Gun Control Pros Vs Cons And Its Powerful Emotions

How do you stop the violence and simultaneously uphold the right for Americans to bear arms. This article will explain to you 4 reasons why gun control in America is a unique, knotty problem. Also, you will find a concise list of gun control pros vs cons.

America has a gun legacy going back to the foundation of our country. Indeed, guns and gun control are part of our American heritage. Without a doubt, gun control pros vs cons have always been an emotional argument in America. Specifically, proponents of gun control advocate a solution to curb violence, specifically gun violence. Whereas, opponents counter that gun control is an infringement of our Constitutional rights.

4 Reasons Why Gun Control Is Such an Emotional Argument in America.

Gun control springs from our need to reduce violence in America. We see senseless mass shootings, another suicide, or a case of a child getting accidentally shot. This desire to reduce violence, especially gun violence, is not unique to America, but in America both sides of the argument get very emotional about gun control. The reason for this is because we Americans have an unique heritage, circumstances, rights, and liberties than other countries when it comes to guns and gun control.

Proponents of gun control are seeking to curb violence in society. Opponents of gun control are defending their Constitutional right to own guns. Below is what makes gun control so emotional in America for both proponents and opponents of gun control.

1. American Heritage. America’s unique relationship with guns stems in part from our colonial history, revolutionary roots against tyranny, and frontier expansion.
2. Second Amendment of The U.S. Constitution. To assure the “security of a free State” this amendment guarantees “… the right of the people to keep and bear Arms …“.
3. Highest Per Capita of Gun Owned. The U.S. has 120.5 guns per 100 people. 22% of all Americans own one or more guns. 
4. , Knee-Jerk Policy Making. The gun debate in America results in “furious politics, marginal policy”. Government gun control policy-making is a reactionary cycle of outrage, action, reaction. It engages, but polarizes the American public to take an either or position on gun control. The resulting knee-jerk, gun-control policies are not necessarily good in either curbing violence or addressing the public good (see Gun Control: the Debate and Public Policy).

These unique, American circumstances make for the subject of gun control to be a particularly explosive issue in America. See Britannica’s ProCon.org for more details on America’s unique circumstances when it comes to gun control.

What Are the Gun Control Pros Vs Cons?

There are countless pros and cons of gun control. The common arguments are that gun control will prevent violence and the counter is that gun control infringes on the rights of private citizens. If we were just talking about curbing violence in America most, if not all, of us would agree we need to eliminate violence in our society.

The problem for America is when we focus on curbing violence through gun control. Are we “throwing out the baby with the bathwater” where “banning” guns will infringe on someone “rights“? Below is a summary of pros and cons of gun control. 

Pros of Gun Control. 

• Most Mass Shootings Occur From Legally Purchased Guns. True.
• Access To a Gun Increases Risk of Violence. This include suicide, violence against family members as well as other types of violence.
• Gun Control Prevents Dangerous People From Owning Firearms. This includes deranged and mentally ill persons prone to mass shootings as well as criminals.
• Accidental Injuries Are Reduced. This includes kids playing with firearms in the home to hunting accidents.

Cons of Gun Control

• Increase In Black Market Demand. Criminal activity will increase in terms of gun purchases, thus more criminals will have guns than non-criminals. In the extreme, “If guns are outlawed, then only the criminals will have guns“. This happened during Prohibition where alcohol was banned and criminal activity increased. Same unintended consequences could happen with gun control.
• Gun Control Laws Don’t Deter Crime Completely. Gun control is not the end-all solution to end violence and crime. There are benefits to private citizens having guns to include inhibiting criminal activity such as home invasion, being an “equalizer” for women, and even deter mass shootings.
• Restricting Gun Ownership Infringes On The Rights Of Legal Owners. 22% of Americans own guns. Gun control will impose some level of restriction on these private citizens.
• Gun Control Grants More Power To The Government. The founders of the United States revolted against Great Britain’s tyranny. If in the future the U.S. Government has absolute power to include who can possess guns, we could have a government led by a tyrant the likes of a Hitler or Stalin.

For more pros and cons on gun control see HPC’s 8 Pros and Cons of Gun Control and SoapBoxie’s Pros and Cons of Gun Control Laws in the US. Also, Britannica’s Pro and Con: Gun Control provides more pros and cons as well as some examples of some off-beat U.S. gun control laws enacted going back before the Second Amendment.

For more information from Unvarnished Facts, see articles on culture and government.