The Hot-Button Issue of Gun Control in America

Gun control is a hot-button issue in America, and has come up frequently all throughout our history. The liberal argument on gun control often includes that American citizens do not need certain guns, or any, or that gun ownership creates a more imminent threat to society than the danger involved in having no firearms with which to pursue personal defense. Conversely, the conservative argument enters that all men and women have a fundamental right to bear arms and munitions, to provide food, by way of hunting game, and security for themselves and their families, and that it is not the responsibility or right of the government to dictate what citizens do or do not need, In truth, the heavy regulation or outright ban of gun ownership is extremely harmful to society, and gun ownership is valuable for uses such as hunting, preservation of constitutional freedom, and maintaining peace.

The right to bear arms has always been important to our survival. As Casteen put it, Rural and subrural America still exists, and still matters, and still harbors a great many people who hunt not for sport but for food.

I’m not arguing that all hunters in America hunt for subsistence, but that hunting as a cultural activity stands for values and ethics that have an intrinsic worth (2004, p.7). In expansion of this, hunting creates a great number ofjobs and provides a precious source of sustenance and protein for needing families who otherwise would have less, or none. The right, and ability, to hunt for one’s food and subsequently survival, is important to many citizens who have need to do just that to get by each year.

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Hunting also creates a number ofjobs, and contributes to the economy, with 1 million jobs created, and roughly 229 billion dollars spent on hunting expenditures annually.

Constitutional freedom is an equally important reason why gun rights must not be infringed. These rights were bestowed upon American citizens for a number of reasons, all of which are laid out under no uncertain terms in the Bill of Rights Particularly, “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” (US, Const, amendt II), In the case of Chicago’s editing of its Responsible Gun Ownership Ordinance, post—McDonald vs Chicago, it was demonstrated that gun control initiatives, in order to be effective, must respect the constitutional right to own guns,Also, as criminals, by nature, do not hold regard for the law, banning firearms would not even be effective. As an example, cocaine is illegal; this does not mean that cocaine does not exist in America, only that criminals alone buy, sell, and use it, There is no evidence whatsoever to suggest that guns would be any different.

One of the most significant benefits to gun ownership is the enhanced safety it often provides to any society allowing these rights, Although gun control advocates try to assert the opposite, heavy regulations have not proven to actually reduce crime rates, and societies such as England which have stricter gun control laws, also oftentimes have very high crime rates, As the NRA frequently argues, it has been demonstrated that law-abiding gun- owners, with concealed carry permits, can prevent crime and protect unarmed innocents. Average 911 response time is slower than the response time of an armed citizen who is already on scene at the time the crime begins This possibility can lead to a safer society, as citizens are not forced to rely on the arrival of law enforcement alone for their safety and protection In conclusion, men and women in civilized society are worthy of the right to own guns, and to use them to protect their lives, families, property, freedom, and ability to eat.

The government is responsible to protect its citizens, but not to insist that it knows better the best interests of society as a whole than society itself knows. This mentality has caused many problems throughout history — such as the Iran-Contra and Watergate scandals, both of which were caused partly by a political leader deciding that he knew better than the laws and regulations set in placeMany gun control advocates insist that citizens do not “need” certain guns or ammunition types or amounts. However, the reality is, it is not up to them, or the government to decide what citizens need to own, but rather to do what is possible to keep the public safe, and pass laws which protect innocent citizens from criminals and fairly punish criminals, Given that there is no viable plan to, nor history of, keeping illegal guns away from criminals by enacting gun control laws, it is safer to own guns than to ban them.