Have you ever wondered what a world without guns would be like? It would be even worse than the world we have today. The removal of guns would cause both chaos and destruction. Society's desire to hopefully one day have an utopian society overcomes reality and judgement. Those who are pro gun control do not think of the consequences of banning guns. Individuals automatically think that the removal of guns will immediately wipe out all guns. If Congress created laws regulating bearing arms, the laws would simply take the guns away from loyal citizens. Criminals would find ways to obtain and hide them. Banning guns would only increase crime rate, not deter it.

Guns have been in the United States for centuries; starting from the early 1500’s when the Europeans arrived. The Second Amendment was created to assure that citizens pertained the right to protect themselves. According to Cornell Law, the Second Amendment of the United States Constitution reads: "A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed." The well regulated militia is necessary in protecting both the country and people when those who are supposed to can not. The reason the United States is so well protected is as a result of the “regulated militia” that can provide the country with help when the United States is in need.

Most people believe that laws regulating guns can help deter crime rate. However, this is definitely not the case. In the United Kingdom there have been gun regulations from as early as 1870. In 1997 Thomas Hamilton walked into a primary (elementary) school in Dunblane, Scotland, and  killed sixteen small children, aged four to five, and their teacher in the school gym before killing himself.  Hamilton lawfully held the two rifles and four handguns that he used for the massacre, and had owned  firearms for almost twenty years prior to this incident. Almost immediately after this incident the Firearms Amendment Act 1997 was passed in response to the increasingly overwhelming public opinion that firearms should be banned from use by citizens. While many believed that the crime rate would decrease, studies show this isn’t the case. Why do we as a country need to ban guns when all it would do is increase crime rate? It is obviously unnecessary, and incredulous.

Furthermore, if laws banning guns were to be passed criminals would find ways to hide and obtain them, while law-abiding citizens would dispose of them and follow the law. The right to bear arms is necessary in defending one’s self and also protecting others in need. According to the NRA, “Studies indicate that firearms are used over 2 million times a year for personal protection, and that the presence of a firearm, without a shot being fired, prevents crime in many instances.” (New York Times). While there may be many crime occurrences as a result of gun misuse, there are also many times where people have been protected by the use of arms. On October 21st a pair of armed robbers entered the Pajarito Corner Store in Albuquerque, N.M., and demanded to be given money. As the pair were exiting the store, the clerk went to lock the store’s door, when one of the criminals leveled a gun at him. The clerk reacted by firing at the robbers,  causing both to flee. According to the NRA-ILA Institute for Legislative Action, “The thieves fled in a vehicle, but were involved in an accident. Police caught up with the criminals, finding one dead and arranging for the other to be taken to a hospital. The surviving robber will be charged with murder in the death of his accomplice” (Gun Laws). If the clerk did not carry a gun he would most likely be killed. Guns are a productive way to keep innocent civilians safe from harm’s way. If guns were not legal they would get into the hands of the wrong people, and would get taken from the hands of the right ones.

Moreover, if the country were to ban guns it would take decades for the country to be completely free of guns. Criminals can find various ways to hide and keep firearms, where no one will notice. According to Gun Owners Action League, “The US has the highest gun ownership rate in the world - an average of 88 per 100 people. That puts it first in the world for gun ownership - and even the number two country, Yemen, has significantly fewer - 54.8 per 100 people.” Imagine how long it would take to dispose of all these guns. In the meantime criminals could easily create their own from household items. People often falsely assume that the United States has more crime as a result of the excessive gun ownership. This is not true for Honduras takes the title of most firearm deaths, with the United States being only 2.97 out of 100,000. Studies show that most criminals obtain their guns from friends and family. A clear example is Adam Lanza, whom killed over twenty people with guns he stole from his mother. Besides the fact that banning guns is not effective, it also useless, for it would take many years for guns to fully disappear. What is the point of making a law against guns when it would never work or be successful.

Some pro gun control enthusiasts claim that guns are mainly the weapons used to commit suicide. People argue that the legalization of guns will decrease suicide rate. This is not true, because anyone who desires to take away their life can do so by using multiple other weapons. According to the CDC, “(Suicide) Deaths per 100,000 population are only 6.4 (by gun usage).” People can use methods of suffocation, poison, and also drug overdose, to put harm upon themselves. It is often falsely believed that guns are the most harm-inflicting weapons in the United States.

Also often falsely believed is that children can easily get to guns and accidently harm themselves. There are indeed many occurrences where firearms have been misused by children. However, this could be greatly avoided if the guardians of the firearms kept trigger locks and combination codes. In fact, the Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence states, “A 2000 study of firearm storage patterns in U.S. homes found that of the homes with children and firearms, 55% were reported to have 1 or more firearms in an unlocked place, and 43% reported keeping guns without a trigger lock in an unlocked place.” As you can most certainly tell, guns are only dangerous to children when they are improperly kept and held wrongly by the parents.

All in all, it is unnecessary and useless to try and abolish guns. If Congress were to pass a law, it would clearly go completely against the Second Amendment, and what our forefathers believed was right in order to keep our country peaceful. Not only this, but it would take both time and money before firearms are completely disposed of. Individuals do not think of the many other obvious weapons humans can use to harm themselves or others. Guns are a form of self defense and protection. Creating laws regulating firearms takes away both a citizen’s rights and their dignity.

   WORKS CITED
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 14 July 2014. Web. 27 Oct. 2014.
"Defensive Gun Use." Taking Note Defensive Gun Use Comments. Web. 22 Oct. 2014.
"Gun." Merriam-Webster. Merriam-Webster Web. 27 Oct. 2014.
"Safe Storage & Gun Locks Policy Summary." Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence RSS. Web. 26 Oct. 2014.
"Second Amendment." LII / Legal Information Institute. Web. 26 Oct. 2014.
"Study Guide - Talking Points - Facts and Stats Dispelling the Gun Control Myth." Study Guide - Talking Points - Facts and Stats Dispelling the Gun Control Myth. Web. 27 Oct. 2014.