Gun Control - Do or Die.

Essay by gringa305High School, 10th gradeA, May 2003

download word file, 3 pages 5.0 2 reviews

The issue of gun control is a hot topic in today's world, from the streets to the judicial courts. On one side are left wing pacifists, mothers scared for their children, and those who believe that, as a progressive society, we should dispose of machines that allow their users to end the life of anybody, anywhere, instantly. Opposing them are right wing warmongers, those who use guns for recreational activities, mothers desiring a way to protect their children, and those who believe that, in this progressive society, nobody should be denied the right to arm themselves.

Two hundred and twenty-five years ago, our nation had just identified itself as its own separate country. We had furtively slipped through the fingers of our British proprietors, and were terrified that they would make a crushing grab to reclaim us. The newly born government had no way of creating an organized army, or even of cataloging the residents of the United States of America to create a draft.

The best the founding fathers could do was to wait for groups of men to band together in militias and defend their homeland, so in writing the Bill of Rights, our leaders ensured that every citizen was allowed to possess arms.

Now it is the year 2002. There has not been an attack on our soil by soldiers on foot since the Mexican-American War in 1848. We have no need for militias; sadly, we can only pray for our military to protect us with their technological "defenses", such as missiles and other weapons of mass destruction. Why do we still need guns?

It is particularly dangerous to allow any citizen to own a handgun. Handguns are made specifically to kill people, and most countries have realized the hazard these weapons pose. Few first world countries...