Argumentative Essay On Gun Violence

Since the early 2000’s America has had a growing concern over gun violence. It seems every year there are more and more tragic shootings and innocent blood being shed. All the attacks and shooting are covered by every media source, and it is nearly impossible to avoid the situation. By media persuasion, and because of anti-guns views by celebrities, people put the problem on guns. This point is easy to understand, but with facts and understanding of society and law, the problem can not be solved with gun control. The media puts the AR-15 as the main culprit for shootings. Yes, the rifle has been used in deadly mass shootings, but it is not close to being the “deadliest” gun. There are plenty more guns that do more damage than an AR-15. Hunting rifles like the 30-06, 30-30, .308, and many more that shoot bigger and deadlier rounds. There are rifles other than AR-15s that are semi-automatic and have larger magazines. The fact is these rifles are not the culprit for most shootings, pistols are. (Saletan) Americas has roughly 300 million guns. Only about 100 million of them are pistols, yet they are used in 87% of violent shootings. If guns were the problem then that would mean the more powerful and faster guns would have the most deaths, but that’s not the case. Most pistols hold a 10 round magazine. Compared to AR-15s that have a higher magazine capacity, pistols seem harmless. This fact proves that banning AR-15s or other “assault” rifles would be pointless. (Saletan) This next point is a sensitive one. Mass shooting are not the problem either. We seem to focus on mass shooting because they feel more traject with multiple lives lost. Mass shootings are terrible but they are not are big issue. Since 1983 there have been 73 incidents in which four or more lives were lost in a shooting, adding …show more content…
People who are looking to harm others would choose defenseless people over armed and protected people. More and more people are arming themselves every year and they have a good reason. Almost all national surveys estimate that there are about 1 to 2 million cases a year that civilians use firearms to defend themselves or others. If properly used, owning a firearm can protect yourself as well as others. (Saletan) In 1982 a survey was taken in 11 state prisons across the country. Thirty four percent of the male felons who were surveyed said that they were scared, shot at, wounded, or captured by civilians with guns. Sixty nine percent personally knew other criminals who came in that same contact with civilians. This goes to show that owning a firearm can be very helpful when defending yourself. (Agresti) The NRA is also accused for gun violence. First, let's take a look at its history. The NRA was created in 1871 during the civil war by a Union officer because he felt that his soldiers needed to learn about firearms and shoot better. Over the years the NRA has supported reasonable restrictions on firearms. In the early 1900’s the NRA supported laws on gun trafficking and registering gun dealers with the government. Keep in mind, the NRA supports gun safety so they do not support handing guns out to people uneducated on firearms. Most recently, the NRA is supporting the ban or restriction of bump stocks, and