America Does Not Need Gun Control Essay -- argumentative, persuasive,

Gun control is often considered as an effective means of protecting ordinary citizens. We all want to feel safe, and it's easy to ascribe notions of safety to the idea of gun control. Unfortunately, feeling safe and actually being safe can be very different things. Gun control sounds wonderful in theory: no guns means no shootings. If only it were that simple. When one considers some of the worst shootings and gun-related crimes in recent history, it's peculiar to realize how often these occurred in places where guns were illegal to carry or even own. It's downright disturbing to realize that, in some cases, the only armed person in sight was the one planning a crime. A sign that says 'no guns' might as well say 'no resistance'. What safer environment could exist—for a criminal? It is my intention, throughout this paper, to discuss the disadvantages and incongruities of gun control policies, and to highlight and provide argument for the positive benefits of gun ownersh ip. The major problem with gun control laws is that it is likely only the law-abiding will obey them. In the midst of planning or perpetrating a crime, is it plausible that criminals stop and wonder whether their firearm is duly registered with the state, or even legal in their local ordinance? Seems kind of silly. In the meantime, some conscientious citizens have turned in their firearms while others no longer carry them out of the house, or carry their handguns about in a locked case in their car (where they are about as useful a means for defense as butter for cutting granite). Clearly, the law is only a restriction upon those who obey it. Another problem is deciding whether or not gun control laws are even, well, lawful. This is not as cut and dried ... ...it is up to individuals to decide whether or not owning a gun for self-defense is the right choice in their life. It is a responsibility, and not to be taken lightly. All persons must decide this on their own, but no one should be able decide that it is the wrong choice for everybody else. Works Cited DeShaney v. Winnebago Cty. Soc. Servs. Dept., 489 U.S. 189, 196 (1989). â€Å"Injury Prevention & Control: Data & Statistics (WISQARSTM).† CDC. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 4 Mar. 2015. Web. 16 May 2015. Lott, John R. Jr. More Guns, Less Crime: Understanding Crime and Gun-Control Laws, Third Edition (Studies in Law and Economics). Chicago: U of Chicago P, 2010. Print. McDonald v. Chicago, 561 U.S. ___ (2010). (slip op., 44). Small Arms Survey. Small Arms Survey 2014: Guns and the City. Web. 16 May 2015. http://www.smallarmssurvey.org/