Gun control in America is as controversial as anything else. It’s one of the most talked about topics right now, and has many different points of view. Gun control laws shouldn’t be enforced upon American people. Buying a gun isn’t as simple as pro-gun control supporters believe it to be. I’ve been with both of my parents on multiple occasions as they purchased firearms; each time was relatively the same. We would walk into the store, look through the glass counters and along the walls viewing gun after gun, each with a different style. Finally, one of my parents would pick a gun, hold it, touch it, and ask for the price, all while the clerk would watch. Then when they found a gun they liked, they would begin the purchasing process, the clerk would take their drivers license and their licenses to carry, then he would call for a background check as we waited. Due to my parents both being Police Officers, their files were faxed over to the store within ten minutes. After the background check came back cleared, we would pay for the item and leave. This sounds like a normal shopping trip just with extra precaution for the buyer, ideally every law-abiding citizen should have a normal experience when buying a firearm much similar to the scenario I previously mentioned; this is a good medium. However, imagine a criminal coming in trying to buy a firearm, he walks in slowly he’s probably smiling trying to pull off his act of being an average individual, he asks the clerk to see a gun and the clerk hands it to him; unloaded of course. He wants to purchase the firearm and takes out his ID, he gives it to the clerk and when his background check is made, they find out that he’s wanted in three states for the murders of five people. The clerk doesn’t come back out, he just locks the store and calls the police, the criminal is caught unsuspectingly. Most people who go to buy guns don’t realize right away that they’re getting a background check which is why it can blindside criminals and help identify people immediately.

         The key problem with gun control is that it isn’t effective. Some people believe that removing guns from the world would be an effective solution to the problems that guns can potentially cause. James Wilson of the Los Angeles Times says, “there is no way to extinguish this supply of guns. It would be constitutionally suspect and politically impossible to confiscate hundreds of millions of weapons” (Wilson). This would only cause an uproar if guns were ever to be confiscated from the people of America. The impotent and irrational beliefs that the world would change for the better without guns is hard to even imagine because most likely it will never happen. In fact, William Bennet states in his article, “every public shooting since 1950 in the U.S. in which more than three people have been killed has taken place where citizens are not allowed to carry guns. The massacres at Sandy Hook Elementary, Columbine, Virginia Tech and the Century 16 movie theater in Aurora, Colorado, all took place in gun-free zones” (The Case for Gun Rights Is Stronger than You Think). This already shows that when people have their rights taken away bad things happen, because criminals will always find a way to undermine the security of a law-abiding citizen. Over time we can gradually see that in microscale situations of people not having guns, that bad things will most likely happen. Yes, I know that most of the shootings you hear about on the news today have nothing to do with people properly using the second amendment however people fail to keep in mind that the news is used to broadcast importance of topics such as: Injustice. So showing the improper usage of the Second Amendment fits into the same category. Imagine if the news reported every time someone used his or her gun for the right reason; the list would continue on forever.

Having a gun gives you peace of mind; it makes you feel as though you have nothing to worry about. The Crime Prevention Research Center said, “42% of Americans would feel safer with a gun in the house, while 20% would feel less safe” (Do People Feel Safer If They Own Guns in the Home?). More people feel safe with a weapon inside the household versus the opposing side which doesn’t. However, we should keep in mind that Gun Control is a very broad topic and can stem off into many sub-divisions of topics. LZ Granderson of the CNN News says, “Not all deaths involving guns are the same -- therefore trying to address each incident from the same point of view is futile” (LZ Granderson CNN News). Making scenarios to these topics doesn’t really help because nothing is ever really the same when it comes to life or death situations. Taking away guns wouldn’t fix the root of all of these problems; it would only make a facade for the real problem, which is criminal’s access to guns. Filtering out the idea that guns  are unproductive to the world is unethical because without those weapons, wars would never be won, police officers may not be as effective, and the world as we know it would be impacted.

Some states such as Florida have a “Stand Your Ground” Law which enforces the idea of retaliating against someone trying to do harm towards you. Then other states such as Maine have a “Duty to Retreat” Law, which basically says that you should only use deadly force as a last resort and should run away. The “Duty to Retreat” law is unethical and dehumanizing, the natural reaction to violence is to fight back or run. Having a choice in the matter such as “Standing Your Ground” is beneficial because instead of having the government control the fate

of your safety, you can help yourself. Guns help level the playing field when it comes to attackers because they most likely purchase guns to traumatize their victims into giving them what they want. Criminals would probably opt out of fighting someone substantially bigger than them if they didn’t have any access to guns, but unfortunately since we can’t rid the world of guns within a moderate gestation of time criminals still have the ability to obtain firearms. So with the citizens right to carry a firearm they are now on the same level as their attacker. Guns balance most situations when used in the right circumstance.'

People of all social classes have the need for firearms, whether they live in a shady neighborhood or gated community, there is always a possibility that they will be in a scenario that causes them to need a firearm. No matter how many scenarios or visuals you can think of there is one underlying fact that stays the same is that a world without guns is an outdated world. As the years go by, customs and times change. People no longer collect firearms to make a regulated militia but to protect their immediate possessions of their body and property. So as traditions change, the basic laws of the Constitution were meant to supersede the changing of people in America. The Constitution still holds reign today in the fact that it allows the use of Guns as a tool of protection. Protection is a basic need of the people of America and without that we are vulnerable to the demise of ourselves; criminals will have nothing but an unequal advantage.

          
Works Cited
Bennett, William J., and The Opinions Expressed in This Commentary Are Solely Those of William J. Bennett. "The Case for Gun Rights Is Stronger than You Think." CNN. Cable News Network, 19 Dec. 2012. Web. 24 Oct. 2014.
"Do People Feel Safer If They Own Guns in the Home? - Crime Prevention Research Center." Crime Prevention Research Center. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Oct. 2014.
Granderson, LZ, and The Opinions Expressed in This Commentary Are Solely Those of LZ Granderson. "Gun Control Is Not the Answer." CNN. Cable News Network, 01 Jan. 1970. Web. 26 Oct. 2014.
"Harvard Study: Gun Control Is Counterproductive." The American Civil Rights Union. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Oct. 2014.
Kessler, Glenn. "Do Concealed-weapon Laws Result in Less Crime?" Washington Post. The Washington Post, 17 Dec. 2012. Web. 26 Oct. 2014.
Lott, John R., Jr. "More Guns, Less Violent Crime." The Wall Street Journal. Dow Jones & Company, n.d. Web. 26 Oct. 2014.
"Statutes & Constitution :View Statutes : Online Sunshine." Statutes & Constitution :View Statutes : Online Sunshine. N.p., 26 Oct. 2014. Web. 26 Oct. 2014.
Wilson, James Q. "Gun Control Isn't The Answer." Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles Times, n.d. Web. 26 Oct. 2014.