In the United States, 88.8% of the entire population possesses guns. This translates to approximately 270,000,000 guns, a tally that is more than any other total and per capita number all over the world. Twenty-two percent of the American population (12% of the women and 35% of the men) own one or more guns. The pervasive gun culture in America originates partly from its frontier expansion, revolutionary roots, colonial history, and the Second Amendment that states that: "A well-regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a Free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed." The individuals who supported more gun control laws argued that the intention of the Second Amendment was for …show more content…
The advantages and disadvantages of gun control rose to the forefront of the debate when mass shootings have been witnessed to take place and become rampant throughout the nation. However, the support for reforms and federal bans remain elusive. Not to mention the overwhelming attack that took place in December 2012 at Sandy Hook Elementary failed to bring the debate to an agreement on the concern of background checks conducted for gun purchases. Though the debate has become complicated and easy answers are unavailable, here are some main advantages and disadvantages of gun control. In this essay, the advantages of gun control laws will be discussed …show more content…
As observed by Mother Jones, out of the more than seventy mass shootings that occur in the United States in the previous thirty years, approximately three-quarters of the guns that were used were bought legally by the criminals. The advocates of pro-gun control believe that if tougher gun laws could have been in place, the crimes would have been potentially prevented. The second argument of the proponents supporting gun control laws is that the laws are aimed at protecting children and families. A grassroots group known as Moms Demand Action founded to counter the tragedy that happened at Sandy Hook Elementary Group holds the belief that gun ownership in America are causing a crisis in public health that is attacking children, considering the statistics that show that approximately eight children in America are killed through shootings every day. The group further proposes that imposing stronger gun control laws may serve as an appropriate answer in protection of the children. The third argument for the proponents is that background checks on gun purchase will aid in the efforts to keep guns from the ownership of people who are not supposed to own them. A group known as Americans for Responsible Solutions, with support from the former United States Representative Gabrielle Giffords together with Mark Kelly, her astronaut husband, supports