Ben Solomon
P155
Mrs. Klee
29 August 2016
Introduction
According to BBC News, about 300 million guns are owned in the United States, nearly enough for every citizen, but by only one third of the population (BBC.comI).
Guns are prevalent enough today to effect our everyday lives, and as gun violence rapidly rises, it is important that today I bring to your attention the key controversy regarding the availability of guns in America.
In this speech, I will address the public discourses regarding gun control in the following order.
The first public controversy is a debate of who/ what is responsible for gun violence; the owner of the gun or the gun itself.
Second is the matter of how to prevent guns from falling into the wrong hands.
And third I will discuss the issue of, once citizens legally own a gun, their rights to carry and conceal them in public venues.
[Though I will cover all three of these main topics in my speech today, I will start by touching upon gun violence in the United States. ]
Body
Since 1980, deaths by firearm in the United States have steadily hovered between 10,000 and 20,000 deaths, but the debate is, who is at fault for these deaths; the owner of the gun or the gun itself?
Supporters of gun control mainly argue that the presence of a gun make social conflicts more likely to become violent and that armed civilians are more likely to make dangerous situations more deadly.
In 2013, the FBI found that 59.9% of homicides by firearm were results of personal arguments, and none of the 62 mass shootings between 1982 and 2012 were stopped by an armed civilian (ProCon.org).
This argument suggests that the presence of guns themselves only sparks more violence and are the root of gun violence in the US.
Opposers of gun control believe it is the radical, unstable, or even mentally ill person behind the gun who is at fault for gun violence in our country.
1. They believe that guns don't kill people; rather, people kill people.
2. The Sporting Arms and Ammunition Manufacturers' Institute, Inc (SAAMI), stated, "Whether in the field, at the range or in the home, a responsible and knowledgeable gun owner is rarely involved in a firearms accident of any kind."
3. As a result, gun education programs are being founded, such as the Eddie Eagle GunSafe program, are being founded to educate young children on gun safety (eddieeagle.nra.org)
II. Another controversy on the topic of gun control regards settling the best way to prevent the availability of firearms to people prone to violence. U.S. law requires background checks for all people who try to buy firearms from federally licensed dealers. But federal law does not require background checks for "private transactions," like sales at gun shows. Many states have their own statutes requiring such checks for private sales (CNN.com).
In support of gun control, the public perspective is that guns are still falling into the wrong hands, and that our current system of background checks is not particular and strict enough.
1. In Washington, a bill in support of universal background checks is trying to be pushed through by those in support of gun control. This would mean strict background checks for all gun sales, public or private (thehill.com)
2. Countries with restrictive gun laws have much lower gun homicide rates than that of the US. Countries like Switzerland and Finland have cracked down, and with vastly lower gun ownerships, 23 and 27 firearm homicides, respectively, happened in 2007 in comparison withe United States upwards of 12,000.
B. In contrast, the opposition of gun control believes our current system in place is good enough, and it would be a violation of basic constitutional rights.
1. The background check system is a central component of America's efforts to keep guns from criminals. Since it was introduced in 1994, it has prevented about 3 million gun sales to prohibited people (everytownresearch.org).
2. Some also argue that they can invade common people's privacy with an overuse of government surveillance (abcnews.com), and also believe it gives too much power to the government and could lead to them taking away all guns from citizens (ProCon.org).
3. Rather than investing in newer and more background checks, federal money could be spent elsewhere like cracking down on the criminals who are susceptible to committing the crimes themselves.
III. The last controversy is simple: whether or not people should be allowed to carry concealed weapons in public places, also known as "open carry".
A. Opposers of open carry believe it promotes escalation of confrontation and that public safety should be left to qualified police offers rather than private citizens.
1. A Nov. 2009 peer-reviewed study published in the American Journal of Public Health found that someone carrying a gun for self-defense was 4.5 times more likely to be shot during an assault than an assault victim without a gun.
2. A large majority of states permit concealing of a weapon without prior training with the firearm, so it should be up to law enforcement to protect and fight in dangerous situations, rather than untrained carrying citizens (ProCon.org)
B. Supporters of open carry say that taking it away would violate the Second Amendment, the right to bear arms, and should have the right to protect themselves against criminals with guns.
1. The federal 7th Circuit Court of Appeals, on Dec. 11, 2012, in the case Moore v. Madigan, ruled 2-1 that the Second Amendment's right to bear arms "must be interpreted to include a right to have a concealed gun in public, to have it ready for use, and to have it for self-defense."
2. According to the National Opinion Research Center, 59% of those who carry openly do so because it makes them feel safer. Similarly, in the last ten years in Florida, the percentage of concealed handgun permit holders who are female rose from 15% to 23% (ProCon.org)
Conclusion
It is easy to see why the issue of gun control has become such a heated controversy in America today, but it is imperative that every individual forms their own opinion on the matter, as there is strong evidence that supports both perspectives.
When deciding, one should consider the following common discourses on the topic of gun control:
Th debate of who/ what is responsible for gun violence; the owner of the gun or the gun itself.
The matter of how to prevent guns from falling into the wrong hands.
The issue of, once citizens legally own a gun, their rights to carry and conceal them in public venues.
III. [Stasis] Whatever your opinion may be, the root of it lies in who/what you truly believe is the main catalyst of the terrible travesty of gun violence that exists in America today. Whether it be the gun or the shooter, all of the American public agrees that it has to stop.
Works Cited
Carney, Jordain. "Senate Rejects Gun Control Background Check Measures." TheHill. N.p., 20 June 2016. Web. 26 Aug. 2016.
"Concealed Guns ProCon.org." ProConorg Headlines. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Aug. 2016.
"Eddie Eagle GunSafe® Program." NRA Explore. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Aug. 2016.
Good, Chris. "The Case Against Gun Background Checks." ABC News. ABC News Network, 10 Apr. 2013. Web. 26 Aug. 2016.
"Gun Control – ProCon.org." ProConorg Headlines. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Aug. 2016.
"Gun Violence by the Numbers." EverytownResearch.org. Everytown for Gun Safety Support Fund, 2015. Web. 26 Aug. 2016.