Should Assault Weapons Be Illegal Essay

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Should assault weapons be illegal? In the past years, guns have come under scrutiny and as a result, legislation has been passed restricting their use. The prevalence of mass shootings has added fuel to the flames and has motivated many legislators, mostly from the Democratic party, to advocate for the banning of assault weapons. The use of semi-automatic guns should be illegal in the United States because they are unsafe and useless for citizens.
If semi-automatic weapons were made illegal, people will be safer. It is proven that when gun-control laws are enacted, less homicides occur. In 2007, there were 88.8 guns in the United States per 100 people. This had a major impact in America because America had around six times more gun homicides than Canada, more than seven times more gun homicides than Sweden, and nearly 16 times more gun homicides than Germany (Lopez). This statistic shows that because America has more guns than other developed countries, more homicides occur. If gun control laws restricting the use of semi-automatic weapons are passed, it will reduce the number of homicides in our great country.
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However, this argument is flawed because bad things can happen with guns regardless of whether the gunman is “good” or “bad.” Numerous gun deaths have been attributed to the negligent discharge of guns, which is the accidental discharge from a gun. In 2011, 851 people died from guns that unintentionally discharged. This statistic doesn’t include the number of people who were injured by negligent discharges (Guns Don’t Kill). This evidence shows that a significant number of people have been killed as a result of the negligent discharge of a gun. Even though the gunman could’ve been considered “good,” the negligent discharge of a gun can occur at any time. The negligent discharge of guns has resulted in a high number of unintentional

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