Gun, Drugs, Murder
Since the days of the pioneers, firearms have been part of the American tradition as protection and a means ofhunting or sport. As we near the end of the 20th century the use of gunshas changed significantly. Because of fast and steady increase in crimeand the fight for the right to own a hand gun, the introduction oflegislation for gun control, to try to reduce the crime in the UnitedStates, has been a hotly debated issue in recent years.
Although many people feel that gun control violates the right of thepeople, given in the second amendment "the right to bear arms", controlling distribution and sales and the registration of guns and gun owners is necessary because of the homicide rate involving guns and the violence by criminals using guns.
Many people feel that gun control violates the right of the peoplegiven in the second amendment the right "to bear arms".
Opponents of guncontrol, including the National Rifle Association, better known as the NRA,argue that the "right To bear arms" is guaranteed in the second amendmentof the Constitution of the United States of America and licensing restrictions penalize law-abiding citizens while in no way preventing criminal use of handguns. It is also argued that by making it difficult for guns to be bought and registered for the American public there is athreat to the personal safety of American families everywhere.
However controlling the sale and distribution of firearms is necessary because of the homicide rate involving guns. In 1988 there were 9000 handgun related murders in America. Metropolitan centers and some suburban communities of America are setting new records for homicides by handguns. Larger Metropolitan centers have ten times the murder rate of all Western Europe. For example in Washington,D.C. there was an estimated 400 homicides including...
Good information, but lacks validity
There is some good information in this essay, and probably some truths. However, statements are made without any references to where the "facts" came from. Anyone can "make up facts" and write an essay. I rather doubt that the facts in this essay were fabricated, but since there are no citations, I (as an objective reader) cannot know whether to believe them or not.
There are a number of mechanical errors, including the ommission of an apostrophe in the title (Its should have been It's). While this may seem trivial, again, errors such as this detract from the credibility of the essay.
Finally, there are "leaps" of assumption made throughout the essay. For instance, it is assumed that because there were so many hand-gun-related murders in 1988 (9000) that the legality of handguns MUST be the reason. So, if we make hand guns illegal, do we assume that the murder rate will drop? Or perhaps the murder rate will stay constant (when controlled for population fluctuation), but the murders will be committed using different weapons--knives, rocks, ropes, cars, etc. Assumptions are always the pitfall of essays like this, which is why it is all the more important to cite "facts" so as to add to the validity of statements made.
This essay would make an excellent starting point for a serious look at the problem of handgun control in the United States.
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