The purchase of firearms in the United States is soaring. U.S. citizens ultimately own nearly half of all the guns in the world (Wallace-Wells). Many states have lax gun control laws that have allowed the sale of weapons to swell (Murphy 5). Due to high rates of gun violence and accidents, gun control laws and background checks should be strengthened and proper safety training must be issued before purchasing firearms.

Adam Lanza, perpetrator of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in Newtown, Connecticut killed twenty-six people, twenty of them were children. A reporter for New York Magazine, Benjamin Wallace-Wells stated, “the weapons that Adam Lanza carried with him during his murder spree are not obscure or specialist guns but ordinary ones, present in many gun-holding households”. Wallace-Wells tells us how dangerous the common American gun-holding household has the potential to be. We must act on this and disband these arsenals across our country to defend against future shootings.

As a precaution to prevent further gun violence, citizens should not have access to assault weapons. These military-style weapons were designed to kill large groups of people (Assault Weapons). For example, the “1984 massacre at a McDonald's fast-food restaurant in San Ysidro, Calif., in which an assailant armed with an Uzi submachine gun and a shotgun killed 21 people and wounded 19 others” (Assault Weapons). After an increase of mass of murders like this one, through the 1980s and early 1990s, the assault-weapons ban was passed. This bill prevented specific weapons and characteristics of guns from being used by civilians, with the exception of loopholes created by gun manufacturers. After expiring in 2004, assault weapons have been exposed to the public again (Assault Weapons). I believe that the ban on assault weapons should be reinstated with strengthened revisions to close the gaps and deter gun violence.

The accessibility of concealed-carry permits in the U.S. are extremely easy to come by. For instance, at a shopping center outside Baltimore, Tim Murphy, a journalist for Mother Jones magazine reports, “I've never shot a gun. And in distinctly un-Utahn fashion, I'm nursing a hangover. Fortunately, none of that matters here. After four hours at Dukes Defense, I have a completed application and a snazzy graduation certificate for my wall. Sixty days after my application is processed, I'll be able to carry a concealed weapon in no fewer than 32 states” (5). This system is outrageous. Why is this store practically handing out permits you may ask? The reason for this is the Utah Bureau of Criminal Identification. Utah is teaching basic firearm safety to nonresidents prior to acquiring their permits. However, you do not need to exemplify any proficiency with a handgun whatsoever to receive a permit either (Murphy 5).

The rate of accidental shootings among children is at a high right now. Edward Markey, a seasoned Senator of the U.S. Senate asserted, “Every year, about 100 children die from an accidental shooting, and in about 85% of those cases, the shooter was another child” (USA TODAY). However, modern technology can prevent these pointless deaths. The Handgun Trigger Safety Act commissions that in the next three years all handguns in the U.S. will have personalization technology either retrofitted, or built into them. This advanced technology would only allow the designated user of the gun to be able to operate it, which means that weapons in the U.S. will be kept out of the wrong hands. When this high-risk weaponry is locked down using this new technology, there will be a decline of these pointless deaths. I believe that this would provide a bridge between protecting “Second Amendment rights and innocent lives” (Markey).

Now you may be thinking, why should we let our assault weapons be taken away? According to the National Annenberg Election Survey in 2004, the majority of the general public voted for the extension of the Assault Weapons Act. Even members of households with guns voted for the ban’s extension. Much of the blame for the expiration of the bill is directed towards the powerful National Rifle Association’s members who are believed to have monopolized the vote for its renewal (Assault Weapons). Based on the opinion of the U.S. public, assault weapons should not be a part of any household.

You may also consider that the more people who carry concealed handguns, the lower the crime rate will be. However, did you know that five out of twenty-two mass shootings were inflicted by gunmen who were legally carrying concealed handguns. Furthermore, a homicide is eleven times more justified if a white person shoots a black person than the reverse, according to the Urban Institute. For example, George Zimmerman, a white-hispanic, shot and killed Trayvon Martin, a black teenager. Zimmerman was acquitted because of Florida’s Stand Your Ground law (Murphy 5). Therefore, concealed weapons harm citizens rather than protect them and people under the Stand Your Ground laws allow citizens rights they should not have.

In order to put an end to shootings, we must first put an end to our country’s gun dilemma. It is imperative that we crackdown on the possession of assault weapons and accessibility of concealed handgun permits. A concrete protocol is essential to preclude accidental shootings of children and the innocent too. Overall, gun control laws need to be enhanced to truly protect the public. I ask you now to join the cause that millions of people are already fighting for. As Senator Markey explains, if you want to save the United States from gun violence, help raise awareness for one of our nation’s greatest predicaments that is as old as this country.

Works Cited
“Assault Weapons.” Issues & Controversies. Infobase Learning, 17 Nov. 2008. Web. 22 Oct.
2014. .
Markey, Edward. "Save Lives with New Technology." USA TODAY. 04 Mar. 2014: p. A.8. SIRS
Issues Researcher. Web. 25 Oct. 2014.
Murphy, Tim. "Fastest Gun Permit in the West." Mother Jones. Sep/Oct 2013: p. 5. SIRS Issues
Researcher. Web. 22 Oct. 2014.
Wallace-Wells, Benjamin. "Adam Lanza's Arsenal." New York Magazine. 11 Feb. 2013: n/a.
SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 23 Oct. 2014.