An Argument Against Gun Control, Essay Example

You make an argument against gun control, stating that restricting access to guns would not yield any positive results due to the fact that criminals never follow laws regardless of what is passed. This line of argumentation is based on the premise that laws passed to restrict the ownership of guns and the kinds of guns that people can own would merely hurt the individuals who comply with the laws. Locales that have more restrictive policies regarding guns would, by this line of thinking, experience higher crime rates since a population that is armed acts as a deterrent to criminal activity. This notion of gun-free areas implies that the only way to abate crime is if the good guys have access to guns to do so. The reality, however, is incommensurate with this line of argumentation. The empirical reality about gun control laws and the reduction of deaths involving guns reveals that there is a direct correlation. Moreover, such a tautological argument that regardless of the law criminals do not comply is seemingly irrelevant to a sound discussion on gun control. Such a contention provides no substance or guidance to what should be done about the problem of gun-related violence in society today. It is naive to assume that just because criminals do not follow laws–i.e. as you say, they will use other weapons to engage in violent crime–that there should be none passed unless all citizens comply. What would be the point of any laws? No law has a 100% compliance rate. However, despite these points, your discussion about the mental health aspect with regards to gun ownership is a cogent one.

This post was a very cogent discussion of the dichotomous nature of the gun control debate which seems to fall along a continuum regarding the course of action that needs to be taken. Your comparison between having a driver’s license to drive a car and owning a gun license perfectly depicts the argument in favor of extensive background checks and issuing licenses. However, this discussion of the example of Maryland would have more credence had you included statistical data showing its efficacy in reducing rates of gun-related violence. You are correct in your discussion about the role of mental health problems in the mass shootings that have taken place in the past few years.