The idea that the easy availability of guns does not have anything to do with high homicide rates in the United States is a myth and a propaganda campaign of the National Rifle Association and others who support its ideology.
Let me illustrate the necessity of stricter licensing system by bringing an example from international affairs. There are a few nations that possess nuclear weapons but there is a general consensus among civilized nations, including most that do not possess nuclear weapons, that irresponsible nations must not be allowed to possess nuclear weapons. The reasoning behind this consensus is that a the availability of nuclear weapons will make it easy for a country like Iran to unleash attacks and kill lots of people. No one justifies Iran's right to possess nuclear weapons by saying that "nuclear weapons do not kill people, people kill people" although it is also a technically correct statement. Those responsible for international affairs do not make that argument because they know that the issue is much more complicated. There is no doubt that the availability of nuclear weapons all around the world will increase the likelihood of wars.
Of course, comparing handguns with nuclear weapons is not accurate either. But the reasoning behind this comparison is correct. Just like there are irresponsible states such as Iran and North Korea who cannot be trusted with possession of nuclear weapons, there are many in America...
There are too many deranged nuts who use guns to kill people. Easy availability of guns significantly increases the likelihood of homicides and suicides. The argument that people kill people even without guns is again overly simplistic. Baseball bats, pocket knives, or other handy weapons cannot replace guns. America knows of too many cases when teenagers kill scores of people with guns and they also know that those teenagers would not have been able to kill that many people without guns. When we know that the United States has outrageously higher number of homicides than other developed countries, we need to stop pretending that it is not a problem and that it does not have anything to do with loose gun control system. It is a serious problem that needs to be tackled. That is why, we need stricter gun licensing system.
Works Cited
Blodget, Henry. "Yes, 'Guns Don't Kill People, People Kill People,' but Do We Really Want Guns for Sale at Walmart?" The Business Insider. 10 January 2011. Web. 25 April 2012
Erbe, Bonnie. "The NRA is Wrong: Guns Do Kill People, as the Pittsburg Shootings Show." USNews. 6 April 2009. Web. 25 April 2012
Hemenway, David. Private Guns, Public Health. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press, 2004. Print.
Henigan, Dennis. "Actually, Guns Do Kill People." HuffingtonPost. 27 July 2011. Web. 25 April 2012
