The outlawing of handguns in the United States is something that I feel very strongly about. Violence has always been a major problem in our country, and it seems that our society is allowing more and more violence to occur by making handguns so easily accessible. Have you looked around lately? It seems like in every city, small or large, there is a gun shop just a few blocks away. When I traveled to New York City, I was shocked to see that in certain areas, there was a gun shop within a mile of everywhere I went.

Even though these gun stores require a permit to purchase a gun, most cashiers can easily be bought or just need the business, so they will sell handguns illegally. Handguns get in the possession of people who should not be allowed to carry them. Just because a person has a clean record, it does not mean that he/she should be allowed a permit. There should be stricter requirements to get one.
Many people are murdered every year by the handguns that criminals who are not qualified to own handguns, carry around with them on a day-to-day basis. One reason for pride in the United States is our freedom and our ability to live in a safe environment. How safe are we when it seems like every reality show involving criminals shows them carrying a handgun of their own? Harvard recently reported on a study which reveals that States that have a higher amount of their citizens owning a handgun, have a higher amount of murders, including murders of children. In the states with the most guns, firearm homicides were 114% more. How does it make you feel to know that in the year 2004, for every 100,000 people in the United States, five would be murdered and from those five, four would be from a firearm? So in our town of Hays, Ks, which is around 20,000 people, those statistics say that one person will be murdered every year; I don’t know about you, but that is a scary thought to me.
Criminals and gang members resort to using their handguns to do these violent acts that occur every day in the United States. Shootings and robberies happen way too often, and hand guns just make it seem so convenient. All criminals have to do is to conceal a gun in their clothing and walk into a convenience store or gas station waiting for the right time. In most hold-ups there is a handgun involved.
A handgun is the perfect weapon for a criminal. They are small, easy to hide, and easy to use. By banning these guns, it would make it more difficult for criminals to carry handguns on them every day. It is all about convenience. A person would not carry a large weapon with them everywhere; there is always the risk of getting caught. Therefore, violent people would not instantly resort to pulling out a gun and shooting someone without even thinking about it. Many murders are based on decisions made instantaneously, when two people are involved in a fight and it escalates into someone pulling out a gun and shooting the other person.

With the ban of handguns The United States would be much safer. It would be nice to know that any random person you see walking the streets is not carrying a gun. If handguns became illegal and were confiscated by authorities, eventually handguns would be eliminated completely. People may still find a way to smuggle handguns into the country, but the price for them would increase and they would be much harder to purchase. Crime and mortality statistics are often used in the gun control debate. The number of murders committed annually with a firearm by people in the 14- to 24-year-old age group increased by 173% from 1985 to 1993, and then decreased by 47% from 1993 to 1999.

Those who believe in the right to own guns usually bring up the second amendment. It states that we have the right to bare arms. I believe that when the second amendment was created it was based on the fact that The U.S. was in a time of increased danger and violence. Then it was necessary to have firearms because there were military issue from which people needed a way to protect themselves. Now those reasons do not apply, and there is no reason for someone to carry or own a handgun. A long time ago calling the police was not a very reliable way to handle dangerous situations, but now the police system is more advanced and if someone is in need of protection he/she can just call them, and the authorities respond within minutes of the phone call.
Maybe outlawing hand guns would mean that people would not be able to protect themselves from criminals entering their houses. However, I believe that outlawing handguns means criminals would not have a handgun to use against those people, and maybe since they do not have a source of violence to use against innocent people, they would stop committing crimes all together. This is why I believe the outlawing of handguns needs to happen immediately, to make our country a safer and less violent place.