In the world we live in today there are many major issues to argue about and sides to take. Gun control is one of these many arguments in the United States due to how people interpret the second amendment. The issue is mainly based on the safety of the people and the rights they have. But it has been a proven: gun control does not work and puts innocent citizens at risk. Gun control does not indeed work because even if you took away guns from everyone, criminals will always have access to them, criminals are less likely to attack someone if the person has a gun, and citizens cannot protect themselves in dangerous situations if their right to defend themselves with a gun is taken away from them.

The Second Amendment, due to how the United States supreme court has interpret it means, “the U.S. Supreme Court has interpreted it to mean that most Americans have a constitutional right to defend themselves and their property, with force if necessary.” from lawyers.com. In other words, the second amendment allows citizens to use guns to protect themselves, and not only military force but other people who interpret the amendment think otherwise.

A very large issue in gun control is that criminals will always find a way to obtain a gun illegally making it impossible for the government to stop criminals from having one. In fact, in the Washington newspaper, in an article called “Activists Struggle to Loosen Mexican Gun Laws.” it talks about how we can not stop criminals from having guns by Nick Miroff. It states “In the gulf between U.S. and Mexican gun laws, illegal weapons traffickers have flourished, especially with the explosion of drug-cartel violence in the past decade. The flow of weapons from Arizona and Texas arms dealers into Mexico became a source of bilateral tension during the presidency of Felipe Calderon, from 2006 to 2012, boiling over with the "Fast and Furious" weapons-smuggling scandal.” Therefore, gun control can not stop illegal gun trafficking and criminals from obtaining one. Gun control doesn’t work and if we can’t protect ourselves from criminals with guns, it puts everyone in a higher risk of getting hurt.

While gun control advocates argue upon whether citizens with the right to own a gun puts up a higher risk of getting hurt, it has been a proven fact that a citizen that owns a gun is less likely to be harmed/ robbed if the criminal knows they own a gun. In fact, in an article, that follows up on Gary Kleck, a professor at the College of Criminology did a study on how many households have guns, and it says, “In 1993, Gary Kleck, a professor at the College of Criminology and Criminal Justice at Florida State University's School of Criminology,surveyed 2,000 households across the country and found that a gun is used in self-defense to protect its owner from crime 2.5 million times per year. Obviously, in the overwhelming majority of these situations, no shots are fired. The mere presentation of a firearm is enough to stop the behavior that necessitated the presentation of the firearm in the first place. Guns save far more civilian lives than they take.”. This clearly shows that just the presence of a gun can stop someone from committing a crime because it puts them at a higher risk of getting hurt then it does the innocent.Therefore, showing that you are indeed safer in your household if you own a gun and are able to protect yourself properly.

           Another issue that contributes to why gun control does not work is how are citizens supposed to protect themselves in dangerous situations if the weapon they have the right to own is taken away from them? For example, in an article named “10 Stories to Prove Guns Save Lives” a man named Kenneth Hammond was able to use his gun to protect many lives in a shopping mall. It states, “Sulejman Talovic, opened fire at the crowded Trolley Square shopping mall, killing five bystanders. Armed with a shotgun with a pistol grip, a 38-caliber handgun with rubber grips, and a backpack full of ammunition, he set forth on his rampage through the mall. But he did not get as far as he had hoped. He was stopped by off-duty police officer Kenneth Hammond of the Ogden City Police Department, who was at Trolley Square having an early Valentine’s Day dinner with his pregnant wife. When they heard shots his wife called 911 and he drew his weapon and confronted Talovic.” This shows that a serious crime was able to be stopped due to a citizen using their right to have a gun in order to protect their community. While gun control supporters argue on guns being dangerous, they save ordinary peoples lives from day to day. If Hammond never pulled that gun out on the criminal, how might their lives be different today? Better yet, would they even be alive?

               Although there are many reasons gun control supporters are against guns, one of the biggest reasons is gun ownership causes a higher rate of suicide. However, a Harvard study shows otherwise. In an article called “Harvard Study Reveals Gun Control Counterproductive” it states “The Harvard study attempts to answer the question of whether or not banning firearms would reduce murders and suicides.  Researchers looked at crime data from several European countries and found that countries with HIGHER gun ownership often had LOWER murder rates.” This shows that guns don’t kill people, people kill people, or in other words, people kill themselves.

Another reason people tend to be for gun control is that people with guns use that gun in defense in less than 1% of crimes committed. However, many people are not able to use their gun in order to defend themselves due to gun restricting laws. If those laws weren’t in place, that rate would be higher. For example, in an article written by the NRA Board of  Directors, they talk about the tragic story of how gun restrictions resulted in a mass murder. They state “In 1991, after leaving a legally owned firearm in her car in compliance with a local “safety” law restricting its carry in certain public places, Suzanna watched helplessly as her parents, along with 21 others, were murdered in a mass shooting at a local restaurant. Suzanna followed the law; the criminal didn't. How might the outcome have been different if the law had not restricted Suzanna’s right to have her firearm with her?”. This shows that people would be able to defend themselves if they were able to carry a gun with them a times, which is helpful because just like the story above, you don’t know when something dangerous is about to occur.

In conclusion, gun control doesn’t work for a number of reasons. These include, criminals will always be able to obtain guns, a person is less likely to be harmed if they own a gun and last how are citizens suppose to protect themselves in dangerous situations if their right to have a gun is taken away from them. We are american citizens, who were given the right to bear arms and protect ourselves when necessary due to the 2nd amendment. We do not want our rights taken away from us, because if they were, what ever happened to freedom in America? Although we don’t want to live in a world with so much danger, we can’t avoid it and need to take necessary precautions to reduce casualty or harm in anyway. As I conclude, I leave one more question. Do you want your rights taken away?

                                                                 Works Cited:
"Guns Save Lives." Guns Save Lives.  "Harvard study reveals gun control counterproductive." SmallGovTimes.      "John Hawkins - 10 Stories That Prove Guns Save Lives." townhall.com. Miroff, Nick. "Activists Struggle to Loosen Mexican Gun Laws." Washington Newspaper. "STUDY: More Guns Lead To More Suicides." ThinkProgress RSS. "The Second Amendment and the Right to Bear Arms." Lawyers.com. "eLibrary: Login." eLibrary: Login.