“Limiting gun access will save lives”, “Guns are a dangerous part of U.S. society”, “Take away the guns! Take away the violence!” (Is gun control bad or good). These are all statements from citizens that oppose the ownership of guns in America. Let’s just start by saying, taking a gun away from a bad person, doesn’t make them good. If that person doesn’t have access to a gun, he could easily go pick up a rock and do the same damage. Also it is our constitutional right as citizens of the U.S. to own guns and defend ourselves. Furthermore, gun laws do the opposite of what they are supposed to do. Taking guns away from Americans will do more harm than good. We have the right to bear arms for a reason.

First, taking guns away from bad people, doesn’t miraculously make them good. Like I said above, a rock can be just as dangerous as a gun. The government can’t ban rocks! The University of Melbourne researchers say, “Unfortunately, crazy, bad people will find a way to kill, guns or no guns”( Australia's 1996 Gun Confiscation Didn't Work – And It Wouldn't Work in America).This also means that if the government bans guns from innocent people, they won’t be able to protect themselves against these crazy psychos. A gun alone isn’t dangerous until it is in the hands of the wrong person. In the event of national gun ban, a law abiding citizen won’t own guns. The problem is, a criminal doesn’t follow laws, so the law abiding citizen is left defenseless.

Second, according to the constitution, it is our right as U.S. citizens to own and defend ourselves with guns. The second amendment states, “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” (U.S. Constitution Declaration of Independence, Bill of Rights, & Amendments). The reason this amendment was made was to ensure that the U.S. Federal government didn’t turn against its citizens and become a Unitary state. The banning of guns would be against the constitution and against everything America stands for.

 Finally, taking away the guns away from America will do more harm than good. In 1996 the Australian National Firearm Agreement put a law into act that prohibited the ownership of guns in Australia. It was easy for the Australian government to ban guns in its country because Australians don’t have the same connections to guns as us Americans do. In an article from The New York Times, written by an Australian news reporter it states, “We Australians have a profoundly different relationship with weapons. Americans love guns. We’re scared of them.” (Australia's Gun Laws Are Not a Model for America). This means that it would cause a violent up-roar in the event that the American government were to ban guns from its citizens. Furthermore, there is evidence that the Australian gun ban didn’t even work! The same researchers from the University of Melbourne that I mentioned in the first paragraph state, “The gun buy-back and restrictive legislative changes had no influence on firearm homicide in Australia.” ( Australia's 1996 Gun Confiscation Didn't Work – And It Wouldn't Work in America). In other words, if the gun ban didn’t work in Australia, It’s sure not to work in the U.S.

In contrast, Guns are the number one cause of death during homicides in the U.S and something definitely needs to be done. But instead of banning guns, why doesn’t the government empower loyal U.S. citizens with them. By encouraging the ownership of a Concealed Carry permit, the government could make society much safer. For example, just the other day, here in Reno, an assault victim was rescued by a local with a Concealed Carry permit, which is a permit that allows you to have a concealed gun on you in public. According to Channel 2 News, “The resident intervening had a valid Concealed Carry permit and was armed with a handgun. They said despite the resident retreating and repeatedly telling Jimenez to stop, Jimenez began to attack them, at which point the resident shot Jimenez” (Reno Police Deem Shooting on Monday Justified). This shows that Concealed Carry permits could make the community much safer and using guns in defense could save a life.

In conclusion, the banning of guns in the U.S. would be a huge mistake. It wouldn’t make bad people any safer, it is against the constitution, and it would do the opposite of what it is supposed to do. We as Americans have the right to bear arms for a reason and we know all too well what has happened to other countries whose government’s control who can and cannot defend themselves. That’s why we as Americans will not even think about giving up our guns or our constitutional rights, not until the government figures out how to ban rocks!

 
                                                              Citations
“Is Gun Control Bad or Good?” Debate.

Patrick, A. Odysseus. “Australia's Gun Laws Are Not a Model for America.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 24 Feb. 2018.

“Reno Police Deem Shooting on Monday Justified.” KTVN Channel 2 - Reno Tahoe Sparks News, Weather, Video.

“Should More Gun Control Laws Be Enacted?” Should More Gun Control Laws Be Enacted in the United States?

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Wright, Mark Antonio. “Australia's 1996 Gun Confiscation Didn't Work – And It Wouldn't Work in America.” National Review, National Review, 13 Oct. 2016.

Tony Hisgett. U.S. Constitution Declaration of Independence, Bill of Rights, & Amendments, Plantainos Classics. Print