Guns Are not The Issue

The “guns in a home” myth has been made bigger and bigger by the media. Dr. Arthur Kellermann of Emory University presents a study that claimed to show that a home with a gun was much more likely to experience a homicide. However, that was very unfair. This is because his study only involved homes where homicides had taken place, ignoring the millions of houses where firearms have brought no harm. By looking at homes where homicides have occurred has skewed the results and the study should not be valid ( Ten myths about gun control, march 1996).

Misconceptions about Gun Ownership

Another myth that is taking a toll is the is the “stiff gun control” laws are lower in foreign countries (japan) than in the u.s. But as a fact Japan’s low crime is explained in the efficiency of the criminal justice system. They have fewer privacy rights, and fewer rights for criminal suspects than exist in the United States. They have home visits and routinely search citizens. The cases where suspects claimed to have been tortured and their bodies have physical traces back to their claims, courts still accepted their confessions. The police of Japan understate the amount of crime, in order to appear more efficient and worthy of the respect the citizens have for their police they cover up the problem of an organized crime.

Statistics on Gun Violence Trends

Compared with 1993 the peak of u.s gun homicides was 49% lower in 2010 even though the population grew, there were less casualties. The victimization rate for other violence crimes with a fire are, assault, robberies and sex crimes was 75% lower in 2011 than in 1993. Violent non-fatal crime victimization overall is also down 72% over two decades.

Public Perception vs Reality

Despite the attention to gun violence in recent months, most Americans are not aware that gun crime is markedly lower than it was two decades ago. A Pew Research Center survey found that 56% of Americans think that the number of crimes involving a gun is higher than it was 20 years ago. 12% of Americans say it is lower and 26% say it stayed the same (Paul Taylor, May 7, 2013).

The Influence of Upbringing on Beliefs

Americans use propaganda everyday, from teenage drama, telling stories, or the latest breaking news. Often times an individual's perspective on a topic is swayed by the way their parents raised them in their beliefs. Some Americans teach and tell their children their whole life that guns are bad and resemble something of disgust, they discipline five-year olds for fashioning together pretend guns out of pipe cleaners. While others allow their children to have their own set of beliefs and teach them that gun ownership is a right and responsibility, that they are to be used as toolset enjoy and to be treated with respect.

The Impact of Gun Control Laws

Gun disgust is also one of the primary reasons gun-control advocates promote laws that have little to no effect on reducing gun violence. On many questions, the debate over the effects of gun-control laws on crime is surprisingly uncontroversial. The National Academy of Sciences found that gun-control laws have had no measurable effect on gun violence rates. The study was not written by gun-rights advocates—in fact, all but one member of the committee were gun-control advocates (Trevor Burrus, March 19, 2013).

Comparative Risks: Guns vs Other Hazards

In 2001, the American Medical Association recommended that doctors ask patients about gun ownership during office visits. They did not recommend that doctors ask about swimming pools or bicycles, both of which are much more likely to result in accidental deaths than a gun. Yet gun-control advocates have no problem “allowing” private swimming pools and bikes because they understand how someone could enjoy biking and swimming (Trevor Burrus, March 19, 2013).

In conclusion people are uneducated about how guns can be used for good. They use propaganda, lies, and myths just to get other people onto their side. They try and make more and more laws while they don’t even know the gist of the situation. I feel people should be enlightened in this topic and hopefully this essay will do just that.