Why guns should be outlawed in the United States

Gun Ownership and Gun Control

In American culture today, guns are worshiped. Children play with toy guns, television and film glorify gun violence, teenagers show off guns to one another in order to get respect, and powerful lobbyist groups keep these weapons legal and accessible. There's something wrong with this picture. There's something wrong with a culture that believes guns are more important than feeding the hungry or sheltering the homeless. There's something wrong with a culture that worships a weapon.

Statistics show that gun ownership has done nothing more than hurt Americans. Goods for Guns, a non-profit organization, published the following facts about guns in America in their report, "National Gun Violence Statistics":

In 1999, approximately 10, 096 people were murdered by guns in the United States.

In 1998, over 30,000 people died from gunshots in the U.S.

A gun kept in the home is 22 times more likely to kill a family member or a friend than it is to be used on an intruder.

Ten children are killed by guns in the U.S. every day, on average.

In 1996, handguns were used to murder 2 people in New Zealand, 15 in Japan, 30 in Great Britian, 106 in Canada, 211 in Germany, and 9,390 in the United States. (National Gun Violence Statistics, Pg 1)

The following statistics create a clear thesis. Guns in the United States must be outlawed. The vast majority of the firearms in this country were created to kill people and that is just what they are doing. People will not truly be safe until, all guns are removed from the hands of the irresponsible and the criminal.

This paper is an in depth exploration of guns and the way that they have been employed throughout the United States. Within this paper, facts and figures will be presented which will show how guns have created a culture of fear throughout the U.S. Ultimately, the proceeding discussions will lead one to an understanding as to why guns should be outlawed. This will be done through discussions on criminals with guns, youth violence, the easy acquisition of firearms, the use of guns in suicide, and the health care costs associated with firearms.

The United States is cursed with a plague of guns. And like any disease, a cure must be found. The most obvious cure in this case is to simply eliminate the disease.

Guns in the Wrong Hands:

Clearly criminals have guns. Everybody knows that criminals have guns because everybody has seen criminals with guns on television. If the criminals on television have guns then the ones in the real world must have guns too. Though this is faulty logic, there is some truth to it. Criminals are just as influenced by media portrayals as others, as a result, most criminals would like to obtain a firearm of some sort whether they intend to use it or not.

One of the major strikes against criminal gun ownership came in the form of the 1993 Brady Bill. This particular bill was named after James Brady, the presidential press secretary who was shot and paralyzed in a 1981 assassination attempt on Ronald Regan's life. The bill essentially requires background checks and a five day waiting period for prospective gun buyers. Since it's enactment in 1993, the bill has purportedly stopped numerous dangerous criminals from obtaining guns. (Locking up Guns, Pg 1)

What the Brady bill doesn't account for is the amount of guns already in circulation. There are currently so many guns out there that it is not hard for criminals to obtain firearms. Whether at a gun shop or at a gun show, the legislation which has been enacted to keep criminals from owning guns has fallen short.

Faulty records enable terrorists, illegal aliens, and criminals to purchase guns. Over a two and a half year period, at least 9,976 convicted felons and other illegal buyers in 46 states obtained guns because of inadequate records.

Gun Violence Statistics, Pg 1)

Even if the legislation and background checks worked, criminals could always have family members or friends purchase guns for them. A study by Goods for Guns indicated that forty percent of former prison inmates who wish to obtain a gun are able to do so through an intermediary like a friend or relative.

Criminals may have other means of obtaining guns as well. Certainly most criminals who would like to use a gun in a violent crime are not opposed to stealing one. They may also be able to buy guns on the black market or obtain them through a number of other illegal loopholes in the system.

Within America's gun culture there is a subculture which is just as disturbing as the criminal culture. This is the militia/Arian nations movement that exists in the backwoods of places like Idaho and Michigan. The people within these organizations are often not stable, many stockpile weapons for wars which will never happen, some are preparing for Armageddon whereas others are preparing for a race war. The vast majority of these people do not have criminal records and as such cannot be kept from buying weapons. The result is that there is a contingent of people who have enough guns to cause a great deal of trouble should they ever decide to.

Though Timothy McVeigh did not use a gun in his attack on the Oklahoma City Federal Building, that doesn't mean that he hadn't stockpiled weapons. This particular product of the militia atmosphere in the United States is a perfect example of what can happen when unstable people are provoked to violence. McVeigh had access to many forms of weapons including guns. In this particular case he chose explosives. The next militia person or group to become involved in domestic terrorism will use whatever they can get their hands on. Certainly guns will always be a major part of the extreme right's world view.

Youth Violence:

One of the most disturbing trends in gun violence revolves around youth violence. This particular form of gun violence appears to be shifting and changing as time goes on, but it is by no means going away. Following are some statistics on youth violence in America:

Nearly 16 children died a day in 1997 as a result of a firearms homicide, suicide or unintentional shooting.

Between 1986 and 1992, the total number of children killed by firearms rose by 144%.

From 1985-1993, murders committed by people over age 25 dropped 20%; but they increased 65% among 18 to 24-year-olds and increased 165% among 14 to 17-year-olds.

Annual rates of firearm homicides for youths age 15-19 increased 155% between 1989 and 1994.

In Los Angles County between 1981 and 1992, a child between five and nine was slain, on average, every eight and a half days.

Trafficking of Illegal Guns, Pg 1)

The reality is that tracking weapons after they've been sold is nearly impossible. Certainly after a crime takes place, the police investigate the history of a given weapon as they did in the Columbine incident. However, a post crime investigation on the history of a weapon is simply too late. The victim of the shooting has already suffered either an injury or death. Where the gun came from or how it got into the hands of a criminal no longer matters to the victim.

The authorities have a tremendously difficult time regulating and investigating crimes committed with large visible vehicles. Stolen cars are often not found, large amounts of agricultural products are transported into places that they are not supposed to be, and entire trailers full of illegal immigrants cross the boarder on a regular basis. What would make anyone believe that the authorities have the means to follow all of the legal sales of a given weapon much less the illegal movements of it? Guns, handguns in particular, are small and are easily moved between people and places. Until guns are simply outlawed this movement will continue to take place.

Suicide:

Most teenagers go through multiple periods of depression during their adolescence. Many of them consider suicide at one point or another, but most do not go through with it. Unfortunately there is a contingent of teens who do commit suicide. Many of them use a firearm.

Certainly adults are not immune to the temptation of suicide either. This particular crime tends to peak in the teen years, but people of all ages are prone to depression and with that the possibility of suicide.

The New England Journal of Medicine has determined that the presence of a gun in the home increases the risk of suicide fivefold. (Guns and Suicide, Pg 1)

On average between the years of 1991-2000, 1,323 kids committed suicide with a firearm each year; more than 150 each year were kids under 15 years-old. (Kids and Guns, Pg 1)

Firearms are a highly lethal means of suicide. One study found that 92% of suicide attempts with a firearm result in a fatality. (Guns and Suicide, Pg 1)

Suicide by firearms was the most common method for both men and women, accounting for 57% of all suicides, according the National Institute of Mental Health. (Guns and Suicide, Pg 1)

Among persons aged 15-19 years, firearm-related suicides accounted for 62% of the increase in the overall rate of suicide from 1980-1997. (Guns and Suicide, Pg 1)

In 1997, guns were used in 17,566 suicides, compared with 13,522 homicides, according to the National Vital Statistics Report. (Guns and Suicide, Pg 1)

The last statistic is perhaps the most disturbing of them all. In 1997 there were over four thousand more suicides using guns than there were homicides. This figure alone lends tremendous credibility to arguments against owning a firearm. The obvious assumption to be made from these statistics is that if a weapon is not available immediately, the likelihood of a suicide attempt goes down.

There are currently no readily available statistics which correlate a lack of access to firearms with suicide attempts. This is partially because any such statistic would be skewed. How would the statisticians know the number of people who ultimately decided against suicide because a weapon was not there during times of crisis?

The reality is that if a person is determined to kill him or herself, lack of a firearm will not eliminate their options. Outlawing guns would have an effect on suicide statistics, but it would not stop suicide. However, simply eliminating the quick and efficient means provided in a gun may make many think twice. Certainly those who make a rash decision without thinking it through, such as teenagers, will have far fewer options.

Health Care Costs:

The Youth Violence Statistics identified the costs of gun violence in 1995 to equal more than 14 billion dollars. It should come as no surprise that eighty percent of this money comes directly from taxpayers. (Youth Violence Statistics, Pg 2) These figures are primarily associated with the medical costs of gunshot injuries and deaths. Until recently, no comprehensive look at the costs of gun violence was ever compiled.

A landmark study was just completed which looked at each of the different factors combining them together to identify the real costs of gun violence. Philip J. Cook and Jens Ludwig's book, Gun Violence: The Real Costs, reveal that investments made in prevention, avoidance and harm reduction, within both the public and private sectors account for tremendous sums of money related to gun violence. Along with this they look closely at the subjective costs associated with living in a society which worships guns. (Cook, Pg 1)

There are many areas in the average American's life where gun violence has had an effect. Everything from thick glass at the bank to medal detectors in schools and airports, from paying taxes to protect public officials to buying transparent backpacks for post Columbine children to wear to school. Security alone at public events accounts for a tremendous amount of money. And what about the money that goes into supporting those who have been traumatized by gun violence? What about the money spent on politicians debating bills and laws concerning gun violence? We live in a culture where everything from tickets to see a movie to access to public lands has been effected by violence with firearms.

Cook and Ludwig identify a figure far more imposing than the already imposing 14 billion dollars which is quoted at the start of this section. Indeed, they estimate that Americans spend 100 billion dollars every year due to direct and indirect costs associated with gun violence.

Clearly, the amount of money spent on issues revolving around firearms is ludicrous. Outlawing guns would have a short-term detrimental effect on the economy with increased law enforcement and policing of illegal gun sales, but in the long run money would no longer have to be spent on items to protect the American public from gun violence.

Conclusion:

The preceding pages have been devoted to statistics and arguments revolving around the issue of gun violence. Five primary areas have been covered, guns falling into the wrong hands, the high volume of youth violence with firearms, the easy acquisition of guns, the use of firearms in suicides, and finally the cost of gun violence in the United States. In each section an argument has been made which implies that our nation would be far better off were guns outlawed. The amount of death and carnage within this country is unprecedented, it is time to take all guns off the street.

But wouldn't that be unconstitutional? Wouldn't it go against everything the second amendment was created for?

Absolutely not.

The founding fathers did not live in a culture where teenagers brought weapons to school in order to kill one another. They did not live in a time when criminal gun violence was so commonplace that they had to worry about it on a daily basis. They did not know anything about assault rifles or machine guns and they had no idea that one day small children would think of guns as toys. One hundred billion dollars was a figure that didn't exist when they were alive. Were the founding fathers here today it is likely that they would rewrite, if not completely repeal the second amendment.

Large groups of lobbyists such as those who work for the National Rifle Association have a stranglehold on the government. Most people do not want to see more guns on the street as the NRA would like the country to believe. Instead, most Americans would like to see more gun control and less gun violence. Politicians need to understand that what's good for one organization is not always what's good for the rest of the country.

Guns and gun violence are a curse to the United States. Most Americans are so used to seeing the results of said violence on the news that it is thought of as normal. Murder and suicide with firearms should not be considered normal. It is time for the government of the United States, in conjunction with the people of this nation to outlaw firearms. It's time for people to have an understanding of what has happened in this country. It's time for people to be free of gun violence. It's just simply time.