Pro Gun Control Arguments

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The Opposing Argument: More Guns and Less Regulation Typically, pro-gun advocates point to the 2nd Amendment in defense of individual gun ownership. The pro-gun position encompasses three principal arguments, with respect to the 2nd Amendment of the Constitution (“Background on gun control,” 2014). First, the right to bear firearms ensures that the people can fight back against a tyrannical government. Second, firearms are necessary for personal security and self-defense. And third, the removal of one constitutional right endangers all rights because it diminishes the sanctity of the Constitution. Pro-gun advocates deny any relationship between greater numbers of guns and increased gun violence in society (Hamblin, 2014). A favorite expression of pro-gun advocates is “guns don’t kill people, people kill people.” Pro-gun advocates argue that tougher gun control measures don’t reduce violence in society, but that easier access to, and increased private ownership of guns does (Keefe, 2012; Hamblin, 2014). Pro-gun advocates argue that tougher gun control measures won’t prevent criminals, mentally ill individuals, and terrorists from getting guns (Keefe 2012; …show more content…
The challenge America faces in solving its gun violence problem is massive. At present, there are more than 300 million guns in the U.S. alone – about one gun for every U.S. citizen (Kristof, 2018). According to data from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) compiled in 2011, the rate of gun ownership in the U.S. was an astonishing 88.0 guns per 100 people, by far the highest rate of gun ownership of any nation. Further, the same data showed that the U.S. had the highest rate of gun-related murders of any nation, averaging an appalling 4.0 gun-related murders per 100,000 people. Comparatively, in 2011, Canada, Australia, England, and Japan averaged 0.5, 0.1, 0.1, and 0.06 gun-related murders per 100,000 people, respectively (UNODC,