Why Do Gun Control Laws Affect Minors?

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The majority of firearms are carried by average civilians rather than police. Too many children die in a year that have easy access to guns. Some people believe that gun laws should absolutely forbid access to firearms for minors. At the same time, many parents are arguing that they should have the ability to raise their children around guns for recreational activities. The controversy is whether or not raising kids around guns has a negative affect on their morality. The more minors that have access to guns, the more likely they are to obtain them. There has to be a way for them to be more restricted. The concern is that stricter restrictions are affecting minors participating in recreational activities. For example, a thirteen year old boy …show more content…
Guns can not only be used to harm others, but they can be used to harm yourself. “Many children were killed due to improper storage and the easy accessibility of guns” (Seyoum). When guns are stored safely enough, many children use them for suicide. It is important to keep guns safely stored for the safety of others or themselves. Law enforcement has come up with ways on how to make sure that guns are safely stored away. “Child- access prevention laws allow prosecutors to bring charges against adults who intentionally or carelessly allow children to have unsupervised access to firearms” (Morral). This law will get an adult in trouble that has allowed a minor to get ahold of their gun. This law will tremendously decrease early access to guns. Conversely, with stricter gun laws, the community is worried that there will be too much control. There is an argument on why stricter gun laws are not needed, so you can have free access. “A large majority of citizens believe they should have the right to own weapons to protect themselves and for recreational activities such as hunting” (Seyoum). Citizens want to be able to have a gun for their hobbies or …show more content…
Their argument is that the gun itself does not do the killing, but the person behind it does. On the other hand, the civilians who want more gun laws do not agree with that saying. “Some people wrongly believe that allowing more people to have guns will reduce crime and violence” (O’Neill 25). Pro-gun civilians believe that letting you own guns will reduce crime. It brings more if not taught the proper usage. It is up to the government to make the changes. “State legislatures, both Republican and Democratic- controlled, passed 16 government control laws in the past year” (Kramer and Harran). They came together and are making a change in the rules. Hopefully, it will reduce the violence committed with firearms. Although they passed those laws, they should also make a law directed towards minors. “Federal law should mandate that no one under the age of twenty-one can own a gun” (O’Neill 59). This means that minors can not legally have a gun registered in their name. This law may change everyday life drastically. Children should not have access to guns. Not only is it a danger to themselves, but it is a danger to