Should The United States Have Stricter Handgun Control Laws?

Essay by DaExec08Junior High, 8th grade February 2007

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In the U.S., Americans have constitutional rights to have handguns, but the issue of having stricter gun control laws has been debatable in terms of effectively saving lives. This issue boils down to self- defense and whether everyone has the right to protect themselves and their families. Studies indicate that about 2.5 million people defend themselves against violent crimes every year with firearms. On average, that's 6,850 times per day - most without a shot ever being fired! In general, firearms are used more than 60 times more often to protect the lives of honest citizens than take lives (100% Pro Choice). There are various reasons why people possess guns to defend themselves from everyday crimes such as burglary, sexual assaults, and murders.

"[Self-Defense is] justly called the primary law of nature, so it is not, neither can it be in fact, taken away by the laws of society," said Sir William Blackstone.

One of the many reasons Americans carry guns is for self-defense. By carrying a gun, many Americans feel safe and protected from attackers such as burglars, pickpockets etc. Self-defense, which is a basic human reaction works, it situates fear into the minds of criminals of being killed or injured by an armed citizen. If gun activists strengthened gun laws and did not allow everyday law following citizens to exercise their right for self-defense with firearms, there would be a lot more crime on the streets. According to the author, there could be as much as 2.5 million more crimes each year with the cost of health, property and life (Dizard, 173). In Colorado, there was an incident involving a man being physically attacked by three hitchhikers that he was feeding in his home. The man grabbed his gun and managed to shoot one of the attackers, which...