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The Constitution was written in 1776, 238 years ago. The citizens of the United States were given ten amendments in the Bill of Rights. The second amendment is the right to bear arms, which means citizens of the United States can buy and sell firearms. The reason American is a country today is because George Washington and the American army stood up and fought the British with guns. Why should the government take way the citizens guns now if the guns are the reason they are a country and a sovereign state? In the United States guns are a common item in the household, there are around 270 million to 300 million guns in the hands of citizens. Out of all 196 countries in the world the United States is ranked number one in private gun ownership. Restrictions and regulations on firearms will not solve the problem of violence due to the mass amount of weapons already available on the street, private distributors and illegal gun show sales. In recent years the issue of gun control has become a national issue. In Congress the republicans like guns and the freedom they have of guns and democrats are making a push to have hefty and strict gun laws and regulations. The United States government is trying to put restrictions and regulate the sales, and production of certain firearms due to mass killings and other gun related crimes, such as: attempted assassination of Arizona Representative Gabby Giffords, Sandy Hook, the movie theater shooting in Colorado and Columbine. "When dangerous people get guns, we are all vulnerable," said retired Navy Capt. Mark Kelly, whose wife, former Rep. Gabby Giffords, an Arizona Democrat , nearly died in a 2011 shooting" (USA Today News). Because of guns being readily available on the street gun control in theory could work but would not work in practice because there are so many ways to get around the government. There will always be a way to get guns; this is the same thing that happens with drugs.

The popularity of civilian owning guns has been on the rise since 2001 because of the fear of terrorism after the Plane hijackings that hit The World Trade Center and the attempts to crash a plane into the pentagon In the United States of America, the number of rifles in civilian possession is reported to be 110,000,000 (Wilson, Salinas, Alpers, Philip, Rossetti, 1). One of the only things gun control will do is make people feel safer. People in America are having terrorist scare like the Red Scare when communism was on the rise. The ratio of Civilian guns compared to military and police weaponry is 115:1. The Citizens of the U.S This mass amount of weapons in the hands of civilian is both legal and illegal. Guns can be acquired in many ways; you can buy them legally or illegally. To legally buy a gun you need to have a permit and a license. People can get a valid license in almost any gun shop or sports store that sells guns. With a valid gun license you can buy guns in gun store, a gun show or a private dealer with a permit to distribute firearms. People can illegally purchase weapons without a license; buying guns at gun shows can be legal or illegal. The most dangerous gap in federal firearms laws today is the private sale loophole. Although federal law requires licensed firearms dealers to perform background checks on prospective purchasers and maintain records of all gun sales, unlicensed private sellers do not have to do either. An estimated 40% of all firearms sold in the U.S. are transferred by unlicensed sellers (Smart Gun Laws 1). The way the Private sale loophole works because gun shows are not regulated and watched by the federal government as much as private shops and other gun stores. Guns are all over the United States, buying a gun illegally is very easy. The gun shows are supposed to be regulated by the ATF.

Mass killings and Murders would not be stopped if guns were stopped being sold by licensed dealers due to the large number of weapons available illegally. The Newtown School Shooting was a terrible tragedy, but it was not because of gun laws and restrictions on owning assault rifles, such as the AR-15 used to kill those children but the killers mental stability and his mothers ability to keep him away from her guns. The Newtown killer was a mentally disturbed young man living with his mother. She had legally purchased her arsenal and had even taught her son how to responsibly handle firearms. What she did not do was, safely contain her guns so that her son could not access them (Parker 1). The United States government is talking about banning assault rifles and limiting the size of magazines to a ten round set, this would not stop mass shootings such as Columbine. Writer Kathleen Parker explains in her article about gun control that limiting the size of magazines and banning assault weapons would not stop mass shootings. She wrote: Limiting the size of magazines also seems like a common-sense solution. Then again, maybe a killer simply would carry several small magazines and swap them out, as Eric Harris did at Columbine High School in 1999 and Seung-Hui Cho did at Virginia Tech in 2007. Harris was armed with a Hi-Point 995 carbine with 13 magazines of 10 rounds each. His partner, Dylan Klebold, carried a semi-automatic handgun and a short-barrel shotgun, which, gun experts will tell you, is the most effective close-range weapon of all. And Cho used two handguns that are not considered assault weapons (Parker 1). Columbine and Aurora were both mass shootings that would not have been stopped because of stricter regulations on guns.

An inmate on death row that was charged with murder wrote about the issue of gun control over 30 years ago he said Forcing law-abiding gun owners to submit to new regulations will not prevent another Newtown or Aurora or Columbine (Parker 1). This coming from somebody that has been convicted of gun related crimes proves the point of limiting mags will not stop killing, the man goes on to say that there will always be a way for someone to kill somebody else you could use explosives, melee weapons such as knifes broken bottles or any other sharp object as well as their bare hands. Getting firearms for criminals can come in many ways; one way is buying a gun from a shop owner or a store clerk illegally. This occurs when a shop is not doing well and is getting desperate for sales. Federal agents arrested a different man, a licensed gun dealer, on charges of selling weapons illegally to undercover officers in dark alleys and crumbling garages. Before he was caught, the authorities say, he sold hundreds of firearms to gang members and anyone else with fistfuls of dollars. Don Terry, writer for the New York Times while writing his article about guns in Chicago he was told that The "Gun Man" drives through the streets, selling pistols from the back of a light-blue van (Terry 2) There is also another way to get guns, and that is buying firearms at gun shows. A gun show is an exhibition or gathering where guns, gun parts, ammunition, gun accessories, and literature are displayed, bought, sold, traded, and discussed. The estimated number of gun shows held each year in the United States can range from 2,000 to 5,200. According to Gun show expert Ben Garrett, eleven states require background checks for gun purchases at gun shows. Seven states have background checks for all gun purchases. Four states use background checks for only handguns. Universal background checks are a valid theory but cannot stop a criminal from stealing a gun from another person in which was bought legally. Not having background

checks does not stop the flow of illegal guns in the United States. Guns bought in the United States can be illegally transferred to Mxico or vice versa have illegal guns shipped to the United States because of background checks BATFE estimates place the percentage of weapons sold at gun shows by licensed dealers between 50% and 75% (Garrett 1). Twenty-five to fifty percent of guns sold at gun shows are sold and bought illegally. Also anyone could sell a weapon or ammo at a gun show. The ATF is a government Bureau of guns, alcohol and tobacco, their job is to monitor gun sales and how illegal weapons are getting on to the street. The ATF is supposed to investigate gun show and gun shows and other places guns can be sold legally and see if there is any hint of illegal purchases as well. The ATF then reports to the Inspector General. After Inspector General Zinser looked into the ATF this was released in a review: We found that ATF does not have a formal gun show enforcement program, but conducts investigative operations at gun shows when it has law enforcement intelligence that illegal firearms activity has occurred or is likely to occur at specific gun shows. We also found that ATFs operations at gun shows constitute a small percentage of its overall investigative activities. Past operations at gun shows have yielded multiple arrests and convictions of individuals engaging in firearms trafficking, as well as seizures of firearms that were purchased or offered for sale illegally. In addition, we found that ATF conducted most of its investigative operations at gun shows as part of ongoing investigations of specific suspects whose illegal activity happened to occur at gun shows. Other ATF investigative operations were aimed at widespread illegal firearms activity occurring specifically at gun shows in certain cities, states, or geographic regions (The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Investigative Operations at Gun Shows 21)

In 2007 the Inspector General did a check and sweep on the ATF, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and how they operated and found that they do not have a gun show program that would enforce the most basic gun regulations and restrictions such as administering background checks to the buyers of the weapons being sold at gun shows. The United States government has a specific organization to prevent illegal sales of weapons at gun shows but they are not performing their task of overseeing the sales at gun shows to prevent such illegal trades from happening. Gangs have a huge part in illegal guns on the street in the United States. Gangs are notorious for using, selling, and buying illegal guns and other weaponry for illegal uses. Chicago is historically the biggest gang city in America. Al Capone is in some expert opinions the biggest gang related criminal to ever live, he was based in Chicago Illinois during the prohibition smuggling alcohol. Last year the Chicago Police Department confiscated 22,660 illegal guns. That is a hefty number but in comparison to how many guns are still in the public's hands is a sliver of 1 percent. Guns have a huge impact on everyday life in cities such as Chicago, they put threat on people and that forces more violence, but they also give people protection, most gun owning, law abiding citizens have that gun for their own protection, taking that away from people could be fatal in gang riddled communities, Gangs use drugs as a trade for guns on a trade in system. Federal agents swept across the city limits into Indiana and seized dozens of guns and pipe bombs. The authorities said eight gang members and two of their arms suppliers were arrested. One suspected supplier was the owner of a licensed gun shop (Terry 1). At gun shows after a gun is purchased that person that bought the gun can then turn around and sell the gun he or she just bought to another person for more money. Guns can be found anywhere, someone could find a gun on the street pick it up

and sell it for quick cash, that person could also find guns left at a shooting range and steal it or sell that gun that is registered and licensed to another responsible Citizen who could then get put in prison for life because someone illegally sold his gun. Another source of gang guns is the area's legal and loosely supervised gun shows. Gun shows and gangs do not mix this is where guns end up in the wrong hands, the gun owners want to make quick money and the gangs want easy access to guns without having to go through a background check, file for a permit to handle the firearm and then have a valid license. Guns can also often be used as a self-defense mechanism. Defending yourself is an instinct that kicks in when that persons life is in danger, In Florida there is a law called the stand your ground law, this law allows the soon to be victims of crimes defend themselves without being punished by the law, but this law is subject to controversy because of the Trayvon Martin case where George Zimmerman shot Martin because he thought he had a gun and was going to mug and rob him. The stand your ground law walks a fine line because a person cannot just shoot somebody else for punching them, a victim can only do what seems fit to do to stop an attacker. Stand your ground laws are controversial and somewhat effective. Stand your Ground laws are also helpful for people in dire and dangerous situations, an example of the stand your ground law being helpful is the urban legend of the little girl from Montana that killed two home invaders with her fathers shotgun, this is an excellent scenario of how the stand your ground law and the ability to own firearms helps people in danger. Because of mass amount of weapons already available on the street, private distributors and illegal gun show sales violence will not be stopped by regulations and restrictions. Gun shows are not always legal, that is why the bureau of alcohol, tobacco and firearms (ATF) by the United States government, but in 2007 the Inspector General found that the ATF does not have a

specific group or way to monitor what goes on at gun shows they just go in and make random arrest anyone they find. Gun will also be readily available to criminals that break into peoples homes and take their legally purchased weapons and use them in crimes. Also gun shop owners that want to make a quick hundred dollars can sell the guns in there shop on the black market with no questions asked by the seller or buyer and they now get around background checks but the purchases match up with the money in the cash register. Lastly in the United States of American there are an estimated 270 million to 310 million firearms. According to the report, In 2007, one estimate placed the total number of firearms in the country at 294 million: 106 million handguns, 105 million rifles, and 83 million shotguns (Saletan 1). This shows that there are too many firearms to take away, the government is trying to stop the water from coming through the hole by plugging it up and it is only causing more holes to appear and then there will be a point where the government can not contain any gun control because people have figured out ways to get around the government regulations. Should the people still have the right to bear arms? Yes, although the second amendment was written in 1776 the law should still stand and the people should still have the right to bear arms and the American government cannot take away peoples guns because it would cost too much time and too much effort would have to be put in and that time should be put to bigger issues such as the 13 trillion dollars America owes to other countries. as the facts displayed by Authors such as: Kathleen Parker, Ben Garrett, Jeff Cohen, and William Saletan.

Work Cited

Alpers, Philip and Marcus Wilson. 2013. Global Impact of Gun Violence: Firearms, public health and safety. Sydney School of Public Health, The University of Sydney. GunPolicy.org, 14 August. Accessed 12 February 2014. at: <http://www.gunpolicy.org/firearms/region> Alpers, Philip, Amlie Rossetti, Daniel Salinas, Marcus Wilson. 2014. Guns in the United States: Firearms, armed violence and gun law. Sydney School of Public Health, The University of Sydney. GunPolicy.org, 21 February.Accessed 24 February 2014. at: <http://www.gunpolicy.org/firearms/region/united-states> Cohen, Jeff. "Gun Control." Fair.org. Fair.org, 1 Feb. 2000. Web. 24 Feb. 2014. <http://fair.org/article/gun-control-the-nra-and-the-second-amendment/>. DeSilver, Drew. "A Minority of Americans Own Guns." Pew Research Center. Pew Research, n.d. Web. 12 Feb. 2014. <http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2013/06/04/a-minorityof-americans-own-guns-but-just-how-many-is-unclear/>. Executive Summary: "The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives' Investigative Operations at Gun Shows." U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the Inspector General, June 2007. Garrett, Ben. "Gun Shows." About.com. About.com, n.d. Web. 23 Feb. 2014. <http://civilliberty.about.com/od/guncontrol/a/Gun-Shows.htm>. Parker, Kathleen. "The Balm of Gun Control." Washington Post 9 Apr. 2013: n. pag. Print.

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Saletan, William. "Rethinking Gun Control." Slate.com. Slate Group, n.d. Web. 23 Feb. 2014. <http://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/human_nature/2013/06/handguns_sui cides_mass_shootings_deaths_and_self_defense_findings_from_a.html>. Smart Gun Laws. Center to Prevent Gun Violence, 1 Feb. 2001. Web. 24 Feb. 2014. <http://smartgunlaws.org/universal-gun-background-checks-policy-summary/>. Terry, Don. "How Criminals Get Guns." New York Times 11 Mar. 1992: n. pag. Print. USA Today News. USA Today, 6 Feb. 2014. Web. 11 Feb. 2014. <http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2014/02/06/oregon-gun-backgroundchecks/5260821/>. Valdez, Angela, and John E. Ferguson. Gun Control. 2nd ed. New York: Chelsea, 2012. Print.