Argumentative Essay On Gun Control

Words: 446
Pages: 2

In 1996, Australia outlawed automatic rifles, self-loading rifles, shotguns, and passed stricter licensing and registration requirements due to a mass shooting that resulted in 35 deaths. Since then, homicide by a firearm plummeted by 59% from 1996 to 2006, and there has been no mass murders by a firearm. How many more mass shootings have to occur for congress to realize that the U.S. needs stricter gun control policies? Sandy hook in 2012, 27 dead, 20 of them being children, Orlando Florida, in 2016, 49 dead, Las Vegas, 2017, 58 killed, San Bernardino in 2016, 14 dead. That’s 148 people who lost their life due to a firearm that is easily accessed to the American people for “self-defense”. Is a handgun not enough for self-defense? Do the American people really need an automatic assault rifle with 30 rounds of ammunition? Considering the history of gun violence in the us, it is only most sensible to prohibit the possession of large-capacity ammunition magazines and require background checks to reduce the amount of criminals obtaining weapons, mass shootings to occur, and gun violence in the us. …show more content…
Though according to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, & Firearms, stolen firearms only make up for 10 to 15% of crimes. In fact, the ATF reports most criminals obtain weapons through “straw purchases”. The act of having somebody with identification purchase a gun for somebody who can’t themselves, sometimes even for adolescents. Straw purchases are illegal but still happen very often. Another source for criminals to obtain a gun is through a legal firearms organization known as the Federal Firearm License (FFL), also known to be very corrupt and trade/ sell weapons with criminals. Just by enforcing a simple background check or even prohibiting large capacity ammunition magazines, criminals will be much less likely to obtain a