Advantages and Disadvantages of Gun Control

This debate has been raging for a long time now. There are millions of Americans who want gun control to be enforced. There are millions who don’t want gun control measures. The debate is finely balanced because both the proponents or advocates of gun control and their critics have some very rational arguments to establish their point.

Without delving into what may actually happen, here is an objective analysis of the advantages and disadvantages of gun control.

Advantages

Gun control can rein in the number of crimes in the country. Most crimes in America are committed with guns. Without the guns being available freely and legally, violent crimes can be averted. The numbers will surely go down and the society may be safer.

Gun control will reduce the possibilities of criminals who wouldn’t otherwise kill, be compelled to kill a victim. If a victim has a firearm or a gun then a criminal may feel threatened and might kill the victim in an act of self defense, or the perception of it. A victim who doesn’t appear as a threat to a criminal may escape with minor injuries and without any fatal wounds or a gunshot.

Crimes of passion are on the rise and they are easily facilitated by the availability of guns. Gun control will make it difficult for people to own them and thus they will not have any weapon that can easily end their own lives or lives of others. Suicides and murders at the spur of the moment become far too easy and convenient with a gun.

Gun control will also enforce the 2nd amendment of the constitution which was clearly aimed at the National Guard, army or militia in general and not for normal citizens.
Gun control will also prevent kids from getting access to guns that their parents own legally. In the process, kids will not get engaged in deadly acts or fatal accidents.

Disadvantages

A huge disadvantage of gun control is that criminals or those with vicious intentions will always find a route to acquire guns. Absolute gun control is not possible. People can make their own guns or they can procure them through bootleggers and black markets. There would potentially be a new industry of guns being sold right under the streetlights and there would be no trace of how many guns are sold and who actually owns a gun.

Ordinary people will have no weapon on them to act in self defense. Weaker people and women will find themselves more vulnerable. Also, a gun may act as a deterrent for many criminals during an act of crime. Without any gun being available with a victim or with the people around the scene of a crime, the criminals may have a wild run.