Persuasive Essay for Gun Control
Guns do not kill people, people kill people. This is a commonly used argument when gun control is the topic. Assuming that the latter part of this statement is true then why does it seem that our system is making it easy to equip these people with the means to kill. High assault weapons are intended to kill and pairing this with people who have not been properly screened or trained to handle guns of any type is an accident or tragedy waiting to happen. Having stricter gun control laws will help save lives by banning assault weapons and high capacity magazines, limiting who is able to purchase guns and, requiring mandatory gun safety classes prior to purchasing a gun.
Banning assault weapons and high capacity magazines would be a first good step towards creating stricter gun control. Most mass shootings use high assault weapons and though banning them may not eliminate them from happening it may help to reduce the amount of people that are killed. According to Nickitas, D.M. (2013) “Assault weapons or high-capacity magazines were used in 28% of the incidents, and when they were used, more than twice the number of people were shot and 50% more were killed” (p. 57). Hand guns can provide adequate protection to defend yourself against an intruder. The intent should be to disable and stop a person who may be posing a threat; not kill them. Law enforcement should be the only people who access to this type of fire power.
There should be a process in place to limit who is able to purchase a gun. This can be done by doing more in depth background checks that include a waiting period. Having a waiting period so that this can be completed will help to not let anyone slip through the cracks. Another thing to consider doing is to raise the minimum age limit to purchase guns. The minimum age to purchase guns should be twenty-one. Young adults still need time to develop the proper skills to make good decisions and learn how to handle their...