Gun control Essay – from a 9th Grader
===============================

GUN CONTROL

Guns are engrained into American society. Everyday, they are on the news, in the newspapers, and seen in movies, television, and magazines. Some wish them to be outlawed, while others would fight to keep them.
Guns killed 4,223 children in 1997. Of those, 25 were killed in school shootings. Most, however, were caused by very tragic yet very preventable accidents (Kantrowitz 39). The average age of a person arrested for homicide is between 15 and 19 (Henry 196). It seems kids everywhere have guns and are using them for crime. It has been illegal since 1968 for anyone who has committed a felony to purchase any type of firearm, and for anyone under 18 to purchase a shotgun or rifle, and anyone under 21 to purchase a handgun. That law doesn?t seem to be working very well. There is almost a 50-50 chance that a child will encounter a gun at a friend?s home while playing there, as 40% of American homes have guns (Henry 196). One solution would be to make mandatory laws on keeping all guns under lock and key or in a safe. This seems like an ideal answer, but it can?t possibly work for everyone. Not all people have small children to worry about, or irresponsible kids. Furthermore, a gun that is locked up cannot be accessed quickly if a criminal is trying to attack.
Assault weapon. Saturday Night Special. Plastic handgun. These are terms often thrown around by the media and many people don?t entirely understand their true meaning. An assault weapons ban went into place in 1994. An assault weapon is defined by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms as being semi-automatic (the gun uses leftover energy from the fired bullet to eject the spent shell casing, feed a new bullet, and engage the hammer; the trigger must be pulled and released for each shot) and having two or more of the following features: a pistol grip, a detachable ammunition feeding device that holds more than 10 bullets, a folding shoulder stock, a flash suppressor, a bayonet lug, or a grenade or flare launcher (NRA 7). These weapons are called ?ideal? for criminals or mass murderers. But they too have legitimate uses. Self-defense, hunting, collecting, and target shooting are the main reasons for ownership. In fact, the AR-15, the civilian version of the Army?s M-16, dominates the national match shooting competitions and small game hunting in states that it is legal. Rifles are the least used firearm in crimes, followed by shotguns. In most crimes where a firearm is used it is a handgun. Only 1% of crimes were committed with an assault rifle before the 1994 Brady Act, which put the above regulations into law. Today, that percentage remains unchanged by that law (NRA 7).
Saturday Night Specials are usually classified as small, lightweight, easily concealed handguns of a small caliber and made of cheap, inferior materials. They are priced under $100. These, too, are considered the ?perfect? gun for criminals, due to their low price and concealability. But ?Saturday Night Specials? are used for self-defense as well, often by poor people who cannot afford larger commercial handguns, which most commonly are in excess of $500, or by people who want a small handgun to keep with them at all times for self-defense.
In light of recent terror attacks, there has been much scrutiny put on plastic handguns, which are said to be able to pass through airport metal detectors undetected, making them the ideal weapon for hijackers. This is very false. The term ?plastic handgun? is a misnomer. No handgun to date has been entirely constructed of plastic. This usually refers to the Glock 17, which has a grip frame composed of polymer compounds. The slide, barrel, chamber, and all other moving parts are made of steel. It is actually 90% steel (Newton 66).
Possibly the most controversial aspect of gun control is the Second Amendment, which states, ?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? (NRA 22). Some would argue that the 2nd Amendment only protects a collective right, like that of a militia (who?s modern day counterparts are the National Guard). Others, like the Supreme Court, would say that it protects the right of an individual. In the cases Scott vs. Sanford and U.S. vs. Urguidez, the Supreme Court ruled that the Second Amendment refers to an individual right of every citizen to keep and bear arms. Furthermore, Thomas Jefferson, who originally suggested the Bill of Rights, once wrote, ?No free man shall ever be debarred from the use of arms? and, ?Laws that forbid carrying of arms?disarm only those who are neither inclined nor determined to commit crimes?Such laws make things worse for the assaulted and better for the assailant?. James Madison, who was instrumental in drafting the Constitution said, ?The advantage of being armed which Americans posses over the people of almost every other nation?where the governments are afraid to trust people with arms?. In addition, Samuel Adams said, ?The said constitution shall never be construed to authorize Congress to infringe the just liberty of the press, or the rights of conscience, or to prevent the people of the United States, who are peaceable citizens, from keeping their own arms? (NRA 7).
The carrying of a concealed handgun in a public place, commonly referred to as CCW, is now lawful in over 30 states. Between 1977 and 1992, 10 states adopted the laws after an experiment with the law in Florida deemed positive results. For instance, in states that allow CCW, violent crime is 81% lower than states that don?t allow CCW. Property crime is also lower; 24% lower. Aggravated assault was lower in comparison to before these states put their CCW policies into law. They had an average of 70 cases per 100,000 people, while five years later that statistic had dropped to 50 cases. In addition, robberies had also declined; seven years before the CCW policies were accepted, there was an average of 119 robberies per 100,000 people, which decreased to 100 per 100,000. Rape also lessened slightly. Over a five year period the rape rate went from 1.68 per 100,000 to 1.54 per 100,000 residents. Moreover, there was a 77% probability that a state would have a mass shooting spree. Four years later that horrifying statistic had diminished to 1% or less (Lott 78). While many of the above figures are just speculation, and there could be other variables contributing to these drops in crime, there does seem to be some sort of connection between regular citizens carrying guns and the crime rate.
Gun control has been tried in a number of countries and cities around the world. At home in America, Boston tried a form of gun control. In 1976 Boston had the fifth highest crime rate in the US. That same year, Boston passed a law that said a person must go to jail for at least a year for carrying an unlicensed handgun. In 1981, five years later, Boston had the highest overall crime rate of any US city. Great Britain has also flirted with gun control, starting in 1960. Between 1960 and 1975, the homicide rate in America rose 30%, while England?s rose 50%. And while England does have a very low murder rate, it has the highest home invasion rate and violent crime rate among the top 17 industrial nations. Many would also point towards English gun control because of their low murder rate. However, the United Kingdom had an even lower murder rate before their gun control laws. Switzerland has 31 handgun murders a year, and they have very little gun control. In fact, every male 18 years or older must have military training and a machine gun in his home! Australia and Canada both have very restrictive gun control laws, with an average of only five handgun deaths a year. Japan has much gun control, and it has an average of 46 handgun murders a year. Israel, the country with so many terrorist attacks, has an average of 18 handgun murders per year, yet they have hardly any gun control laws. The US has 8,092 handgun murders a year. This is astonishing and shocking in comparison to other countries. But with the handguns in the US, 300,000 Americans use handguns to defend themselves every year (Sullivan 13).
Gun control is so multi-faceted and complicated that it is difficult to address. However, based on the facts, gun control is wrong. People should be able to buy guns for themselves whenever they want and be unencumbered by waiting periods or licensing. Children and criminals should be restricted from buying a gun by background checks. Everyone else, though, should be able to buy a gun, any gun, regardless of action type, size, caliber, barrel length, or other features, to defend themselves, their family, or to hunt, collect, or target shoot.

Bibliography
Anderson, George F. ?Treating Gun Violence as a Public Health Issue Could Reduce Problem.? Guns and Violence: Opposing Viewpoints. Kim, Henry H. San Diego: Greennhaven Press, 1999. p. 190-197.

Feder, Don. ?Guns Should not be Blamed for Violence.? Guns and Violence: Opposing Kantrowitz, Barbara. Newsweek, August 23, 1999, p.45

Lott, John R., Jr. More Guns, Less Crime. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 1951

National Rifle Association. www.nra.org. January 22, 2003. Internet Online

Newton, David E. Gun Control: An Issue For the Nineties Hillside, NJ: Enslow Publishers Inc.

Sullivan, Carol O. Gun Control: Distinguishing Between Fact and Opinion San Diego: Greenhaven Press, Inc. 1989

Thompson, Sara. Guns and Violence: Opposing Viewpoints. Kim, Henry H. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, Inc. 1999 p.133-143

Witkin, Gordon. ?Should You Own a Gun?? US News and World Report. Vol. 117, No.7, August 15, 1994, p. 25-35

__________________