Thesis Statement
Greater restrictions on the distribution of firearms are needed due to the cycle of paranoia and death they create in communities and the need to stop unneeded bloodshed. Introduction: Ownership of a firearm entails a sense of responsibility in which the owner takes it upon themselves to ensure that the weapon is used in self defense and kept out of harms way. Unfortunately not everyone who owns a gun shares this sense of responsibility, in fact it can be said that at times when people buy guns a rather large percentage of them do so to commit gun related crimes.
In the U. S. alone an average of 14,000 yearly die of weapon related deaths of which an average of 10,000 die due to firearms with the rest dying due to knives, poison and other such instruments (Kirlikowskie 2008). This data has been accumulated from the Federal Bureau of Investigation over a period of 4 years and as such shows the continuing trend of gun related violence. While the numbers may not be increasing they are not going down either. While gun related violence may not be the source of most of the crime in the U. S. it’s repercussions on individuals and on communities changes the mindsets of people from one of peace to that of paranoia and a growing urgency to protect oneself.
From this it can be stated that without proper legislation in place to prohibit and enforce the improper distribution of firearms to the populace the trend of gun violence within the country will continue well into the future and as a result will cause the deaths of criminals and innocent people alike (Kates 2007). As such there is a need for a greater restriction on firearms due to the cycle of paranoia and death they create in communities and the need to stop unneeded bloodshed.
This paper will focus on the effect of gun violence on communities, the effect of a lack of stringent controls over firearms in the future and what might possibly happen should stricter methods of gun control be enforced. Effect of Gun Violence on Communities Communities throughout several areas in the U. S. are plagued with a history of gun violence on their streets. These areas usually within the poorer areas of metropolitan cities usually end up like this due to the economic situation of people who are living in them.
In such instances the amount of gun violence happening in these areas will have an adverse effect on the way individuals and communities think of the environment that they live in (Kahan 2007). An example of this is the psychological term irrational exuberance which states that people are likely to model their behavior on the actions of other people when the result seems to be a positive one that the majority seems to agree with. It can be compared to a situation wherein a teacher asks a student in the front row to pick a multiple choice answer from a, b, c, and d.
If the first student says “a”, and the succeeding ones behind him says “a” as well then it is very likely that the last student in the row even if he/she thinks the answer is “b” still answers “a” due to the actions of those who came before him. The end result is that the answer really was “b” and the entire row got it wrong. Using irrational exuberance as a basis an using the attitudes of individuals and communities as an example a situational framework can be constructed which will show the response of individuals and communities in light of gun violence in the U. S.
In such cases where people are constantly threatened by those who possess guns one consequence is that they see the possession of a gun as a means of combating those who have guns. Resulting in a situation wherein more and more people buy guns for self defense which raises the chances of gun related violence in homes and in communities which goes back full circle to the beginning where this process started where people buy more guns due to those possessing guns around them. The irrational exuberance of people towards possessing guns as a means of safety is a direct result of acts of gun violence that happen in or around different communities.
It creates a cycle which continuously repeats on itself with guns and the possibility of violence at its core. This cycle can be stopped if better means of gun control are established, limiting the amount of guns in circulation and stopping a cycle which encourages gun purchases, violence and death. Lack of Gun Control and its effect in the future It must be noted that with an ever increasing population and the current economic downturn that has affected the global economy more and more people have started to become desperate for money as compared to previous years.
Savings have been wiped out and jobs have been lost the end result being a situation where the potential for criminal activity to occur is staggering. Easy access to firearms can and will result in a situation where ever increasing amounts of people will turn to crime in order to find some way to feed their families (Vittes 2008). As a result the percentage of violent crimes where the use of firearms was the cause of death of numerous individuals will increase from its current steady rate.
With more people dying around them people will start to think that the best way to prevent this from happening is to start arming themselves in order to prevent their own death by a shooting. The end result is a society that is proliferate with guns with paranoia as the norm and with everyone suspecting those around them of having the ability to kill them. From these events it can be shown that the need for more stringent methods of gun control are needed in order to prevent a future that would profitable for gun makers but terrible for people trying to live their lives in peace. A Future with Stricter Gun Control
If laws were passes that enabled stricter methods of gun control individuals and communities will be able to live safer lives. With tighter controls on the distribution of guns communities will be able to stop the cycle of buying guns to protect themselves from guns and will be able to live lives without the constant fear of people entering their homes with guns with the intent of robbing and killing them (de Sousa 2007). Individuals will be able to benefit due to the fact that they won’t have to worry about being mugged with firearms or being caught in the middle of a gun battle between two opposing gangs.
With stricter controls will also come a decline in the rate of gun related deaths and as a result would be able to instill a sense of peace in the numerous neighborhoods previously afflicted by gun related violence. Conclusion From what was written it can be seen that there is a definite need to enforce stricter methods of gun control for not only will this be able to stop the cyclical violence that plagues communities but will also be able to stop the needless bloodshed that occurs due to the readily available nature of firearms.
Stricter controls will not only result in peace within neighborhoods but also a peace of mind for individuals who were previously always under the fear of dying in a hail of gun fire. List of References Kerlikowske, R. (2008). Safe at home? Policing the U. S. hometown in a post 9/11 environment. Crime, Law & Social Change, 50(1/2), 47-58. Vittes, K. , & Sorenson, S. (2008). Keeping Guns Out of the Hands of Abusers: Handgun Purchases and Restraining Orders. American Journal of Public Health, 98(5), 828-831.
Kahan, D. (2007). Guns, Gun Control, and Elections: The Politics and Policy of Firearms. Public Opinion Quarterly, 71(2), 318-322. Kates, D. , & Mauser, G. (2007). WOULD BANNING FIREARMS REDUCE MURDER AND SUICIDE?. Harvard Journal of Law & Public Policy, 30(2), 649-694. de Souza, M. , Macinko, J. , Alencar, A. , Malta, D. , & de Morais Neto, O. (2007). Reductions In Firearm-Related Mortality And Hospitalizations In Brazil After Gun Control. Health Affairs, 26(2), 575-584.
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