Pro. Gun Control

Lashea Williams

11/6/05

In some ways, gun control isn't as irrational as it may seem. Even though it is said to violate the people's second amendments right, which says, "A regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to bear arms shall not e infringed", some people just aren't capable of holding a gun and knowing exactly how to properly utilize it. Despite that fact, people still have he ability to walk to the local seller and purchase a gun anyway. Also, guns are just a quicker, easier way to kill someone and people should not have that option.

The main problem with guns is that they kill. Approximately 60 percent of all murder victims in the United States in 1989 (about 12,000 people) were killed with firearms. According to estimates, firearm attacks injured another 70,000 victims, some of whom were left permanently disabled. In 1985 the latest year for which data are available, the cost of shootings--either by others, through self-inflicted wounds, or in accidents--was estimated to be more than $14 billion nationwide for medical care, long-term disability, and premature death. (Source:1996 N.Y. Times News Service) The number of gun victims has increased since 1989 to 15,456 gun homicides in 1994. (Source: FBI UCR report.) In a robbery, the defender is, unfortunately more likely to be injured or even killed if the offender has a gun, regardless if the defender has one or not.

The public is confused on their own conduct with guns and how dangerous they really are. Evidently , there are different types of gun murders that can be committed. There is first degree, unlawful killing that is both willful and premeditated, in which case the gun just makes it easier, but the killer probably would have killed anyway, given that he had time to premeditate. But after that, there is murder in course of other crime, manslaughter murders occur in the heat of passion, and criminal negligence. But even though these are murders usually committed by guns, there are the non-lethal injuries from firearms as well. These non-lethal injuries have actually been going down recently, which makes people believe that they are becoming more responsible with guns. But the decrease is not because the number of shootings are going down; but rather that emergency room doctors and technology are getting better equipped to deal with gunshot victims.