Gun Control in America - Essay Example

            With the advent of time, man has moved ahead from the Stone Age to an era of development and progress. The understanding of the world and the importance of an individual has led to the recognition of the requirements and the rights of every being. Matters that were not considered to be significant have come forward as issues of serious debate. Gun Control is one such issue that has become a matter of intense debate in the United States. Different rulings have been passed with regard to the issue of gun control. Many citizens consider it their right to be allowed guns so that they can fight for their protection when law enforcement agencies fail to do so. On the other hand, there are opponents of the issue who believe that strict gun control measures are essential owing to the fact that they reduce the possibility of the weapons falling in the wrong hands. This debate on gun control has been an essential issue in the United States where it is still considered to be a controversial subject.

            The National Vital Statistics states the fact that many lives are lost as a result of injuries from firearms. 11,001 people succumbed to injuries resulting from gunshots by criminals only in the year 2001. It was also presented that in 2001, 16,455 lives were lost due to suicides that were committed by using firearms only. This indicates an important aspect that many deaths result in the United States due to guns and deaths due to firearms are labeled as the second cause of death in the country. But an interesting aspect is that the rate of people dying due to gunshots has lowered following the year 1993 and it has been attributed to changes and leniencies in gun control laws (Gold 2004). Many important figures in the United States have lost their lives resulting from gunshots. These include the devastating killings of Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert F. Kennedy that occurred in the year 1968 when these two exemplary figures were shot dead (Valdez 2003).

            Gun control is an essential subject in the history of the United States. The first and most prominent ruling relating to this issue was passed in the year 1939 by the Supreme Court of the country. The court passed a ruling in favor of stricter gun control measures and the ban on the personal usage of guns. It justified this on the grounds of the maintenance of the security of the individuals. There has been much opposition to this ruling ever since 1939. Opponents of this law utilize the Second Amendment of the Constitution as a point of their justification. According to the Amendment, "A well-regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed." The opponents of gun control laws argue that this amendment of the constitution upholds the rights of individuals the possession of guns for their security. They argue that the denial of guns for their safety is actually a breach of the constitution of the country as this amendment clearly states in favor of the possession of weapons (Associated Press 2007).

            Many members of the Congress of the United States also consider it important that the ownership of guns is central to the security of their lives. According to the people who favor the possession of guns, firearms tend to provide higher security for the people when law enforcement agency personnel are not present. Therefore, an individual can guard himself in all situations. These groups argue that after proper checking of the criminal records of the people, gun possession should be allowed as this would make society a safer place to live (Nagourney et al 2011).

            Many researchers have upheld the benefits that the relaxation of gun control laws has provided for the United States. According to research that was done by Mauser, the crime rate in the United States has gone down to lower levels owing to relaxation in the firearm laws. The study upheld this fact with regard to comparing this result with the crime rate of other countries which included the Commonwealth countries and Australia. It highlighted the fact that stronger gun control laws did not favor these countries and there was no reduction in the crime rate. Furthermore, Mauser indicated that this would empower the public to fight for their safety and it would lead to a reduction in the economic burden that may result due to the creation of further crime-regulating bodies (Mauser 2003).

            Thus, gun control measures should be reduced for the benefit of the individuals. It provides an individual with the power to fight for their own security. The denial of this permission is actually the denial of the right of an individual to fight for his life.