Should the Government Control Firearms?

Should the Government Control Firearms?
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Introduction
Between 2007 and 2011, more than forty six thousand Americans succumbed to murders perpetrated through gun related violence. These statistics translate to about 25 murders every day (Spall & Sloan, 2013). The United States has the highest prevalence of gun ownership and gun related deaths in the world. Other statistics also indicate that there are eighty eight guns for every one hundred Americans (Sager, 2012). Gun control is a very contentious topic and both sides of the debate are worthy of intuitive and realistic exploration. Pro and anti-gun control sympathizers tender valid concerns and beliefs. It is however very important that one exercises good judgment to reach an amicable compromise on which side of the debate to support for the greater good of the public. In my view, allowing unlimited access to guns is the most viable compromise because it affords citizens the opportunity for self-defense should a threat to their safety surface.
Pros and cons of gun control
Pros of gun control
Gun control advocates indicate that restricting access to guns inhibits people from committing crimes such as mass shootings. They espouse that some countries like Japan and England have low rates of mass shootings because citizens in those places have limited access to guns and ammunition. This is not the case in America where people have unlimited access to guns and ammunition. Gun control advocates cite that guns are unsafe particularly when they are accidentally placed in the reach of children or held by reckless and inexperienced adults. They also indicate that it is important to limit access to guns because even when mandatory waiting times and screening is invoked, many people still buy and use them to commit crime. They also indicate that types of guns such as semiautomatic firearms should be reserved for military personnel. Mass shooters use such artillery to commit massive killings such as the Sandy Hook mass shooting that occurred in an elementary school (Bennet, 2012).
Cons of gun control
Anti -gun control advocates indicate that possessing a gun gives one the advantage of taking out a mass killer before he causes too many fatalities. For instance, in a shooting incident in New Life Church in Colorado, a volunteer security guard who was formerly a police officer shot and injured an attacker before he could kill more than the two girls he had already killed at the church (Bennet, 2012). They also indicate that access to guns allow for self-defense because even if gun ownership was outlawed criminals would still find means to access guns and execute planned killings. They indicate that disarming citizens is risky because it exposes the citizenry to gun toting criminals. They also indicate that restricting gun ownership does little to avert criminal behavior which is perpetrated through socialization. They...