Gun Control May Create a Spike in Crime

Many think that banning guns will lower the crime rate in the country. The government said that about alcohol, resulting in the prohibition of 1920. As a result of the prohibition, at the end, an amendment was overturned, and there were criminals back then, there always have been and it caused crime to rise; they were fighting back, not wanting their alcohol to be taken away. This represents something; trying to ban something that you were given the right for, will not go as planned, and there are reasons for not banning guns and violating the 2nd Amendment. The crime rate in America is falling, gun control doesn’t really work, and the only thing that should be done about guns is improving the background check system.
According to an article online (Deseret News), crime internationally is falling despite the economic recession, and crime rate in America is also falling, and has been since 1990, even though laws like the Chicago handgun ban and Assault Weapons Ban have been lifted or expired. Gun-related murders have dropped 39% from 1993 to 2011, and nonfatal gun crimes dropped 69% in the same timespan, here in the U.S.
Gun control doesn’t necessarily work. Information from Peter Tucci shows that even though Australia has banned guns as a whole in 1996, their crime rates have dropped, but so are the rates here in the U.S., and our total gun ownership percentage is 34%, theirs was only 7% right before the ban. This doesn’t show much, because Australia also had a major buyback program which gave money to people who had guns, when they surrendered their guns. This is the prime reason crime dropped, and because most people who wanted firearms couldn’t find any for themselves to steal, resulting in a drop in home invasions.
What should be done, is follow California’s background check laws. This will prevent people that shouldn’t have guns from having them, creating a safer environment. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, this is working for California because of the drop in total gun deaths, including, homicides, accidents, and suicides. California had about 8.9 deaths per 100,000 people from 1999 to 2010, ranked 33rd among states including the District of Columbia, and falling under the national average of 10.2. Neighboring states like Nevada and Arizona, had about 15.8 deaths per 100,000 people, and 15.3 per 100,000 people, respectively, and their gun control laws and background checks weren’t as strict as California’s.
Some people think that guns are only used for evil, which is absolutely not the case. For example, armed officials like police officers are able to shoot at a suspect that will not surrender and poses an imminent threat to the surroundings and community. Also, some think that if guns are not banned, that schools will not be safe. This is a flawed perspective. If the instructor in class has a gun and an armed intruder enters the classroom, the instructor will be able to defend himself and the class, saving them.
One more thing that people may bring up is that fact that, how do we know gun deaths are down mainly because of the background check system in California. They are absolutely right. In fact, it’s actually pretty hard to link background checks to gun crimes and gun deaths. The rates can also be affected by California’s 10 day wait period, a time between the finalized background check and the time that the person who purchased the gun actually receives it.
The real thing people who are pro-gun control want is for the number of gun deaths to go down, and being anti-gun control does not make you a person who doesn’t want the number of deaths to go down, it just means you think that your right of having a gun in order to use in self defense should not be infringed. A gun is like a fire extinguisher, you hope to absolutely never use it, but if necessary, it’s there, and it can save property and lives.
Banning guns will also not stop mass murders like the Virginia Tech shooting in 2007 or the Colorado movie theaters shooting. For example, if Colorado had stricter gun control laws, James Holmes would have still done what he did. He is considered mentally insane and a criminal, and criminals never follow the laws. Banning them will just cause people who want guns, to steal them, bringing the crime rate up.
Guns should not be controlled, neither should a lot things, because gun control doesn’t work, the crime rate is falling, and background checks are the only logical and correct way in order for pro-gun control activists and supporters to be satisfied, without the anti-gun control supports being infringed of their rights. We learned that with alcohol in the 1920’s, but we do need to prevent people that shouldn’t have guns, from having them.