Ten-thousand, five-hundred, twenty-seven people die a year in a handgunrelated incidents in the United States.This number, by far, out weighs thosegun related deaths in countries such as Sweden, Great Britain, and Japan, whichnumber 13, 22, and 87 respectively.
What is the reason for such drastic differences in numbers?The lattermentioned countries have stricter gun control laws and they require bare armsafety courses.These laws have a direct relationship to the number of gundeaths which occur each year from country to country.Perhaps if the U.S. wouldadopt some of those laws the number of deaths would drop accordingly.
Winthrop addressed such a dilemma almost 350 years ago in his “Speech tothe General Court” in 1645.Winthrop’s two main problems were where do therights of people stop and the magistrates’ authority begin.According toWinthrop,people are naturally evil, and if left to their own devices, theywill become even worse.Therefore, authority is a necessity.This sameprinciple holds true for gun control.People here in the U.S. have the “rightto bare arms,” but with that right comes responsibility.As an American withthat right you’re not free to shoot anyone or anything at will.Governmentshould create laws to protect the rights of others.
I believe stricter gun control laws and better education on the use ofguns is necessary.People of the U.S. aren’t as rigidly regulated by gun lawscompared to our European neighbors.In the United States it takes anywhere froma few days to a couple of weeks to get a permit to carry a handgun.However, inmost crimes committed with a handgun, the gun isn’t even licensed.Moreauthority is necessary to control the illegal handling of handguns.In England,guns which are permitted for hunting are required to be signed out, purpose ofuse stated, and the type of gun.
I also feel the person requesting a permit should first be educated onthe proper use, cleaning, and handling of a firearm.This would help to avoidany accidental shootings from occurring.They should be made aware of all thelaws regarding the handling of firearms.
To some this may seem severe.But as I stated earlier, these stricterlaws do affect the difference between the U.S. and Europe in the amount ofhandgun related deaths.
In these controversial issues about gun control, it is my opinion thatthe United States should have stricter gun obtaining laws.If a criminal wasconvicted for a gun related crime, he should be unable to purchase a gun.Forthe average human being, if one wants to purchase a gun, he should have acomplete background check, take a course, and pass it to show that you arecapable of using such dangerous equipment, like a gun.
Just as Winthrop struggled with the conflict between people’s rights andthe authorities impending on their rights, we today, have those same struggles. The right to bare arms and the responsibilities that go with those rights isjust one of the many of those struggles we as American citizens have to facetoday.Had there been a better screening process to own a gun, the Lock HavenMassacre in 1969 may have been prevented.
