About Gun Control Law Should Be More Strict In US

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Does the US Need Tougher Gun Control Laws?
Research indicates that on average, the U.S. has 88.8 guns per 100 people. This number is indeed staggering taking into consideration that these firearms are in the hands of civilians. According to procon.org, men make up almost 35% of the people who own one or more guns while women are a meagre 12%. People against gun control laws often cite self-defense reasons, but with issues such as misuse of firearms and gun-related crimes increasing at an alarming rate, the need for more strict gun controls becomes imminent. Every year, about 33,000 civilians are killed as a result of gun violence while another 33,000 are injured (Carter). Given the incidences such as crime and fatalities, there is indeed need to review the existing gun-related laws, and a move to adopt mechanisms to help regulate the use of weapons. According to the Second Constitutional Amendment, civilians have a right to have and own firearms. However, it is essential to acknowledge when people supposedly use their ‘rights’ to infringe on other people’s rights. Conversely, while everyone could be focused on pressurizing the government to enact stricter gun laws, it is also essential to acknowledge the fact that there is a significant majority that honors the existing ones. I disagree with the notion of enacting stricter gun control laws because people feel safer with guns in their homes, having a gun is an individual right, the notion that tougher gun control laws will reduce violence is flawed, and finally, law-abiding citizens will also be stripped their right to own guns in the process. By elucidating on the above points, this article will address and refute the need for tougher gun control laws in the U.S.
According to PewResearchCenter (2013), “the vast majority of gun owners say that a gun makes them feel safer.” PewResearchCenter continues to state that 48% of gun owners have guns solely for protection purposes while only 32% say they need guns for hunting. McCarthy (2014) statement coincides with the above research but he goes on to add that back in 2000, the percentage of people who felt safe with guns was lower. While it might like all talk and no substance, a look at the 2012 Aurora shooting seems to suggest otherwise. According to Lott (2012), the shooter’s choice of theater was no coincidence. “Out of all the movie theaters within 20 minutes of his apartment showing the new Batman movie that night, it was the only one where guns were banned” (Lott, 2012). While the above does not mean that an armed person could have stopped the shooter, it goes a long way to suggest that criminals also consider their target carefully, and it is very unlikely that they would strike where the target might present some sort of resistance. The opinions of Democrats and Republicans differ on this issue with only 41% of the former and 81% of the latter sharing the aforementioned sentiments (McCarthy, 2014). In 2013, the FBI reported that violent and property crimes have decreased but people still felt the need to have guns in their homes back then. However, three years later, Sanburn and Johnson (2017) from the Time reported that violent c...