Does Gun Control Stop Crime?

Introduction

The use of weapons is deeply rooted in American culture and has a long history. As in many other matters, the United States is divided into pro-gun and anti-gun groups of people, and “the way America must approach this issue” (Koduru 2). The reason for the formed position may be the involvement in the American army, facing danger as a victim, or being a family member or a friend of the one who did. However, regardless of the reasons behind people’s support or non-support of weapons use, it is clear that the United States is the country with one of the most considerable popularity of guns in the world. Every third American states that he/she has a gun of their own (Schaeffer). The situation behind American residents’ use of weapons is complex and multifaceted and needs to be controlled and revised regularly.

The United States Guns Use Statistics

The regulation of gun restrictions due to age is almost similar to alcohol restrictions in the United States. However, eighteen-year-old teenagers can legally purchase shotguns and ammunition, while handguns or other firearms can be bought by American residents aged twenty-one and more (Schuster). According to World Population Review, the United States is first regarding gun ownership. There are 120,5 guns owned by civilians per hundred people in 2022 (World Population Review). The majority of killings in the United States are gun-related. In 2020 seventy-nine percent of murders in the US were made using guns, while there were only thirteen percent in Australia and four percent in the UK (BBC). Regardless of the frightening statistics of killings using weapons, mass shootings trigger debates about gun control. These tragic events remain reasons for people’s uncertainty about the need for weapons to be legal. However, the situation around guns is not inactive because there are “nearly three hundred gun-control laws that have passed – mostly in liberal states but some in states usually averse to restrictions, such as Florida” (The Economist). The gun control background in America is ambiguous and has an unknown future.

Modern Changes in Gun Control

The statistics do not consistently demonstrate the big picture of the problem. Even though “the American people continue to purchase and possess more firearms, homicides, and violent crimes have continued to diminish for several decades because guns in the hands of the law‐abiding citizens do not translate into more crime” (Ausman et al. 5). It is essential that “taking guns away from honest people does not keep them away from criminals or crazy people” (Gallington). There is also movement in the opposite direction by police departments that developed a program of buying guns people no longer need (Matza et al.). Specifically, in June, police officers in Miami offered money for owned guns that will be sent to Ukraine to help Ukrainians fight Russian aggression and terror (Matza et al.). It isn’t easy to compare the United States’ situation to the ones in other countries. For example, in Australia, “forty-five percent of the population supports the current gun laws, and forty-four percent want them to be strengthened” (Brennan). That means that almost ninety percent of the population wants gun control to be stricter than in the United States of America.

To conclude, gun control does stop crimes, but it is not a universal solution. This issue needs to be regularly inspected and controlled by the government to prevent harmful incidents in the future. The law requires change constantly to protect the population from danger. People must understand the risks weapons can cause and analyze their need to own them.

Works Cited

Ausman, James, and Faria Miguel. “Is Gun Control Really About People Control?” Surgical Neurology International, vol. 10, no. 195, 2019.

“America’s Gun Culture – in Seven Charts.” BBC, 2022, Web.

Brennan, Elliot. “Why Can’t the United States Enact Australian-style Gun Control?” USSC, 2018, Web.

Gallington, Daniel. “The United States is Not Like the Rest of the World on Gun Control.” Washington Times, 2019, Web.

Koduru, Anna. “Gun Control: The Gun Violence Epidemic in the U.S.” Williams Honors College, 2019, Web.

Schaeffer, Katherine. “Key Facts About Americans and Guns.” Pew Research Center, 2021, Web.

Schuster, Kathleen. “Eight Facts About Gun Control in the US.” DW, 2020, Web.

“Why isn’t America’s Gun-control Movement More Effective?” The Economist, 2022, Web.

“Gun Ownership by Country 2022.” World Population Review, 2022, Web.