Why Gun Control Restrictions Should Be Tightened

There were more mass shootings across the U.S. in 2019 than there were days in the year, according to a gun violence research group. 2019 had the highest number of mass shootings in any year since the research group started keeping track. This is because our country lacks gun control. In addition, we should tighten gun control laws to help avoid these devastating mass shootings. Many articles weigh the pros and cons of guns and whether or not restrictions should be tightened. Finally, guns cause many bad things in our lives including death, mass shootings, and accidental death from misuse.

Gun control should be tightened because it will decrease death. “Gun-control advocates cite the high crime rate and death toll from gun-related violence as evidence that tougher laws are needed. They call for limits on the types of weapons civilians can own and stricter weapons registration and training requirements.” The quotation explains that tougher gun laws will most likely make the high crime rate and death toll decrease. The author suggests that the lack of restriction is one of the leading causes of high crime and death. Far too often, we learn after a tragedy that the perpetrator displayed concerning and often repeated signs of deeply troubling behavior, including clear statements indicating their intent to cause harm to others. In the case of the Parkland shooting suspect, the police received at least 45 calls about him, and a woman close to him even communicated to the F.B.I. that she feared he would become a school shooter, listing specific examples of disturbing conduct - including holding a gun to the head of family members. Despite these troubling indicators, the suspect was not prevented from owning or obtaining firearms because he had never been charged with a crime. Red-flag laws provide communities with a tool to prevent future tragedies. The quotation explains that although people try to stop a devastating event from occuring because there is no preventative law, law enforcement can’t do anything. The author suggests that a red-flag law could save the victims of shootings by making sure they never happen when a possible perpetrator is showing signs. Concrete Detail (CD): “Supporters of gun control seek tighter restrictions on the sale and circulation of firearms. They note the high incidence of gun-related deaths in the United States compared to other countries, as illustrated in a study published by the American Journal of Medicine in 2016, which showed that the United States has more firearm-related homicides and suicides than any other high-income country, with Americans ten times more likely to die by a firearm-related death than residents of twenty-two other developed countries.” The quotation explains that people want more restricted laws because gun related deaths are higher in the United States than many other countries. In conclusion, the author suggests that supporters believe that more laws could lower the amount of deaths due to guns. If we tighten gun control laws, gun related death will be reduced.

Gun control should be tightened because it will decrease mass shootings. “I have spoken to families and other community members who have been hurt by senseless acts of violence. As we discuss ways to prevent attacks and keep our schools and communities safe, red-flag laws are consistently mentioned..”. The quotation explains that tougher gun laws will most likely make the high crime rate and death toll decrease. The author suggests that this red-flag law would help to tighten gun restrictions, lowering the amount of mass shootings. “We found that public mass shootings -- which we defined as incidents in which a gunman killed at least six people in public - dropped during the decade of the federal ban. Yet, in the 15 years since the ban ended, the trajectory of gun massacres has been sharply upward, largely tracking the growth in ownership of military-style weapons and high-capacity magazines.” The quotation explains that a ban on assault weapons lowered public mass shootings but since the ban went away the number has increased. The author suggests that the ban was beneficial and proven effective so bringing it back or one similar to it could help lower the amount of mass shootings. “The extraordinary increase in the body count from public gun massacres since the end of the federal assault weapons ban and the passage of the federal immunity statute for the gun industry has one obvious explanation: the brazen promotion and the proliferating, loosely regulated, highly profitable sales of the most desirable and effective weaponry for committing mass murder.” The quotation explains that weapons used to commit mass murders make sellers a lot of money so they aren’t regulating them enough and just promoting them to people. The author suggests that this is a big reason why the numbers of mass shootings has risen since the ban was lifted. To conclude, if we tighten gun control laws, the amount of mass shootings will be reduced.

Opponents of gun control claim that the laws we have are already effective and do not need to be more restricted. Opponents to gun-control laws argue 'guns don't kill people, people kill people.' They say citizens have a constitutional right to bear arms for hunting and self-defense”. The quotation explains that the restrictions on guns won’t matter because the people that want to kill will find a way. The author suggests that opponents to gun control think we should take a better look into the people commiting the crime, not the weapon used. Although their claim might be valid, “if the goal is to save lives, it is time to turn in earnest to the task generations of graduating law students have been directed to undertake: 'the shaping and application of those wise restraints that make men free.'” It is also true that the current laws aren’t effective because deaths due to guns are increasing. The quotation explains that saving lives goes hand in hand with making laws that keep people free but restricted. The author suggests that to save lives we need restrictions on gun laws. Those who disagree with gun restrictions also claim, “Universal background checks would do nothing to stop mass shootings. The simple fact remains that all mass shooters in recent history passed a background check except for three -- two of whom stole their firearms and one of whom reports say bought his rifle from an illegal manufacturer.” The quotation explains that a background check doesn’t stop people that want to hurt people from obtaining guns. The author suggests that putting restrictions on getting guns won’t stop any crimes from happening. Although their claim might be valid, background checks can stop people that have no chance of passing the background check a harder path if even possible to obtain guns. This explains that even if the background checks aren’t 100% effective it won’t be easy for a person who doesn’t pass to get the guns they need to execute a mass shooting or gun crime in general.This suggests that we should have the background checks among other preventative measures and laws to stop these terrible events from occurring. Finally, opponents of gun control claim that the laws we have are already effective and do not need to be more restricted but more restrictions could save lives.

Last but not least, guns cause many bad things in our lives including mass shootings, death, accidental death from misuse. Gun control should be tightened because it will decrease mass shootings. Gun control should be tightened because it will decrease murder. We should tighten gun control laws to help avoid these devastating events. In conclusion, tightening gun control is crucial to the future of our country.