Raili Brush

Dr. Perparim Gutaj

Political Science 1100

May 3rd 2020

GUN CONTROL

Gun Control in the United States is one of the most controversial topics. Gun control in

the United States is considered to be any action taken by the federal, state or local governments

to regulate, the sale, purchase, safety and use of any guns by individual citizens in the United

States. (Lee) In 2018 a survey from the Graduate Institute of International and Development

Studies in Geneva showed that in the United States there are 393 Million Civilian-Owned

firearms. Which accounts for 46% of the Global stock of guns. The United States has the highest

gun/civilian ratio than that of any other country; about 120 guns per 100 citizens. Canada, the

country with the second highest ratio, has about 35 guns/100 civilians. (Inagraham) Possessing a

gun in America is a fairly easy thing to accomplish. With this higher number of guns comes a

higher likelihood of death from a firearm, Americans are ten times more likely than 22 other

high-income countries to be killed by a firearm. (Gale) In the United States, it is unreasonably

easy to purchase a firearm. A gun store is only required to run two background checks; both a

federal and local check, once an individual passes, he or she may purchase the gun and leave the

store. This process, in most cases, takes only about 15 minutes. However, in 33 states - Utah

included - private sellers can sell to individuals without performing any background checks.

(Taylor and Handbury)

 Gunpowder has been estimated to have been invented in as early as 850 A.D. Chinese

alchemists were trying to create something else when they discovered the explosive properties of

gunpowder. Cannons and grenades were the first weapons to utilize the newly found gunpowder.

Fast forward to early settlers in America, gunsmiths were considered to be one of the most vital

members of the small settlements because of their skills. These gunsmiths created the american

long rifle. These rifles had intricate details on brass or silver plates on the stock. When the

revolutionary war began in 1775, American soldiers used this gun as well as others to win the

war. (history.com editors) The history of gun control began back in late 1791 when the first ten

amendments were made in the United States Constitution. The first amendment being freedom of

speech, religion, and press. The second being “​A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the

security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.” or,

the right to bear arms. In the United States alone there were 39,773 firearm related deaths

reported in 2017, this number included suicides, homicides, legal interventions, accidental and

other. Of these incidents, 14,542 were homicides. To put this into perspective, in 2017, Canada -

the country with the second highest number of guns per civilians reported only 266 firearm

homicides. (Quinn) The current legislative laws on gun control are fairly lenient. YOU must be

18 years of age in order to purchase a firearm or ammunition. In 25 states - including Utah - state

law allows an individual to carry concealed weapons upon completion of requirements. In 15

states, individuals may carry concealed weapons ​without​ a permit. (NRA) It is also legal - and

very easily obtainable - to purchase a high capacity magazine (meaning an ammunition magazine

holding 10 or more rounds). In one google search, an individual can find a 75 round AK-47
magazine for only $69.99. Why does any civilian need to unload 75 rounds that quickly? In 2017

a 64 year old male checked into Mandalay Bay where he proceeded to carry up 23 guns and

thousands of rounds of ammunition to his room on the 32nd floor. At 9:59 PM, October 1st, he

opened fire on the crowd of 22,000 individuals attending the Harvest festival. Killing 58 and

injuring more than 800 people. How did this happen? He used a semi-automatic weapon with

high capacity magazines.

In order for America to reduce the amounts of mass shootings and homicides by firearms,

there needs to be a legislative change that happens at federal level in order for all 50 states to be

on the same page. We, as a unified country, should not have different laws on guns state by state.

Until all 50 states have the same laws, we will continue to see horrific events take place. The

United States should not ban all sales of guns, however, it should not be a 15 minute process to

obtain a gun. Civilians should have to partake in mandatory training - of which the prospective

gun owner should pay for - to learn about how to safely use, store and clean the weapon. A

prospective gun owner should have to have a permit of sorts to be able to purchase, and, like a

drivers license, this permit should need to be renewed every few years. When an individual takes

a concealed carry class, he or she is required to submit their own fingerprints. Every gun owner

should have to do so. An added step in purchasing a gun would be to have a psych evaluation. In

highschool, teenagers are required to have yearly physical exams in order to be eligible to

partake in sports. Gun owners should have to partake in yearly psych evaluations in order to

continue to purchase firearms. Now, this shouldn’t be something that has to be done if an

individual is not planning on purchasing a gun, but if a civilian decides to purchase a gun, he or
she must have a psych evaluation completed and passed within the last 365 days. Civilians also

do not need high capacity magazines. There is no situation in which a civilian should need to

own a high capacity magazine. A hunter does not need to unload 75 rounds on an animal. As a

country, we all need to stand up for stricter gun policies. We need to be on the same page in

every state in order to make this country a safe place or everyone.

Works Cited

Lee, M., and Alexander Stingl. “Gun Control: Overview.” ​Salem Press Encyclopedia​, 2018.
EBSCOhost,​
search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ers&AN=89158206&site=eds-live.

Lopez. “How Gun Control Works in America, Compared with 4 Other Rich Countries.” ​Vox​,
Vox, 4 Dec. 2015,
www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2015/12/4/9850572/gun-control-us-japan-switzerland-uk-cana
da​.

Taylor, Kate. “Here's How Easy It Is to Legally Buy a Semiautomatic Gun in the US.” ​Business
Insider,​ Business Insider, 15 Feb. 2018, ​www.businessinsider.com/how-to-buy-a-gun-2017-10​.

Quinn, Greg. “Canada's Gun-Related Homicides Hit 25-Year High.” ​Time​, Time, 22 Nov. 2018,
time.com/5461950/canada-homicide-rate-2017-climbs/

Ingraham, Christopher. “Analysis | There Are More Guns than People in the United States,
According to a New Study of Global Firearm Ownership.” ​The Washington Post,​ WP Company,
19 June 2018,
www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2018/06/19/there-are-more-guns-than-people-in-the-u
nited-states-according-to-a-new-study-of-global-firearm-ownership/​.

History.com Editors. “Firearms.” ​History.com​, A&E Television Networks, 28 Feb. 2018,

www.history.com/topics/inventions/firearms​.

Nra-Ila. “ILA: Utah Gun Laws.” ​NRA​, ​www.nraila.org/gun-laws/state-gun-laws/utah/​.

Kieran Corcoran, Sinéad Baker. “The FBI Has Closed Its Investigation of the Las Vegas Mass
Shooting That Killed 58 People and Injured Hundreds More. Here's Exactly How the Nation's
Worst Modern Gun Massacre Unfolded.” ​Business Insider​, Business Insider, 29 Jan. 2019,
www.businessinsider.com/timeline-shows-exactly-how-the-las-vegas-massacre-unfolded-2018-9
.