Gun Control Wouldn't It Be Term Paper

According to gun control advocates, crime should be extraordinary, but this simply is not the case. In fact, the exact opposite is true. Switzerland has far less crime per capita than the United States and almost no gun crime. Based on this example, Kopel (1988) correctly concludes that there is no direct link between the level of citizen gun ownership and the level of gun misuse.

Then there's the case of Kennesaw, Georgia where crime dropped after a law that requires its citizens to own guns passed. Lieutenant Craig Graydon, Kennesaw Police Department comments, "Well, after the city ordinance passed, there was actually a decrease in reported crime in the Kennesaw area, especially violent crime." (Wilmouth, 2007).

Last, but certainly not least, is the fact that there's already plenty of gun control legislation and it doesn't work. So, if guns are outlawed only criminals will have guns, leaving law-abiding citizens with no way to protect themselves. The National Academy of Sciences issued a 328-page report based on 253 journal articles, 99 books, 43 government publications, a survey of 80 different gun-control laws and some its own independent study ("Gun Control Doesn't Reduce Crime, Violence, Say Studies," 2004). The panel comprised of all but one of its members favoring gun control found no link between restrictions on gun ownership and lower rates of crime, firearms violence or even accidents with guns. Justice Department suggesting background checks at gun shows would do little to keep firearms out of the hands of criminals. Another study of 18,000 state and federal inmates conducted by the Justice Department revealed that criminals obtain guns illegally ("Gun Control Doesn't Reduce Crime, Violence, Say Studies," 2004). It found that nearly 80% of these inmates to their guns from friends or family members, or on the street through illegal purchases.

In conclusion, the right to bear arms is a person's constitutionally protected right and extreme justifications would be needed to change the constitution. Gun control advocates claim that gun control is justified because guns promote crime and that gun control laws are the answer. However, this paper has shown that both claims are false. In fact, guns actually deter crime and gun control laws wouldn't disarm criminals.

What gun control laws would do is embolden criminals in making attacks against unarmed citizens. For all these reasons, citizens should oppose gun control.

Bibliography

Greenslade, Robert. "The Flawed Second Amendment." Nitwit Press 6 Oct. 2004. http://www.thepriceofliberty.org/04/10/06/greenslade.htm

Gun Control Doesn't Reduce Crime, Violence, Say Studies." WorldNetDaily. 30 Dec. 2004. http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=42167

Kopel, David B. "Trust the People: The Case Against Gun Control" 11 Jul. 1998. Cato Institute. http://www.cato.org/pubs/pas/pa109.pdf

The Right to Keep and Bear Arms." Report of the Subcommittee on the Constitution of the United States Senate Ninety-Seventh Congress. Second Session Feb.1982. http://www.constitution.org/mil/rkba1982.htm

Whether the Second Amendment Secures an Individual Right." U.S. Department of Justice, Memorandum Opinion for the Attorney General 24 Aug. 2004. http://www.usdoj.gov/olc/secondamendment2.htm#2d

Wilmouth, Brad. "ABC's Stossel Links Gun Control to Higher Crime." NewsBusters. 6 May 2007. http://www.newsbusters.org/node/12556