Should Congress Enact Stricter Gun Control Laws?
In the United States the issue of gun control has increasingly become a hot topic.
Within the last decade this nation has repeatedly endured mass shooting. Columbine,
Virginia Tech, Aurora Colorado, and most recently Sandy Hook are just a couple of
examples. Many question whether guns in today’s society are considered a helpful tool
or simply killing machines. One begins to wonder, if our current gun control laws are
helping prevent these recurring tragedy or allowing them to continue. There is a need to
revamp our current gun control to help prevent firearms from falling into the wrong
hands. Congress should revise gun control laws to prevent private sales without
background checks, thus preventing criminals, and persons with mental instability from
getting their hands on a gun.
The main argument opponents have against stricter gun control is, if we eliminate
the right to carry a gun for self-defense our safety will be jeopardized. Firearms
instructor Scotty Reitz states, “If some cretin intends to use violence on me, I want to
have some input into the decision on whether or not I live or die. Having a firearm on me
gives me a bit of choice in the matter”(Lau 1). Although this argument makes sense it is
not factual. According to a survey conducted by Mother Jones magazine, only “1% of
Americans reported using guns to defend themselves or their property.” In fact “more
than 50% [of incidents] involve using guns in an aggressive manner, such as escalating
an argument.”(Gilson 1). Meaning that when someone becomes aggravated in a
conversation/argument if one of the parties has a gun they will most likely take it out and
want to shoot the person, not for self-defense.
The use of private sales to purchase weapons should be one of the first topics
congress tackles. The “gun show loophole” has made it extremely easy for consumers
to purchase a weapon. By buying a weapon at a gun show, people who most likely
would be declined a gun can avoid background checks. In addition to gun shows,
customers may also purchase firearms on websites. If the consumer decided to buy
from a website they can browse through thousands of listings on various guns. At any
given time there can be a total of “15,000 guns listed and a total of 1,928 of prospective
buyers” looking to purchase specifically from private sellers (Plumer 1). Gun websites
work just like craigslist, anyone can respond to a listing and ask to meet with the seller
to purchase the gun, no questions asked. In addition, in some situations the seller can
mail the firearm to your front door, this can vary depending on the state (Plumer 1). It is
