Gun Control 6

Peter Xie

Mrs. Naughtin

English 11

20 October 2010

                                                                        Gun Control

On April 16, 2007, the Virginia Tech campus had the worst shooting in the American history.   Around 7:15 a.m. in the morning, the murderer first opened fire in a dormitory, killing two people and injuring the many others. About two hours later, he shot thirty people, injured more than ten people, and then committed suicide. Thirty-three bright lives instantaneously vanished (CNN newsroom). People strongly condemned the shooter, expressed condolences, and started social reflections. Some from a campus security perspective, some from human rights perspective, some from college students' mental health point of view. Naturally, the greatest number of reflection and criticism is on the American gun control system. Why not ban guns? As early as 1968, the U.S Government has issued a national law that regulates gun control. Forty   years later, the U.S   Government has established many regulatations related to firearms control, but firearm violence has not been effectively curbed. Although there is a constitutional right for Americans to own guns for protection, regulation of gun ownership through strict law is necessary to minimize violent crime and reduce resulting medical costs.
Despite the overwhelming evidence that guns kill people, there are those who argue the opposite, saying that it is people who kill people and that the "right to bear arms" is a fundamental right. Guns increase violence and increase the crime rate because more people   are murdered with guns than they are saved with guns. Those against stricter gun control believe that gun control laws violate the Second Amendment of our Constitution. The National Rifle Association (NRA) adamently asserts that American citizens   have a right to keep and bear arms to protect themselves from harm because the Second Amendment of the Constitution states that " the...