Background

The United States is currently split between those for an increase in gun control and those for a decrease in gun control. Not only is this the current status of the debate, but this has been the status for around the past 135 years. The gun control debate has been going on for about 135 years with progress being made early on. The gun control debate began with the court case United States vs. Cruikshank. Cruikshank was a member of the KKK who had murdered two black men because he believed they were interfering with his second amendment right to bear arms. The court came to the conclusion that because these men tried to take away an inalienable right of Cruikshank's, it was lawful for him to take the action that he did. Years later, in 1939, the court case United States vs. Miller also dealt with the second amendment right to bear arms. In this case, Miller, a private in the army, was caught transporting sawed off shotguns used by military through the south and selling them to locals for a profit. The court had come to the conclusion that what he did was a case of theft, but it now had to decide if it was lawful for them to take the guns back from the people that they were sold to. The court decided that because these guns were sold with the intent of forming a militia, that it was unlawful for them to take these weapons back. This case stirred up much debate due to an increase of murders and thefts at this time in the south and many people believed that this was due to the increase in availability of guns.

This increase in crime made the Supreme Court reevaluate the previous decisions on gun control, ultimately leading to court cases that allowed for an increase in gun control. The major case that caused an increase in gun control, although indirectly, was the case of Brown vs. the Board of Education. After this case, the Black Panther Party believed that equality between blacks and whites was still not met and they decided to use violent resistance to get their way. On May 2nd, 1967, thirty members of the Black Panthers marched to the California State Courthouse with loaded weapons declaring, "The time has come for black people to arm themselves against this terror before it is too late." - Bobby Seale. This act of organized rebellion made the United States realize that new laws must be passed for gun control before things get out of hand. In the next thirty years, many laws were passed through the courts that increased gun control, allowing many American's to feel safe once again.

Two Main Arguments for an Increase in Gun Control

The main argument used by those defending the side for an increase in gun control is that a reduction of guns on the streets will lead to less violent crimes being committed. This argument is usually seen as an opinion by those for a decrease in gun control however, there are numbers to back this "opinion" up. At this time in the United States, a little over seventy percent of American households possess a gun. The availability of guns in the United States is at an alarming rate when compared to other countries where the next closest figure is the United Kingdom, at only twenty-eight percent and just across our border Mexico is at seven percent. With these two countries combined adding up to only thirty five percent, we can see that we have doubled the number of guns per household in the United States compared to the 2nd and 3rd countries for households with guns. Using these statistics, organizations such as the Children's Defense Fund and the Violence Policy Center have conducted research in which they have found that the United States has a murder rate at about three times as high and suicide rate at nearly twice as high as these two countries combined. This large difference in murders and suicides is one of the most solid arguments for an increase in gun control and so the groups of a decrease in gun control have had no counter argument.

Another argument can be made by using statistics from other countries. This new argument is one of the most recent arguments that those for an increase in gun control has started using and it could be what is needed to end the debate overall. Currently, the groups for an increase in gun control are conducting research based on recent gun control policies in foreign nations and the effects that they are having on the violent crime rates in those nations. These two countries, the United Kingdom and Mexico, have recently increased their gun control policies within the past ten years to place harsh restrictions on who can buy a gun, how guns can be used and what kinds of guns are allowed to be sold to the public. As a result of this, it is visibly seen that murder rates have dropped substantially and violent crime rates are also starting to decrease in both of these countries. This decrease in crime rates in other countries is beginning to influence the United States' Court to favor those for an increase in gun control.

Gun Control Rallies

A strong visual argument has also been made due to the nature of the gun control rallies on both sides in which it can be seen that both sides have peaceful rallies now that gun control has been increased however, it has not always been this way. Those for an increase in gun control have always had rallies like this.

Those for a decrease in gun control now are forced to have peaceful rallies, but when gun control policies were not fully enforced there was much more violence and anger in their rallies' messages.