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Should More Gun ControlShould More Gun ControlLaws Be Enacted?Laws Be Enacted?

The United States has 88.8 guns per 100 people, or about270,000,000 guns, which is the highest total and per capitanumber in the world. 22% of Americans own one or more guns(35% of men and 12% of women). America's pervasive gunculture stems in part from its colonial history, revolutionary

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# Gun Control Homepage

Background of the IssueBackground of the Issue

Con 1The SecondThe SecondAmendment of the USAmendment of the USConstitution protectsConstitution protectsindividual gunindividual gunownership.ownership. The SecondAmendment of the USConstitution reads, "A wellregulated militia beingnecessary to the security ofa free state, the right of thepeople to keep and beararms shall not be infringed."Gun ownership is anAmerican tradition olderthan the country itself and isprotected by the Second

Pro 1The SecondThe SecondAmendment is not anAmendment is not anunlimited right to ownunlimited right to ownguns.guns. Gun control laws arejust as old or older than theSecond Amendment (rati_edin 1791). Some examples ofgun control throughoutcolonial America includedcriminalizing the transfer ofguns to Catholics, slaves,indentured servants, andNative Americans; regulatingthe storage of gun powder inhomes; banning loaded gunsin Boston houses; and

roots, frontier expansion, and theSecond Amendment, whichstates: "A well regulated militia,being necessary to the security ofa free State, the right of thepeople to keep and bear Arms,shall not be infringed."

Proponents of more gun controllaws state that the Second

Amendment was intended for militias; that gun violence wouldbe reduced; that gun restrictions have always existed; and that amajority of Americans, including gun owners, support new gunrestrictions.

Opponents say that the Second Amendment protects anindividual’s right to own guns; that guns are needed for self-defense from threats ranging from local criminals to foreigninvaders; and that gun ownership deters crime rather thancauses more crime. Read more background...Read more background...

Top Pro & Con ArgumentsTop Pro & Con Arguments

11 Did You Know?

22 Average American Gun Owner

33 International Firearm HomicideRates

44 International Civilian GunOwnership Rates

55 US Gun Deaths, 1999-2013

66 Leading Causes of Suicide,Homicide, Unintentional Death,and All Death, 1999-2013

77 State Constitutional Right toBear Arms

88 122 School Shootings sinceSandy Hook

99 Video Gallery

1010 2016 Presidential Candidates'Positions on Gun Control

++

Top Pro & Con ArgumentsTop Pro & Con Arguments

Top Pro & Con QuotesTop Pro & Con Quotes

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Amendment; more guncontrol laws would infringeupon the right to bear arms.Justice Antonin Scalia, LLB,in the June 26, 2008 Districtof Columbia et al. v. HellerUS Supreme Court majorityopinion syllabus stated, "TheSecond Amendmentprotects an individual rightto possess a _rearmunconnected with service ina militia, and to use that armfor traditionally lawfulpurposes, such as self-defense within the home." [3]

The McDonald v. City ofChicago (2010) ruling alsostated that the SecondAmendment is an individualright. [51] Lawrence Hunter,Chairman of Revolution PAC,stated, "The Foundersunderstood that the right toown and bear laws is asfundamental and asessential to maintainingliberty as are the rights offree speech, a free press,freedom of religion and theother protections againstgovernment encroachmentson liberty delineated in theBill of Rights." [52]

Con 2Gun control laws doGun control laws donot deter crime; gunnot deter crime; gunownership detersownership deterscrime.crime. A Nov. 26, 2013study found that, between

mandating participation informal gathering of troopsand door-to-door surveysabout guns owned. [1] [2] Inthe June 26, 2008 District ofColumbia et al. v. Heller USSupreme Court majorityopinion, Justice AntoninScalia, LLB, wrote, "Like mostrights, the right secured bythe Second Amendment isnot unlimited. FromBlackstone through the 19th-century cases,commentators and courtsroutinely explained that theright was not a right to keepand carry any weaponwhatsoever in any mannerwhatsoever and for whateverpurpose… nothing in ouropinion should be taken tocast doubt on longstandingprohibitions on thepossession of _rearms byfelons and the mentally ill, orlaws forbidding the carryingof _rearms in sensitiveplaces such as schools andgovernment buildings, orlaws imposing conditionsand quali_cations on thecommercial sale of arms." [3]

Pro 2More gun control lawsMore gun control lawswould reduce gunwould reduce gundeaths.deaths. There were464,033 total gun deathsbetween 1999 and 2013:270,237 suicides (58.2% of

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1980 and 2009, "assaultweapons bans did notsigni_cantly affect murderrates at the state level" and"states with restrictions onthe carrying of concealedweapons had higher gun-related murders." [103] Whilegun ownership doubled inthe twentieth century, themurder rate decreased. [53]

John R. Lott, Jr., PhD, authorof More Guns, Less Crime:Understanding Crime andGun Control Laws, stated,"States with the largestincreases in gun ownershipalso have the largest dropsin violent crimes... Theeffect on 'shall-issue'[concealed gun] laws onthese crimes [where two ormore people were killed] hasbeen dramatic. When statespassed these laws, thenumber of multiple-victimshootings declined by 84percent. Deaths from theseshootings plummeted onaverage by 90 percent andinjuries by 82 percent." [54] ADec. 10, 2014 Pew surveyfound that 57% of peoplebelieve that owning a gunprotects them from beingvictimized. [55] JournalistJohn Stossel explained,"Criminals don't obey thelaw… Without the fear ofretaliation from victims whomight be packing heat,criminals in possession ofthese [illegal] weapons nowhave a much easier job... As

total deaths); 174,773homicides (37.7%); and 9,983unintentional deaths (2.2%).[4] Guns were the leadingcause of death by homicide(66.6% of all homicides) andby suicide (52.2% of allsuicides). Firearms were the12th leading cause of alldeaths, representing 1.3% oftotal deaths topping liverdisease, hypertension, andParkinson’s disease, as wellas deaths from _res,drowning, and machineryaccidents. [4] David Frum,Daily Beast and CNNcontributor, stated, "Americanchildren under age 15 werenine times more likely to dieof a gun accident thanchildren in other advancedwealthy countries… About200 Americans go toemergency rooms every daywith gunshot wounds." [5] Astudy published in theAmerican Journal of PublicHealth found that "legalpurchase of a handgunappears to be associatedwith a long-lasting increasedrisk of violent death" [6]

Pro 3High-capacityHigh-capacitymagazines should bemagazines should bebanned because theybanned because theytoo often turn murdertoo often turn murderinto mass murder.into mass murder. AMother Jones investigation

the saying goes, 'If guns areoutlawed, only outlaws willhave guns.'" [56]

Con 3Gun control lawsGun control lawsinfringe upon theinfringe upon theright to self-defenseright to self-defenseand deny people aand deny people asense of safety.sense of safety.According to the NationalRire Association (NRA),guns are used for self-defense 2.5 million times ayear. [57] The police cannotprotect everyone all of thetime. 61% of men and 56%of women surveyed by PewResearch said that strictergun laws would "make itmore dif_cult for people toprotect their homes andfamilies." [58] Nelson Lund,JD, PhD, Professor atGeorge Mason UniversitySchool of Law, stated, "Theright to self-defense and tothe means of defendingoneself is a basic naturalright that grows out of theright to life" and "many [guncontrol laws] interfere withthe ability of law-abidingcitizens to defendthemselves against violentcriminals." [59] Constitutionsin 37 US states protect theright to bear arms for self-defense, most with explicitlanguage such asAlabama's: "every citizen

found that high-capacitymagazines were used in atleast 50% of the 62 massshootings between 1982 and2012. [7] When high-capacitymagazines were used inmass shootings, the deathrate rose 63% and the injuryrate rose 156%. [8] David H.Chipman, Senior VicePresident of Public Safety forShotSpotter and formerBureau of Alcohol, Tobacco,Firearms, and Explosives(ATF) agent, stated that ahigh-capacity magazine"turns a killer into a killingmachine." [7] Some gangmembers use high-capacitymagazines, such as 30-roundclips or even 90-round clips,to compensate for lack ofaccuracy and maximize thechance to harm. [9]

Pro 4More gun control lawsMore gun control lawsare needed to protectare needed to protectwomen from domesticwomen from domesticabusers and stalkers.abusers and stalkers.Five women are murderedwith guns every day in theUnited States. [10] A woman'srisk of being murderedincreases 500% if a gun ispresent during a domesticdispute. [11] During the Iraqand Afghanistan wars, 5,364US soldiers were killed inaction between Oct. 7, 2001and Jan. 28, 2015; between

has a right to bear arms indefense of himself and thestate." [60] [61] WayneLaPierre, Executive VicePresident of the NRA,stated, "The only thing thatstops a bad guy with a gunis a good guy with a gun." [62]

A May 9, 2013 48% ofconvicted felons surveyedadmitted that they avoidedcommitting crimes whenthey knew the victim wasarmed with a gun. [63] PewFoundation report foundthat 79% of male gunowners and 80% of femalegun owners said owning agun made them feel saferand 64% of people living in ahome in which someoneelse owns a gun felt safer.[58] Even Senator DianneFeinstein, a gun controladvocate, carried aconcealed gun when her lifewas threatened and herhome attacked by the NewWorld Liberation Front in the1970s. [64]

Con 4Gun control laws,Gun control laws,especially those thatespecially those thattry to ban "assaulttry to ban "assaultweapons," infringeweapons," infringeupon the right to ownupon the right to ownguns for hunting andguns for hunting andsport.sport. In 2011, there were13.7 million hunters 16years old or older in the

2001 and 2012 6,410 womenwere killed with a gun by anintimate partner in the UnitedStates. [10] [12] A 2003 studyof 23 populous high-incomecountries found that 86% ofwomen killed by _rearmswere in the United States andAmerican women are 11.4times more likely to be thevictims of gun homicides [13]

57% of mass shootingsinvolved domestic violence.[11] [14] For example, the 2011mass shooting at a SealBeach, CA hair salonreportedly began because ofthe shooter's custody battlewith his ex-wife who was ahair stylist at the salon. [11] [8]

31 states do not banconvicted misdemeanorstalkers from owning gunsand 41 states do not forceconvicted domestic abusersfrom relinquishing guns theyalready own. [10] [14] 76% ofwomen murdered and 85% ofwomen who survived amurder attempt by anintimate partner were stalkedin the year before the murderor murder attempt. [15]

Pro 5Guns are rarely usedGuns are rarely usedin self-defense.in self-defense. Of the29,618,300 violent crimescommitted between 2007and 2011, 0.79% of victims(235,700) protected

United States, and theyspent $7.7 billion on guns,sights, ammunition, andother hunting equipment. [65]

[66] High-poweredsemiautomatic rires andshotguns are used to huntand in target shootingtournaments each year. [67]

According to the NationalShooting Sports Foundation,"So-called 'Assault weapons'are more often than not lesspowerful than other huntingrires. The term 'assaultweapon' was conjured up byanti-gun legislators to scarevoters into thinking these_rearms are something outof a horror movie… [T]heColt AR-15 and Spring_eldM1A, both labeled 'assaultweapons,' are the rires mostused for marksmanshipcompetitions in the UnitedStates. And their cartridgesare standard huntingcalibers, useful for game upto and including deer." [68]

According to a Feb. 2013Pew Research report, 32% ofgun owners owned guns forhunting and 7% owned gunsfor target or sport shooting.[58]

Con 5Gun control laws willGun control laws willnot prevent criminalsnot prevent criminalsfrom obtaining gunsfrom obtaining gunsor breaking laws.or breaking laws. Of 62

themselves with a threat ofuse or use of a _rearm, theleast-employed protectivebehavior. [16] In 2010 therewere 230 "justi_ablehomicides" in which a privatecitizen used a _rearm to kill afelon, compared to 8,275criminal gun homicides (or,36 criminal homicides forevery "justi_able homicide").[17] Of the 84,495,500property crimes committedbetween 2007 and 2011,0.12% of victims (103,000)protected themselves with athreat of use or use of a_rearm. [16]

Pro 6Legally owned gunsLegally owned gunsare frequently stolenare frequently stolenand used by criminals.and used by criminals.A June 2013 Institute ofMedicine (IOM) report statesthat "[a]lmost all guns usedin criminal acts entercirculation via initial legaltransaction." [18] Between2005 and 2010, 1.4 millionguns were stolen from UShomes during propertycrimes (including burglaryand car theft), a yearlyaverage of 232,400. [19] IanAyres, JD, PhD, and John J.Donohue, JD, PhD,Professors of Law at YaleLaw School and StanfordLaw School respectively,state, "with guns being a

mass shootings in theUnited States between 1982and 2012, 49 of the shootersused legally obtained guns.Collectively, 143 guns werepossessed by the killerswith about 75% obtainedlegally. [69] John R. Lott, Jr.,PhD, gun rights activist,stated, "The problem withsuch [gun control] laws isthat they take away gunsfrom law-abiding citizens,while would-be criminalsignore them." [70] Accordingto a Bureau of JusticeStatistics May 2013 report,37.4% of state prisoninmates who "used, carried,or possessed a _rearmwhen they committed thecrime for which they wereserving a prison sentence"obtained the gun from afamily member or friend. [16]

Despite Chicago's ban ongun shops, shooting ranges,assault weapons, and highcapacity magazines, in 2014Chicago had 2,089 shootingvictims including at least390 murders. [71] [72] [73]

Approximately 50,000 gunswere recovered by police inChicago between 2001 andMar. 2012. The guns camefrom all 50 states, and morethan half came from outsideof Illinois. [74]

Con 6Gun control laws giveGun control laws give

product that can be easilycarried away and quickly soldat a relatively high fraction ofthe initial cost, the presenceof more guns can actuallyserve as a stimulus toburglary and theft. Even if thegun owner had a permit tocarry a concealed weaponand would never use it infurtherance of a crime, is itlikely that the same can besaid for the burglar whosteals the gun?" [20]

Pro 7Gun control lawsGun control lawswould reduce thewould reduce thesocietal costssocietal costsassociated with gunassociated with gunviolence.violence. According to thePaci_c Institute for Researchand Evaluation (PIRE), in2010, gun violence cost eachperson in the United Statesroughly $564 and the USgovernment $5.5 billion inlost tax revenue; $4.7 billionin court costs; $1.4 billion inMedicare and Medicaidcosts; $180 million in mentalhealth care for victims; $224million in insurance claimsprocessing; and $133 millionfor law enforcement andmedic response to shootinginjuries. [21] [22] In 2010, therewere 36,341 emergencyroom visits and 25,024hospitalizations for guninjuries, costing an estimated

too much power totoo much power tothe government andthe government andmay result inmay result ingovernment tyrannygovernment tyrannyand the governmentand the governmenttaking away all gunstaking away all gunsfrom citizens.from citizens. 57% ofpeople surveyed by PewResearch in Feb. 2013 saidthat gun control laws would"give too much power to thegovernment over thepeople." [58] The NRA'sWayne LaPierre stated, "ifyou look at why ourFounding Fathers put it [theSecond Amendment] there,they had lived under thetyranny of King George andthey wanted to make surethat these free people in thisnew country would never besubjugated again and haveto live under tyranny." [75]

Alex Jones, radio host, in aJan 7, 2013 interview withPiers Morgan, stated, "TheSecond Amendment isn'tthere for duck hunting, it'sthere to protect us fromtyrannical government andstreet thugs… 1776 willcommence again if you tryto take our _rearms!" [76]

Con 7Gun control lawsGun control lawssuch as backgroundsuch as backgroundchecks and micro-checks and micro-stamping are anstamping are an

$6.3 million. [23] 84% of thoseinjured by _rearms areuninsured, leaving taxpayersresponsible for most ofthose bills through programslike Medicaid. [23] [24] [25] [26]

According to the WorldHealth Organization (WHO),the costs of gun violence caninclude legal services,medical costs, perpetratorcontrol, policing,incarceration, foster care,private security, lost earningsand time, life insurance,productivity, tourism, andpsychological costs (painand suffering), amongothers. [25] Homicide ratesdoubling has beenassociated with a 12.5%decline in property values. [25]

Pro 8A majority of adults,A majority of adults,including gun owners,including gun owners,support commonsupport commonsense gun controlsense gun controlsuch as backgroundsuch as backgroundchecks, bans onchecks, bans onassault weapons, andassault weapons, andbans on high-capacitybans on high-capacitymagazines.magazines. According toa Pew Research survey inMar. 2013, 83% of all adultssurveyed (and 79% of gun-owners; 86% of people livingwith a gun-owner; and 74% ofNRA households) approve ofbackground checks for

invasion of privacy.invasion of privacy.Background checks wouldrequire governmentdatabases that keeppersonal individualinformation on gun owners,including name, addresses,mental health history,criminal records, and more.The American Civil LibertiesUnion (ACLU) worried thatSenator Harry Reid's 2013proposed background checklegislation (the bill failed 54-46) would have allowed thegovernment to keepdatabases of gun purchasesinde_nitely, creating a "worrythat you're going to seesearches of the databasesand an expansion forpurposes that were notintended when theinformation was collected."[77] [78] Micro-stampingsimilarly requires adatabase of gun owners andthe codes their personalguns would stamp oncartridge cases. [79]

Senators Rand Paul (R-KY),Mike Lee (R-UT), and TedCruz (R-TX) wrote that theywould oppose anylegislation that infringes "onthe American people'sconstitutional right to beararms, or on their ability toexercise this right withoutbeing subjected togovernment surveillance."[80]

private and gun show sales.[27] As much as 40% of allgun sales are undocumentedprivate party gun sales thatdo not require a backgroundcheck (aka the "gun showloophole"). [28] 56% of alladults surveyed approve ofassault weapon bans and53% of all adults surveyedapprove of high-capacitymagazine bans. [27] 90% ofadults with a gun in the homeapprove of laws to preventthe purchase of guns by thementally ill, and 60% approveof a federal database to trackgun sales. [27] Don Macalady,member of Hunters againstGun Violence, stated, "As ahunter and someone whohas owned guns since I wasa young boy, I believe thatcommonsense gunlegislation makes us allsafer. Background checksprevent criminals and otherdangerous people fromgetting guns." [29]

Pro 9More gun controlMore gun controlleads to fewerleads to fewersuicides.suicides. Between 1999and 2013 there were 270,237_rearm suicides in the UnitedStates, accounting for about52% of all suicides duringthose years. [4] According toa Mar. 2014 study publishedin the International Review of

Con 8More gun control isMore gun control isunnecessary becauseunnecessary becauserelatively few peoplerelatively few peopleare killed by guns.are killed by guns.According to the CDC's"Leading Causes of DeathReports," between 1999 and2013, Americans were 21.5times more likely to die ofheart disease (9,691,733deaths); 18.7 times morelikely to die of malignanttumors (8,458,868 deaths);and 2.4 times more likely todie of diabetes or 2.3 timesmore likely to die ofAlzheimer's (1,080,298 and1,053,207 respectively) thanto die from a _rearm(whether by accident,homicide, or suicide). [4] Theru and related pneumonia(875,143 deaths); traf_caccidents (594,280 deaths);and poisoning whether viaaccident, homicide, orsuicide (475,907 deaths) allkilled more people between1999 and 2013 than_rearms. [4] Firearms werethe 12th leading cause ofdeaths for all deathsbetween 1999 and 2013,responsible for 1.3% ofdeaths with 464,033 deaths.[4] Internationally, the claimthat the United States has amajor problem with _rearmhomicide is exaggerated.The United States is ranked28 in international homicide

Law and Economics, whengun ownership went down inthe United States, overallsuicide rates went down. [30]

[31] Firearm-related suicidesaccounted for 61% of the gundeaths in the United Statesbetween 2000 and 2010. [18]

A Dec. 2009 study publishedin Health Policy, found"general barrier to _rearmaccess created through stateregulation can have asigni_cant deterrent effecton male suicide rates in theUnited States. Permitrequirements and bans onsales to minors were themost effective of theregulations analyzed." [32] Aperson who wants to killhim/herself is unlikely tocommit suicide with poisonor a knife when a gun isunavailable. [33]

Pro 10Enacting gun controlEnacting gun controllaws such aslaws such asmandatory safetymandatory safetyfeatures would reducefeatures would reducethe number ofthe number ofaccidental gunaccidental gundeaths. deaths. Approximately50% of unintentional fatalshootings were self-inricted;and most unintentional_rearm deaths were causedby friends or familymembers. [18] [4] According tothe Law Center to Prevent

rates with 2.97 gun murdersper 100,000 people in 2012.[89]

Con 9Gun control laws andGun control laws andlower gun ownershiplower gun ownershiprates do not preventrates do not preventsuicides.suicides. Lithuania hasone of the world's lowestgun ownership rates (0.7guns per 100 people) but itssuicide rate (by any method)was 45.06 per 100,000people in 1999, the highestsuicide rate among 71countries with availableinformation. [44] Japan has alow gun ownership rate at0.6 guns per 100 people anda high suicide rate of 18.41suicides per 100,000 peoplein 1997 (ranking it 11 out of71 countries). [44] [45] SouthKorea has a low gunownership rate (1.1 guns per100 people) but has a highrate of suicide and thehighest rate of gun suicides(12.63 per 100,000 people in1997). [44] [45] By contrast theUnited States has the 26thhighest suicide rate (12.3suicides per 100,000 peoplein 2011) and the highest gunownership rate (88.8 gunsper 100 people). [44] [45] JimBarrett, author forTheTruthAboutGuns.com,stated, "the theory that therestriction or elimination of

Gun Violence and theNational Physicians Alliance,states with the highestconcentration of guns havenine times the amount ofaccidental gun deaths and"89% of unintentionalshooting deaths of childrenoccur in the home—and mostof these deaths occur whenchildren are playing with aloaded gun in their parents’absence." [34] The US GeneralAccounting Of_ce (GAO)estimated that 31% of totalaccidental shooting deathscould have been preventedby installing safety deviceson guns: 100% of deaths peryear in which a child under 6years old shoots and killshim/herself or another childcould be prevented byautomatic child-proof safetylocks; and 23% of accidentalshooting deaths byadolescents and adults peryear could be prevented byloading indicators showingwhen a bullet was in thechamber ready to be _red. [35]

Marjorie San_lippo, PhD,Professor of Psychology atEckerd College who hasresearched children’sbehavior around guns, stated,"We put gates aroundswimming pools to keepchildren from drowning. Weput safety caps onmedications to keep childrenfrom poisoningthemselves… [B]ecausechildren are naturally curious

guns would have a positiveeffect on the overall suiciderate in the U.S. does nothold up under scrutiny." [81]

Con 10More gun control isMore gun control isnot needed;not needed;education about gunseducation about gunsand gun safety isand gun safety isneeded to preventneeded to preventaccidental gunaccidental gundeaths.deaths. Guns don't killpeople; people kill people.And people need more guneducation and mentalillness screening to preventmassacres.The SportingArms and AmmunitionManufacturers' Institute, Inc(SAAMI), stated, "Whether inthe _eld, at the range or inthe home, a responsible andknowledgeable gun owner israrely involved in a _rearmsaccident of any kind." [82]

Heidi Cifelli, FormerProgram Manager of theNRA's Eddie Eagle GunSafeProgram, stated, "Guneducation is the best way tosave young lives." [83] TheNRA states that the EddieEagle program is not meantto "teach whether guns aregood or bad, but rather topromote the protection andsafety of children… Likeswimming pools, electricaloutlets, matchbooks, andhousehold poison, they're

and impulsive, and becausewe have shown time andagain that we cannot 'gun-proof' them with education,we have a responsibility tokeep guns out of the handsof children." [36]

Pro 11The presence of a gunThe presence of a gunmakes a conrict moremakes a conrict morelikely to becomelikely to becomeviolent.violent. The FBI found thatin 2013 arguments (such asromantic triangles, brawlsfueled by alcohol or drugs,and arguments over money)resulted in 1,962 gun deaths(59.9% of the total). [37] AJune 1985 study published inthe American Journal ofPublic Health found that "theweapons used [inaltercations]… were thoseclosest at hand." [38] Aneditorial published in theJune 1985 American Journalof Public Health noted, "gun-inricted deaths [often] ensuefrom impromptu argumentsand _ghts; in the US, two-thirds of the 7,900 deaths in1981 involving argumentsand brawls were caused byguns." [39] A 1993 studypublished in The NewEngland Journal of Medicinefound that "[r]ather thanconfer protection, guns keptin the home are associatedwith an increase in the risk of

[guns] treated simply as afact of everyday life." [84]

According to KyleWintersteen, ManagingEditor of Guns and Ammo,studies show that "childrentaught about _rearms andtheir legitimate uses byfamily members have muchlower rates of delinquencythan children in householdswithout guns" and "childrenintroduced to gunsassociate them withfreedom, security, andrecreation—not violence." [85]

Con 11Gun control lawsGun control lawswould preventwould preventcitizens fromcitizens fromprotectingprotectingthemselves fromthemselves fromforeign invaders.foreign invaders. TheLibertarian Party stated, "Aresponsible, well-armed andtrained citizenry is the bestprotection against domesticcrime and the threat offoreign invasion." [86]

Counsel for the NRA stated,"It is evident that theframers of the Constitutiondid not intend to limit theright to keep and bear armsto a formal military body ororganized militia, butintended to provide for an'unorganized' armedcitizenry prepared to assistin the common defense

homicide by a familymember or intimateacquaintance." [40]

Pro 12Armed civilians areArmed civilians areunlikely to stopunlikely to stopcrimes and are morecrimes and are morelikely to makelikely to makedangerous situations,dangerous situations,including massincluding massshootings, moreshootings, moredeadly. deadly. None of the 62mass shootings between1982 and 2012 was stoppedby an armed civilian. [41] Gunrights activists regularly statethat a 2002 mass shooting atthe Appalachian School ofLaw in Virginia was stoppedby armed students, but thosestudents were current andformer law enforcementof_cers and the killer was outof bullets when subdued. [41]

Other mass shootings oftenheld up as examples ofarmed citizens being able tostop mass shootingsinvolved law enforcement ormilitary personnel and/or theshooter had stoppedshooting before beingsubdued, such as a 1997high school shooting in Pearl,MS; a 1998 middle schooldance shooting in Edinboro,PA; a 2007 church shootingin Colorado Springs, CO; anda 2008 bar shooting in

against a foreign invader ora domestic tyrant." [87]

Con 12Strict gun controlStrict gun controllaws do not work inlaws do not work inMexico, and will notMexico, and will notwork in the Unitedwork in the UnitedStates.States. Mexico has someof the strictest gun controllaws in the world and yet, in2012, Mexico had 11,309gun murders (9.97 gunhomicides per 100,000people) compared to theUnited States that had 9,146gun homicides (2.97 per100,000 people). [88] [89]. Thecountry has only one legalgun store (the Directorate ofArms and Munitions Sales),compared to at least 63,709legal gun stores and pawnshops in the United Statesas of Feb. 10, 2014. [90] [91]

Mexico's gun store is on asecure military base andcustomers must present avalid ID, go through a metaldetector, and turn overcellphones and cameras toguards. To actually buy agun, customers have toshow proof of honestincome, provide references,pass a criminal backgroundcheck, prove any militaryduties were completed withhonor, and be _ngerprintedand photographed. Ifallowed to purchase a gun,

Winnemucca, NV. [42] JeffreyVoccola, Assistant Professorof Writing at KutztownUniversity, notes, "Theaverage gun owner, nomatter how responsible, isnot trained in lawenforcement or on how tohandle life-threateningsituations, so in most cases,if a threat occurs, increasingthe number of guns onlycreates a more volatile anddangerous situation." [43]

Pro 13Countries withCountries withrestrictive gun controlrestrictive gun controllaws have lower gunlaws have lower gunhomicide and suicidehomicide and suiciderates than the Unitedrates than the UnitedStates.States. Both Switzerlandand Finland require gunowners to acquire licensesand pass background checksthat include mental andcriminal records, amongother restrictions andrequirements. [44] In 2007Switzerland ranked number 3in international gunownership rates with 45.7guns per 100 people (about3,400,000 guns total). [45] In2009 Switzerland had 24 gunhomicides (0.31 deaths per100,000 people) and 253 gunsuicides (3.29 deaths per100,000 people). [44] Finlandranked fourth in internationalgun ownership rates with

the customer may buy onlyone gun (choosing from only.38 caliber pistols or lower)and one box of bullets. [90]

[92] [93] Between 2006 and2010, Mexico's one gunshop sold 6,490 guns, [92] yetas of 2012, Mexicans ownabout 15,000,000 guns, orabout 13.5 guns per 100people. [44]

Con 13Gun control laws areGun control laws areracist.racist. Current gun controllaws are frequently aimed atinner city, poor, blackcommunities who areperceived as moredangerous than white gunowners. [94] [95] CharlesGallagher, MA, PhD, theChair of Sociology at LaSalleUniversity, stated that somegun control laws are stillfounded on racial fears:"Whites walking down MainStreet with an AK-47 aredefenders of Americanvalues; a black man doingthe same thing is PublicEnemy No. 1." [96] In the late1960s, gun control lawswere enacted in reaction tothe militant, gun-carryingBlack Panthers. [97] AdamWinkler, MA, JD, UCLAConstitutional LawProfessor, stated "The KKKbegan as a gun-controlorganization. Before the

45.3 guns per 100 people(about 2,400,000 guns total).[45] In 2007 Finland had 23(0.43 deaths per 100,000people) gun homicides and172 gun suicides (4.19deaths per 100,000 people).[44] The United States,categorized as having"permissive" _rearmregulation by GunPolicy.org,ranked _rst in internationalgun ownership rates with88.8 guns per 100 people(about 270,000,000 gunstotal). [44] [45] In 2007 theUnited States had 12,632 gunhomicides (4.19 deaths per100,000 people) and 17,352gun suicides (5.76 deathsper 100,000 people). [44] [4]

Harvard professor DavidHemenway, PhD, wrote "Weanalyzed the relationshipbetween homicide and gunavailability using data from26 developed countries fromthe early 1990s. We foundthat across developedcountries, where guns aremore available, there aremore homicides." [46]

Pro 14The SecondThe SecondAmendment wasAmendment wasintended to protectintended to protectthe right of militias tothe right of militias toown guns, not theown guns, not theright of individuals.right of individuals.Former Justice John Paul

Civil War, blacks were neverallowed to own guns" so,after the Civil War, there was"constant pressure amongwhite racists to keep gunsout of the hands of AfricanAmericans because theywould rise up and revolt.” [97]

In Virginia, in response toNat Turner's Rebellion (alsocalled the SouthamptonRebellion, in which slaveskilled 55 to 65 people in themost fatal slave uprising inthe United States) in 1831, alaw was passed thatprohibited free black people"to keep or carry any _relockof any kind, any militaryweapon, or any powder orlead and all laws allowingfree black people topossess _rearms wererepealed. [98].

Con 14The SecondThe SecondAmendment wasAmendment wasintended to protectintended to protectgun ownership of allgun ownership of allable-bodied men soable-bodied men sothat they couldthat they couldparticipate in theparticipate in themilitia to keep themilitia to keep thepeace and defend thepeace and defend thecountry if needed.country if needed.According to the UnitedStates Code, a "militia" iscomposed of all "able-bodied males at least 17

Stevens, JD, in his dissentingopinion for District ofColumbia et al. v. Heller,wrote, "the Framer's single-minded focus in crafting theconstitutional guarantee 'tokeep and bear arms' was onmilitary use of _rearms,which they viewed in thecontext of service in statemilitias," hence the inclusionof the phrase "well regulatedmilitia." [3] Michael Waldman,JD, President of the BrennanCenter for Justice at the NewYork University School ofLaw, stated there is nothingabout an individual right tobear arms in the notes aboutthe Second Amendmentwhen it was being drafted,discussed, or rati_ed; the USSupreme Court declined torule in favor of the individualright four times between1876 and 1939; and all lawarticles on the SecondAmendment from 1888 to1959 stated that anindividual right was notguaranteed. [47]

Pro 15Civilians, includingCivilians, includinghunters, should nothunters, should notown military-gradeown military-grade_rearms or _rearm_rearms or _rearmaccessories. accessories. PresidentRonald Reagan and othersdid not think the AR-15military rire (also called

years of age… under 45years of age who are, or whohave made a declaration ofintention to become citizensof the United States and offemale citizens of the UnitedStates who are members ofthe National Guard." [99]

Therefore, the militiamentioned in the SecondAmendment would havebeen composed of almostall adult men and, in turn,that most adult men shouldnot have their right to own_rearms infringed. [100] A1792 federal law requiredthat every man eligible formilitia service own a gunand ammunition suitable formilitary service, report forfrequent inspection of theirguns, and register their gunownership on publicrecords. [101] Daniel J.Schultz, lawyer, stated, "theFramers [of the Constitutionand Bill of Rights]understood that 'well-regulated' militias, that is,armed citizens, ready toform militias that would bewell trained, self-regulatedand disciplined would postno threat to their fellowcitizens, but would, indeed,help to 'insure domesticTranquility' and 'provide forthe common defence.'" [100]

Con 15Gun control effortsGun control efforts

M16s by the Air Force)should be owned by civiliansand, when the AR-15 wasincluded in the assaultweapons ban of 1994 (whichexpired on Sep. 13, 2004),the NRA supported thelegislation. [48] The SecondAmendment was written at atime when the most commonarms were long rires thathad to be reloaded afterevery shot. Civilians todayhave access to folding,detaching, or telescopingstocks that make the gunsmore easily concealed andcarried; silencers to mufregunshot sounds; rashsuppressors to _re in low-light conditions withoutbeing blinded by the rashand to conceals the shooter’slocation; or grenade launcherattachments. [49] JonathanLowy, Director of LegalAction Project at the BradyCenter to Prevent GunViolence, stated, "These areweapons that will shred yourvenison before you eat it, orgo through the walls of yourapartment when you’re tryingto defend yourself… [theyare] made for mass killing,but not useful for law-abidingcitizens." [50]

have provedhave provedineffective. ineffective. According toDavid Lampo, PublicationsDirector of the CatoInstitute, "there is nocorrelation between waitingperiods and murder orrobbery rates." [102] Banninghigh-capacity magazineswill not necessarily detercrime because even smallgun magazines can bechanged in seconds.The"gun show loophole" isvirtually nonexistentbecause commercialdealers, who sell themajority of guns at showsand elsewhere, are bound bystrict federal laws. [102]

Did You Know?Did You Know?1. A Pew Foundation report found that 79% of male gun

owners and 80% of female gun owners said owning agun made them feel safer, and 64% of people living in ahome in which someone else owns a gun felt safer. [58]

2. The US General Accounting Of_ce (GAO) estimated that100% of deaths per year in which a child under 6 yearsold shoots and kills him/herself or another child couldbe prevented by automatic child-proof safety locks. [35]

3. The Centers for Disease Control listed _rearms as the#12 cause of all deaths between 1999 and 2013,representing 1.3% of total deaths. They were also the #1method of death by homicide (66.6% of all homicides)and by suicide (52.2% of all suicides). [4]

4. Mexico has some of the strictest gun control laws in theworld and yet, in 2012, Mexico had 11,309 gun murders(9.97 gun homicides per 100,000 people) compared to

the United States that had 9,146 gun homicides (2.97per 100,000 people). [88] [89]

5. A 1792 federal law signed by President GeorgeWashington required that every man eligible for militiaservice, which meant most able-bodied white menbetween 16 and 60, own a gun and ammunition suitablefor military service. [101]

6. Five women a day are killed by guns in America. Awoman's risk of being murdered increases 500% if a gunis present during a domestic dispute. [10][11]

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