BANG!!! A shot is fired into a crowd. Police rush to the scene and handcuff the criminal, who was immobilized by a bystander’s shot. The man who was carrying a concealed weapon is being praised by police and other bystanders for stopping a crime from being committed. Should he be praised though? Or should this act of valor be treated as a crime also? Everyday owners of guns make choices to use their weapons in a responsible way or an irresponsible way. On one side of the argument is gun advocates and gun owners. On the other side are groups pushing for stricter gun laws. There are many pros and cons of each side, but no side is willing to give in to any of the others demands. Gun rights advocates do not want any change in the laws that are currently in place. Many of the laws in place protect gun owners and their rights to own and carry firearms. Advocates for gun rights most commonly cite the second amendment for their support, “[T]he right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.” (“The Constitution of,” Amendment 2). This right is guaranteed in their minds and can not be overturned because of new advancements in technology or isolated incidents, but gun …show more content…
According to a timeline of important events concerning gun control three notable shootings are , Columbine, where a dozen students and one teacher were killed by two shooters, Virginia Tech, where thirty students were killed in a lecture hall by a shooter, and Aurora, where a gunman entered a movie theater and opened fire, killing twelve and injuring fifty-eight (“Gun Control Timeline” 4-6). Many advocates for gun control say that stricter laws concerning gun ownership, storage, and registration could have prevented these tragedies and others like them. They also connect the presence of guns in an area to crime