Discussion question blog post #2

Discuss if gun control can limit the amount of deaths in the U.S

According to researched articles, Government statistics, and the book Give a Boy a Gun, there is evidence that supports that Gun control can help prevent deaths in the U.S.  

Many argue that gun control does little to sop deaths in America. Mainly, the argument stands that criminals conducting violent acts of crime would think twice if everyone owned a fire arm. However, according to researched articles, Government statistics, and the book Give a Boy a Gun, there is evidence that supports that Gun control can help prevent deaths in the U.S. While Gun control is often thought of as taking away people’s rights to own firearms, the laws surrounding this topic often works towards background checks and specifically, proper storage of firearms. Firearms, whether legal or not, remain a constant threat if left around unattended.

 Quotes from the story Give a Boy a Gun by Todd Strasser, speaks of the access which the one of the main characters, Ryan Clancy, has to his father’s gun. Clancy says, “My dad has a 9mm Glock he keeps on a Shelf in his bedroom closet.” (Strasser 51) Later in the same paragraph, he also speaks of how a ‘cheap’ gun shown to him is more of a toy. Also, within researched articles such as “Guns Within Reach”, there lies evidence that individuals are improperly storing guns in places where children can easily reach them. The article states that, “nearly 1.7 million children under age 18 live with a loaded and unsecured gun in the house.”(2) Finally, government statistics provide interesting percentages which argues towards the favor of Child Access Prevention Laws. According to smartgunlaws.org, “One study found that in twelve states where such laws had been in effect for at least one year, unintentional firearm deaths fell by 23% from 1990-94 among children under 15 years of age”

 Conclusively, all the evidence leans towards the support of Gun Control laws working in favor of death prevention. With deaths as high as 11,419 people in 2013 alone, Gun Control laws seems to be a wise step in the right direction to taking back 'stolen time'