing cases in school shooting across the United States have necessitated the continued debate on the contentious issue of gun control. Critiques are opposing gun control highlight that such policies would contribute to rising crime cases all over the US and the reestablishment of gangs in the various states. Nonetheless, I solidly advocate for the enactment of strict regulations and policies that would check the gun problem and bring back sanctity in law enforcement.
The lack of effective policies and regulations regarding the ownership of firearms in the US has contributed significantly to the gun problem and other issues such as gun violence. The 2nd amendment was ideally supposed to enable individuals to protect themselves from all possible security threats before the law enforcement agencies (Pless, 146). For example, people could be able to defend themselves and scare away burglars from their homes or shoot wild animals that attack their homesteads. Additionally, the 2nd amendment provides all citizens with the opportunity to oppose tyranny because individuals are well armed to resist dictatorship attempts by the government.
However, despite the benefits mentioned above, the 2nd amendment was not thoroughly thought through because it did not stipulate any regulations that would ensure that firearm ownership was only restricted to trained and eligible individuals. As a result, statistics indicate that five in every six homesteads in the US have access to at least one firearm (Pless, 146). These weapons are often not adequately secured, and therefore, they are easily accessible to all individuals in the house including the children. The result of the laxity in the safe storage of firearms has contributed to the deadly school shootings witnessed over the recent past across the US. Reports indicate that in 2018, there have been over 23 school shootings which is an average of about one shot a week (Staines, 20).
Additionally, mass shootings involving individuals going through life crisis such as depression in public places have also been on the rise. Studies reveal that purchasing a gun in the US is very easy (Staines, 17). The black market and platforms such as Craigslist provide a ready market for all kinds of firearms (Gius, 498). Leniency in gun ownership procedures witnessed from the ammunition stores has also contributed ...