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Jeremy Foster
Professor Muesing
UWRT-1102
March 3rd 2016
Gun Control
Passed by Congress on September 25th, 1789 and ratified on December 15th, 1791, the
Second Amendment of the United States Constitution states that A well regulated Militia, being
necessary to the security of the free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not
be infringed. People tend to misunderstand what the amendment means by militia. They think
that only a regulated militia has the right to bear arms but what that amendment is really saying
is that both people in the military and people that are not affiliated with the military have the
right to own firearms for lawful purposes such as hunting or self defense. Some people want to
completely strip citizens of their guns and ability to proficiently protect themselves and their
family while others believe that they should be allowed to own almost any weapon they want.
There are positive and negative effects to both sides of the conflict but there is a fine line
between the two.
A gun is a tool that can be used for a wide variety of beneficial task in the right hands.
The actual firearm itself does not have a mind of its own but the person behind the trigger does.
Stripping a law abiding citizen, who has passed all of the background checks and legal
qualifications, of his/her right to defend themselves is outrageous. No matter what laws congress
decides to pass, criminals are still going to have the ability to get guns at their disposal illegally.
As a result, when the criminals decide to engage in criminal activities, we will have no way to
protect ourselves. On January 8th, 2016, CNN broadcasted a live interview with president

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Barrack Obama on gun control in America. Kimberly Corban, a rape survivor and a mother of
two, stated The restrictions on guns is making it harder and harder for me to carry concealed
making my family and I feel unsafe. Following Kimberly Corbans statement, Arizona sheriff
and candidate for congress Paul Babeu asked How do we get those with mental illnesses and
criminals, thats the real problem here, how are we going to get them to follow the laws?.
President Obama replied to officer Babeus statement by saying Crime is always going to be
with us, so I think its important for us not to suggest if we cant solve every crime, we shouldnt
solve any crimes (Collinson, 2016) http://www.cnn.com/2016/01/07/politics/obama-executiveaction-gun-control-town-hall/. If the president himself admitted that crime will always be with
us, why do people think that taking away our line of defense is going to benefit the law abiding
citizens of America?
Carrying concealed can not only save your life but it can save the lives of others as well.
There are many incidents where an armed citizen saved multiple lives by drawing his/her firearm
and eliminating the threat. A pharmacist in West Virginia saved the lives of multiple people when
and armed robber barged into the store threatening the pharmacist and the staff. The police report
stated that The robbery occurred about 9:45 a.m. Wednesday at the Good Pharmacy on North
Pinch Road. A masked male suspect entered the pharmacy and pointed a firearm at the staff. The
pharmacist on duty pulled his own firearm that he was carrying concealed and fired the weapon
at the suspect. The suspect was struck and fell onto the pharmacy floor. Staff at the pharmacy
then began to perform lifesaving measures on the suspect. The suspect was transported to
Charleston Area Medical Center General Hospital where he was taken into surgery. The suspect
did succumb to his injuries and was pronounced dead at the hospital (Owens, 2015)
http://bearingarms.com/concealed-carrying-pharmacist-saves-multiple-lives-west-virginia/.

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Everyday there are more and more scenarios that are stopped by armed citizens. With the number
of criminals on the rise, people feel the need to be armed at all times because you never know
when you are going to be faced with a situation that can threaten your life. If the pharmacist had
not been carrying concealed, the outcome of the situation could have been devastating.
Gun control does not work. For example, Germany has some of the strictest gun laws in
the world. But, seventeen-year-old German high school student Timothy Kretschmer went on a
shooting spree through two different towns. The rampage started in Albertville-Realschule where
Kretschmer gunned down twelve people, mostly women. After he murdered the twelve people,
he high jacked a man named Igor Wolf, held him at gun point, and demanded Wolf to take him to
the next town. As they were on the way to the next town, Igor asked Kretschmer why he was
doing this. Kretschmer replied by saying Its fun, because its fun. When they arrived at the
town of Wendlingen, Kretschmer ran into a car dealership and killed two more people. Shortly
after, the police arrived and had a shootout with Kretschmer. Two officers were wounded and
Kretschmer was wounded in both legs. Kretschmer eventually shot and killed himself
(Dougherty, 2009) http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/12/world/europe/12germany.html?_r=0.
Timothy Kretschmer thought it was fun to go and take the lives of fifteen innocent people.
When a situation like this can happen in a place that has some of the strictest gun laws in the
world it proves that gun control does not work. No matter how strict the laws are, people will
always be able to get their hands on guns. On March 13th, 1996, Thomas Hamilton shot and
killed sixteen children under the age of six and one teacher at the Dunblane Primary School in
Scotland. As a result of the Dunblane Massacre, the United Kingdom passed the Second
Firearms Act of 1997 which banned citizens from the ownership, sale, and purchase of handguns.
The United Kingdom passed the Second Firearms Act hoping to lower the murder rates. The year

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of the Dunblane Massacre, the murder rate was 1.12 per 100,000. The following year, after the
Second Firearms Act, the murder rate went up to 1.24 per 100,000. Yes, the number of murders
caused my guns dramatically decreased but the murder rate as a whole increased. Though
handguns are banned, people can still kill with almost anything.
Pro gun control enthusiast argue that high capacity magazines should be banned because
they turn murder into mass murder. I agree that there should be a restriction on the amount of
bullets a person is allowed to have loaded into a magazine. Magazine manufactures often have
beta mags or drums in stock. These magazines can hold between 60 and 120 bullets and
there is no need for that. Of the sixty-two mass shootings between 1982 and 2012, at least fifty
percent of the shooters used high capacity magazines (Akhavan, 2016).
Common sense gun control is the fine line between strict gun control and free gun
control. Requiring background checks before purchasing a gun, preventing people with mental
illnesses from purchasing a gun, and banning high capacity magazines are all examples of
common sense gun control. Many people, including gun owners, agree with this level of gun
control. Seventy-nine percent of gun owners, eighty-six percent of people living with a gun
owner, and seventy-four percent of NRA households agree with common sense gun control.
Ninety percent of people approve laws that prevent people with mental illnesses from purchasing
a gun. (Center, 2014). When purchasing a firearm, the buyer has to fill out a form that ask
questions such as your name and address, if you have ever been convicted of a felony in the
court of law, are you an unlawful user of or addicted to any narcotic drugs or depressants, place
of birth, place of residence, and the status of your citizenship. As a gun owner, I have filled out
these forms several times and I agree that common sense gun laws should be put in place. But,
none of the background checks can stop criminals or mentally unstable people from buying guns

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using undocumented private party sales. This is one of many ways to get a firearm of any kind
off the books.
All in all, taking away an individuals right to defend themselves would cause more harm
than good. It is our right granted to us by the United States Constitution and can not just be taken
away. If gun control has not worked for several countries, what makes the government think that
it will work here? Armed citizens can save countless lives and can stop situations from getting
out of hand. I hope to see that the government thinks their decisions through before passing any
laws on gun control.