The Urgent Need to Address Gun Violence Through Comprehensive Gun Control

Introduction

There are many reasons why guns hold so much weight in our world and why they are such a big deal, “what kind of guns should be available for sale to the public?” “who should be allowed to buy them?” “where can they be carried?”. These questions create the debate about gun control, which causes many articles to be formed on just this one topic.

Body

The Pervasive Impact of Guns

Gun control has been around since the 20th century; this has always been a hot topic and a major issue. Guns tend to cause a lot of problems, for example, crimes, suicides, and more. The power of a gun is limitless; as people worldwide continue to stock guns, many others are at risk of beings harmed. Although guns are necessary to protect yourself, the gun control law helps decrease violence, suicides, and all types of other accidents. However, the government should be in charge of who can receive a gun and what type of gun is distributed to the people. Most of the time, people who decide to harm others or themselves with a gun have mantel issues and are at more risk of harming more people.

Many people think that gun control is just deciding who should or shouldn’t be allowed to carry or have a gun. That’s not the case; Gun control is the set of laws or policies that regulate the manufacture, sale, transfer, possession, modification, or use of firearms by civilians. Gun control is something that has been around for a while now.

Gun Control: Striking a Balance Between Rights and Regulation

Just giving anyone the possession of a gun could cause many people’s lives to be endangered. In fact, it already has; many school shootings have already happened just this year. The one that grabbed most people’s attention was the shooting in Parkland, Florida, which was one of the worse ones we had this year. That grabbed many people’s attention because of the way it happened and the way it ended with seventeen people dying and fourteen others being wounded badly (CNN).

According to many articles on the Parkland shooting, the shooter himself was mentally disturbed, and many people who choose to harm others or their selves with a gun are most of the time mentally disturbed. School shootings are just one of the reasons why issuing a gun to just anyone isn’t a great idea. Guns can cause someone to harm themself, even taking their own life away with the very thing that causes a high death rate just in a year, a gun. Parkland, Florida is just one city that had a major shooting; there are many more, and some have this problem on a daily.

Another city with high crime rates that includes gun violence is Chicago. Chicago has consistently had more total killings than any other U.S. city. Twenty-seven people were killed just at the beginning of August of this year (Stef W, Kight, Michael Sykes). Most of their shootings, or, as some would say, “shootouts,” are gang-related. Twelve of the poor neighborhoods are accounted for fifty percent of Chicago’s shootings, often being attributed to gang activity, according to a study by Northwestern University. Gun violence is everywhere, but there are a few cities that have it the most, and it is decreasing our population every day.

A neighborhood on the Westside of Chicago called “Austin” had 215 shootings in the first seven months of the year. Things like that happening on repeat every day can cause lots of people to be harmed and to feel unsafe in the very place they call home. Gun violence is something that must cease, if it continues to happen, many more people will die or be harmed, and many families will go through the pain of losing a relative. Many families in Chicago have lost many of their family members due to gun violence; either someone Murdered them, or they took they’re on life, or they got hit with a stray bullet.

Chicago isn’t a safe place for anyone and is not for little kids to just be roaming around by their selves. You shouldn’t have to walk around your hometown looking over your shoulder to make sure nothing is happening or to make sure nobody is trying to walk up to you with a gun; that isn’t what you should have to live. Gun violence must come to an end, or many people will continue to die, and many families will continue to feel the hurt and pain of losing a loved one. Chicago families have it most rough, having to worry if they are going to live to see another day or if the children go out and play will they make it back safe and sound.

A mom in Chicago lost four of her children due to gun violence (Melissa McEwan). All her children died from either someone murdering them on purpose or a stray bullet. Gun violence must stop! This is not ok and shouldn’t be tolerated at all. The government plays a role in this and should find a way how to stop this or at least slow it down to the point where it is not happening as much.

Uniting for Change

The government should be able to reduce gun violence in America so people won’t get harmed or even attempt to harm themselves in any way, type, or form. Some ways they could make that happen is by maybe reducing firearm access to youth and individuals who are at risk of harming themselves or others. Mental health people are most of the time the ones to commit suicide or murder someone using a gun.

Another way the government could reduce gun violence is by making the sentencing for committing these crimes longer. This idea could possibly work because no one wants to go to jail for a long period of time, let alone at all. The government could do a lot of things to reduce gun violence, but they aren’t doing enough. Maybe if they increased the price of the guns, that could possibly also help. Gun violence must come to an end.

Conclusion

To conclude, gun control has impacted the world in many ways. Guns impacted schools and all over the world. Guns were supposed to be used for protection now people take advantage of them. We all need to come together to stop gun violence for good. If we can come together to stop gun violence, there will be less harm. We need to help with gun violence because it’s putting people at risk. Innocent people are getting hurt; we can come together once in for all.

References

1. John Ashman 12/29/2012
   https://www.google.com/amp/s/m.mic.com/articles/amp/21387/gun-control-laws-10-better-ways-the-government-can-reduce-violence Stef. knight
2. Michael Sykes 8/14 https://www.axios.com/chicago-gun-violence-murder-rate-statistics-4addeeec-d8d8-4ce7-a26b-81d428c14836.html
3. John McCall 2/14/18 https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.nbcnews.com/news/amp/ncna848101
4. Melissa McEwan 1/29/13 https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/jan/29/shirley-chambers-gun-violence-deaths