With the United States being the "land of the free," why is it that us as United States citizens have to live in fear of gun violence? According to the article "Would New Laws Reduce Gun Violence And Crime?" written by Sean McCollum, "You need only to compare the U.S. with developed countries that have strong gun control laws to see the difference. Their murder rates are only a tiny fraction of ours. As Jeff Muchnick of the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence says, "If handguns made people safe, we'd be the safest country in the world." But we

The Brady Law is a step in the right direction. This law, which went into effect in 1993, requires a five-day waiting period for the police to make a thorough check of the buyer's background. The law also established a $200 federal firearm license fee and a $90 annual license renewal fee. Pro-gun activists, however say that this is not nearly enough. It is said in the book Taking Sides, in Mark Udulutch's article, that, many pro-gun control activists want a total ban on firearms. "Firearms are used to murder nearly 12,000 people annually, another 1,750 persons suffer deaths by accident, and an estimated 200,000 are injured. In addition more than 16,000 people use firearms to take their own lives each year." Considering these statistics, how can one not want to enforce stronger gun control laws? There are only specific people who might need guns, the militia, serving to protect us as a nation, the police, who when called upon are able to save many lives with their guns and specific others, but there is no need for individual households to possess firearms. "Studies show that guns bought for self-defense are much more likely to kill a friend or a family member than a criminal." Possessing a gun for self defense is only going to add another gun into the statistics, it will only in actuality produce more danger rather than protection. Reality is never going to change, whether people are in danger or not, accidents happen and people are killed each day by firearms, but the only way to stop these accidents from occurring are to ban the right for individuals being able to possess guns in their own house. There is no need for it when we have authority being paid to protect us from these types of personal dangers.

Opponents of gun control argue the fact that "gun shows are composed of honest dealers selling a legal product." It is true, guns aren't illegal and neither is selling under the right circumstances. The Brady Law serves no purpose whatsoever, "many persons with criminal records simply use a "straw man" purchaser, someone with a clean record who buys the guns, and then transfers it to the criminal." Even though straw purchases have been federal felonies since 1968 it hasn't stopped criminals from using straw men, they are still receiving their weapon and are still able to commit the crime, and so in reality what law can stop the desire? None, so therefore there is no point in even making one. "Statistics show that more than half of all violent criminals go out and commit more crimes." With only ten percent of the guns used in violent crimes in the United States being purchased at gun shows, it proves that, as stated in "The Truth About Gun Shows," "gun shows are such a minor source of criminal gun acquisition

Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 1853
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page double spaced)