Change might be in the best interest of the United States

By Donald Arbuckle

A very concerning problem is taking effect within the United States and the problem concerns guns and mass shootings. This issue is a touchy and controversial subject that causes tension between a multitude of people due to the Second Amendment. The people of the United States have a very split opinion on the Second Amendment and gun control; they debate whether or not the U.S. should have stricter gun laws.

Countries that have very strict gun laws have less gun related deaths overall. Even countries such as Canada and France which have fewer gun laws have a lower amount of gun deaths compared to the United States, but countries such as the Republic of Korea and Japan have no gun deaths.  

Source: The American Journal of Medicine

In the United States, over half of the firearm deaths are attributed to suicides. According to The American Journal of Medicine, gun-related homicides were at a rate of 3.6 for every 100, 000 people, and suicides were at a rate of 6.3 for every 100,000 people. But countries with gun laws have little to no gun-related suicides and homicides.

The United States is a country with frequent shootings, and these shootings are commonly on television and news sites. Many people fight for gun control but are prevented by people who are pro-firearms. What worries people about gun laws is that they may essentially make it more difficult to obtain or purchase guns. A few gun-related laws that people want to pass are more thorough background checks, regular license renewal and psychological evaluation. It is common knowledge that a mass shooter tends to be mentally unstable, and should not have possession of a firearm, yet they still get ahold of them.

Americans are scared because it has become a possibility that they may be a victim as a result of these attacks. Schools are suppose to be safe places and fortified buildings due to the rise of mass shootings. Students worry about the possible threats that they may face at school because of a surge of these terrible events.

The laws that are feared by many are not a way for the government to take away guns; it is to keep citizens safe while giving citizens’ rights. According to USA Today, the easiest states to obtain guns in are as followed: Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana and Kansas. In these states, a license, registration or permit are not required to purchase a gun.

Source: Small Arms Survey

As shown by the graph above, there are a large number of firearms in the United States, meaning they are easily obtainable. This does not attribute to the number of mass shooting in the United States, but shows that they are not hard to get if a person wanted to carry out a mass shooting.

Mass shootings are a problem in the U.S., but most firearm deaths are linked to suicides. When someone who is suicidal uses a gun, they are less likely to survive the suicide. With guns being easily available, someone who is not mentally stable can make an irrational decision that could be preventable. Although mass shootings are easily preventable, so are suicides when a lethal weapon is used. With stricter gun laws, the number of  mass shootings and suicides will decreased.

Gun laws are an option to stop firearm-related deaths and stricken the accessibility of firearms.

In the United States, there are more guns than people; when a study was done it showed that there were 393 million guns to 326 million United States citizens. Countries like Japan and the Republic of Korea have no guns, and countries such as Norway have fewer guns than the United States and have few gun-related deaths.

The United State’s problem consists of uncertainty and fear that may never have a resolution. Many people believe gun laws are a way to decrease the use of firearm-related crimes and death, and others believe it is their right to own guns as a United State citizen. People do have the Constitutional right to own guns, so why do people abuse that right? It might be in America’s best interest for some change.

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