There are many reasons why gun control should be opposed. One of the reasons is self-defense (Gun Owners Foundation [GOF], 2001).
Citizens who carry guns have the capacity to defend themselves from criminals. According to statistics, guns are used for self-defense approximately 2. 5 million times annually. That means that every single day, guns are used 6,850 times for self-defense. These statistics show that guns are more frequently used for the purpose of protecting instead of killing people. Also, it was found that handguns in particular are the chosen weapon for the purpose of self-defense.
Handguns have protected numerous individuals for more than 1. 9 million times annually (GOF, 2001).
Another reason for opposing gun control is the fact that crime is reduced when concealed carry laws are implemented (GOF, 2001).
It has been found that “77% of all violent crime occurs in public places” (Smith, 2007, p. 4).
This statistics alone shows how necessary it is for concealed carry laws to be implemented. There are those who argue that concealed carry laws will result in higher crime rates, but that argument is false (Smith, 2007).
In fact, the opposite is true. In the United States, forty states have the “right-to-carry” laws.
In these states, there was no increase in the crime rates after the right-to-carry law was implemented (Smith, 2007, p. 1).
The Essay on The Myth of Gun Control in Crime Prevention
America has a long tradition of gun ownership and for many Americans it is a fundamental part of life. The right to keep and bear arms is guaranteed by the Second Amendment to the Constitution. However, in recent years, there were many controversial discussions about the Second Amendment because there were a high number of gun-related deaths, wounding, accidents, and suicides in the US. School ...
In fact, the crime rates decreased. When citizens are permitted to bring concealed weapons, there is a significant drop in the rates of violent crimes such as murder (8%), rape (5%) and aggravated assault (7%) (Smith, 2007).
Ironically, there are higher crime rates in states which have no right-to-carry laws. For instance, the rate of serious crimes in Texas experienced a 50% decrease from the national average since the concealed carry law was passed in 1995 (Smith, 2007).
Consequently, as the above statistics show, gun ownership and possession are actually effective in avoiding crime. This is primarily because criminals avoid attacking armed individuals (GOF, 2001).
A study on American prisoners conducted by James Wright and Kathleen Daly from the University of Massachusetts proves this fact (Kopel, 1988).
Among the felons who were involved in the study, three-fifths have responded that a criminal would indeed refrain from attacking a possible victim if the said victim is recognized as armed.
Two-fifths of the studied prisoners stated that they did not push through with the crime because they were uncertain if their victim was armed (Kopel, 1988).
Moreover, in a poll conducted by the Justice Department, 74% of the participating prisoners all said that one of the reasons why burglars do not enter houses when there are people at home is because they are scared to be shot (GOF, 2001).
The poll also revealed that 57% of prisoners are far distressed by the possibility of encountering a victim with a gun than an encounter with the police. The outcome of the studies is no surprise.
It was found that the majority of those who use firearms for self-defense would simply wave their guns or “fire a warning shot” to drive away their attacker (GOF, 2001).
About 8% of the warning shot incidents result in the wounding or killing of the attacker (GOF, 2001).
Gun control would also work against the empowerment of women, as gun ownership actually allows women to protect and defend themselves from any form of attack (GOF, 2001).
It was said that around 200,000 women utilize guns for self-defense in cases of sexual abuse. Way back in 1966, cases of rape increased in Orlando, Florida.
The police force reacted to this situation by creating a program that will train women in the use of firearms (Kopel, 1988).
The Essay on Crime rate
Nowadays, it is clear that the crime rate is increasing in our country. More and more crimes have happened for a long time. People are feeling unsecured with the crime situation and the fear of being a victim to keep increasing. The government has been taken some action to overcome these problems. However, it is not enough to reduce all incidences of crime. There are several steps or measures ...
In 1967, there was an 88% crime rate decrease in Orlando; even the burglary rate decreased by 25%. In the end, the publicity of the training effectively deterred crime. The 2,500 women who participated in the training did not need to use their weapon. The effect also had a rather long duration. After five years, the low rate of rape cases was still maintained. Meanwhile, the rest of Florida experienced a significant increase (Kopel, 1988).
