西雅圖求學記

Opposition to Owning Guns It is legal that the average citizen owns guns in the United States. According to Wikipedia, Supreme Court decisions in 2008 and 2010 upheld the right for individuals to possess guns for self-defense. However, there are many groups that are opposed to owning guns because of public safety. I agree with their view. In my opinion, owning guns will have three effects: abusing guns, make it easy for criminals to get guns, and increasing the costs of owning guns.

The first negative effect of owning guns is the possibility of abusing guns. We often watch some news about gun crimes. According to Wikipedia, in the United States, in 2009, there were 3 recorded intentional homicides committed with firearm per 100,000 inhabitants. First of all, school shootings are a case of abusing guns. Recently, there was news in Seattle about a boy who shot five victims in a Washington State school and then committed suicide. Secondly, improper use of guns that causes accidents is another negative effect. I have heard news about a brother who accidentally shot his sister because he was playing with a gun. Finally, excessive defense is also one of the negative effects of owning guns For example, it is worthy of discussion whether or not it is reasonable to use guns in self-defense. Owning guns will increase school shootings, improper use of guns that causes gun accidents, and excessive self-defense are negative effects from abusing guns.

Next, because keeping and bearing arms is protected by the United States law, owning guns will make it easy for criminals to get guns. First of all, because citizens can own guns, criminals can smuggle guns through many pipelines, and with citizens' help. According to news reports, about 250,000 guns were smuggled from the United States to Mexico from 2010 to 2012. Furthermore, in 2013, New York City seized the large number of gun incidents. Arms smugglers smuggled guns from North Carolina and South Carolina into New York City. Secondly, criminals also can modify guns. Modified guns will make guns have more power in violent crimes. It also could cause large-scale organized crime. Finally, gun violence is one of the major public issues in American society related to gang violence. According to the information from UNODC (United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime), 60% of US homicides in 2009 were perpetrated using a gun. According to Associated Press statistics, each ar up to 30,000 people die by shooting in the United States. President Kennedy was also murdered with a gun. Owning guns will cause guns smuggling with citizens' help, modified guns, and gun violence. Those are negative effects of criminals getting guns easily.

Lastly, the costs of owning guns cannot go to unnoticed. Authors Philip Cook and Jens Ludwig in their article “The Social Costs of Gun Ownership”, suggest that the social cost of an additional household acquiring a handgun depends on the rate of violence and the existing prevalence of guns. They also mention that contingent valuation estimates intended to capture the complete social costs of gun violence indicate a value of around $1 million per assault-related gunshot injury (Cook and Ludwig, 2000; Ludwig and Cook, 2001). These researchers found that more guns lead to more gun-related violence in the hands of criminals via theft or the secondary market. It can be seen that owning guns will cause a burden on society. For example, owning guns can case shooting and when shooting occur, hospitals will have to mobilize their health care to help those people who are injured by guns. Next, people who buy a gun will spend a lot of money on gun-related costs. For instance, if someone wants to buy a gun, you require a permit or a license and you have to register and purchase the insurance and any guns. You also have to pay tax to state government. It can be seen from this that the costs of owning a gun re very higher. Finally, owning guns will increase a burden on the government. The government has to invest in human and financial resources to control guns. For example, the government might increase police resources to prevent crimes. Owning guns will cause higher social costs, spending a lot of money on guns costs, and put greater burden on the government. Those are negative effect of the costs of owning guns.

​There are many negative effects from legally owned guns. However, owning guns only has negative effects? Would it be safe if the government ban people have guns? Can government do more laws to control people have guns? Regardless, based on the above analysis, abusing guns, easier access for criminals to get guns, and the high costs of owning guns are the most important negative effects of owning guns. Therefore, I oppose owning guns.