Gun control laws were constructed to reduce the overall crimes that are involved with guns. The purpose behind gun control laws was for people to protect themselves from predators, reduce gun deaths, and prevent injustices from occurring. Gun control laws are defined as laws passed to restrict the sale of guns and control their use. By controlling the use of guns such as people using them to protect themselves, is necessary because a study revealed that five women are murdered with guns every day in the United States. The study later stated a woman’s of being murdered increases 500% if a gun’s present during a domestic dispute. Another method for people to protect themselves would be how gun control would lead to fewer suicides. One study unveiled that in between 1999 and 2013 there were 270,237 firearm suicides in the United States, accounting for all about 52% of all suicides during those years. With these numbers if we were to have more control on gun laws the result would be fewer suicides.
Other countries who have more restrictive gun laws then the U.S. have a lower gun homicide and suicide rates. Due to gun control laws countries have reduced gun related crimes. Another reason would be that gun control laws would reduce the number of accidental gun deaths. A study revealed that approximately 50% of unintentional fatal shootings were self-inflicted. An additional reason would be that the presence of a gun makes a conflict more violent. A study has shown that the weapons used in altercations were those closest at hand. Without the guns being present the outcomes of some altercations would not escalate to deaths.
Gun control laws can lead to preventing injustices from occurring because when looking into some cases it has been found that legally own guns have been frequently stolen and used by criminals. An additional reason would be that guns are rarely used for self defense. A study revealed that of the 29,618,300 violent crimes committed between 2007 and 2011 235,700 victims used guns to protect themselves. Another injustice that gun control could prevent is that high capacity magazines have often turned murders into mass murders. One study has unveiled that when high capacity magazines were used in mass shootings, the death rate rose 63% and the injury rate rose 156%.
Rowan Counterintuitive 