Gun control is not by any means a black and white issue. The debate going on consists of a rainbow of different options and shades of gray. The gun control debate has been going on without a clear winner for centuries. With each catastrophe, mass shootings, school shootings, etc., both sides say that their solution will be the better one. Each side has one more factor to add to the list of reasonable claims, but all they do is cancel each other out. However, only one solution will really help. Even though it is people who kill people, guns make it much easier.

More guns on the street mean more chance of a gun-related fatality. Each gun in circulation increases the chance of someone being hurt in a conflict, whether justifiable or unjustifiable. Evidence suggests that gun violence is a major health problem in America. Mass shootings are on the rise, guns take life through homicide, suicide, and accidents. Compared to other peer countries, America’s gun violence is the worst.

Studies have been done when it comes to America’s gun related death toll compared to one of its peer countries. According to Brady’s Campaign to End Gun Violence, “on average, 32 Americans are murdered with guns every day” (Welcome to WISQARS™). That equates to 1,148 American civilians dead per year because of a lack of gun control. That is over 10:100,000 people dead because of gun related deaths. Australia has under a tenth of that, at less than 1:100,000 (Peters).

The NRA often hides behind the fact that many school shootings are perpetrated by the mentally ill. They say that it was not the gun but the illness that kills people. Yet, without a gun, even the most bloodthirsty wouldn’t be able to wreak the kind of havoc that was dealt to the families of Sandy Hook and other such places. Adam Lanza, the Sandy Hook shooter, was able to get ahold of a Bushmaster XM-15 rifle and a high capacity magazine. With these he was able to shoot 150 rounds in the space of a few minutes (Ferris). Without a high capacity magazine, Lanza would not have had the option to shoot the sheer number of bullets at the innocent children that he did.

Firearms target the young in our society. As the CDC clearly states, “firearm homicide is the second-leading cause of death (after motor vehicle crashes) for young people ages 1-19 in the U.S” (Welcome to WISQARS™). With gun violence as such an undeniable factor in child safety, why are the politicians so eager to keep their pointless debate going instead of making a change? These problems need to be solved, and are not just one more excuse to try to win power for your party.

In the article “How Bloomberg's Gun Control Group Stacks Up Against NRA,” Francine Kiefer writes that, “while 90 percent of Americans may support expanding background checks to the Internet and gun shows, getting them to act is something else entirely” (Kiefer). Americans’ opinions about suchs basic proposals as more credible background checks are not split 50-50. Kiefer says that 90 percent of Americans, to a certain extent, support better gun control.

Many people believe that more guns in circulation will help to diminish crime. They think that, since criminals will always be able to get guns, if everyone had a gun, America would be safer. The fact is, if we make it harder for people to get guns, it’s also harder for criminals to get guns. This exact scenario played out in Australia, after the Port Arthur shooting in 1996. Thirty-five people were killed and 20 injured, with the ages ranging from 3 to 72 (Peters). After the shooting, Australia passed gun control laws with more parameters, making it harder to get a gun. The new laws stopped anyone from getting weapons without a trustworthy and credible background, a license, and a legitimate reason (Peters). For example, the Australian government wouldn’t allow a person to buy a high caliber assault rifle for the purpose of hunting rabbits. today, their gun-related death toll is extremely lower than before, almost a quarter of their pre-gun control laws (Peters).

Another claim that anti-gun control people make is that guns are vital for self defence. In reality, guns are a danger no matter who has them. The incidents of guns used for self defense is tiny compared to the amount guns are used for other purposes, including but not limited to suicide, homicide, or unintentional shooting: For every 22 guns in American households, only one will be used for self defense (Kellermann). That leaves 21 guns unaccounted for, causing untold harm and chaos. It’s no surprise that our gun-related death toll is so high.

Fewer guns in the hands of more responsible people means a safer America. America has a problem with gun violence and fatalities. Their numbers are off the charts. Children and the mentally ill are in danger. Something must be done, lest the Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave be reduced to chaos by a less-than-regulated militia. Australia was moved to action, placing universal background checks, harmonized and linked licensing, and justifiable reasons to the minimum you need to get a weapon, and now their gun violence rates are lower than before. By following their actions, America can become a safe country again.

Works Cited

"Welcome to WISQARS™." Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Centers for Disease

Control and Prevention, 07 July 2014. Web. 27 Oct. 2014

Peters, Rebecca. "When Will the US Learn from Australia? Stricter Gun Control Laws save

Lives." The Guardian. The Guardian, 14 Dec. 2013. Web. 10 Oct. 2014.

Ferris, Sarah, and Jessica Boehm. "Two States, a Nation Apart on Guns." Washington Post. 03

Aug. 2014: p. A.4. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 21 Oct. 2014.

Kellermann, Arthur L.MD, MPH, et al. “Injuries and Deaths Due to Firearms in the Home.”

Journal of Trauma, Injury, Infection, and Critical Care 45 (1998): 263-67