Gun Need in Our Life?

Jesse Cho

Dr. Wright

ENGL 118

25 May, 2010

Does the gun need in our life?

America is different many other countries. They have policies about using the gun. Many states allow people to own a gun ownership, but each state is different. I saw a documentary called Bowling for Columbine which is produced by Michael Moore. This documentary points out problems of using of gun, because there was a shooting incident at a high school in Columbine. America has many firearm accidents because of gun ownership. Almost every American has a gun in their home for safety or to protect themselves from armed robbers. Does it indeed protect people? Of course, the gun can protect us, but it can also harm or kill other people. This policy causes dangerous risks to many people. Therefore, gun ownership should not be allowed in America as people can live safely without gun. Improper usage of gun gives fear to everyone and is dangerous. If the government prohibits gun ownership, they can stop more suicide by gun, and there are no more terrible causalities.

America can be perceived as a dangerous country because many people have a gun in their house. There have been many tragic events in America pertaining gun shooting. Some people are not using guns for safety. For instance, a gun rampage at a local high school in Colorado illustrates how guns are being misused. On April 20, 1999, in a small, suburban town of Littleton, Colorado, two high-school seniors, Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris, caused a terrible disaster at Columbine High School during the middle of the school day. The boys' plan was to kill hundreds of their peers. With guns, knives, and a multitude of bombs, the two boys walked the hallways and killed their peers. When the day was done, twelve students, one teacher, and the two murderers were dead (Rosenberg). Dylan and Eric not only killed their peers but also took their own lives. In 2007, there was another big incident in Virginia. The shooter, indentified as 23-year-old Cho Seung-Hui, went to the university’s Norris Hall and killed more than 30 people before turning the gun on himself (CNN). This event gave shock to the entire nation and all parts of the world. In America, there have been a lot of accidents pertaining improper usage of guns, which is essentially caused by gun ownership. We also didn’t know well about guns, when we were young. Therefore, babies and children sometimes misused the guns. In a single year, 3,012 children and teens were killed by gunfire in the United States, according to the latest national data released in 2002. That is one child every three hours; eight children every day; and more than 50 children every week. And every year, at least 4 to 5 times as many kids and teens suffer from non-fatal firearm injuries (Children's Defense Fund and National Center for Health Statistics). America also have high suicide rate by gun. The rate of suicide has risen over the past 25 years, particularly among persons under the age of 40 years. An examination of types of suicide shows that only the rate of suicide by means of firearms has risen continuously over this period. From 1953 to 1978, the age-adjusted rate of suicide by means of firearms increased from 4.9 to 7.1 per 100,000 population per year, whereas the age-adjusted rate of suicide by all other means remained the same: 5.9 in 1953 and 5.4 in 1978. I have examined and rejected the hypothesis that this striking increase in suicide by firearms could have been due to an increase in self-inflicted firearm accidents that were misdiagnosed as suicide. It is conceivable that the rise in the suicide rate might be controlled by restricting the sale of handguns, since another study has shown that handguns account for 83 per cent of all suicides by firearms (Bohyd)

America was built based on Puritanism ideologies. The United States has great economic power and is one of the most affluent nations. As one of the leading nations in the world, America highly values honesty and manners. They also have well-educated people who understand the true value of education. In spite of the good background, why is America running as the only lead right now for shooting damage? Support for gun control in America has been steadily dropping. Currently, the American public strongly opposes attempts to ban gun ownership, and is divided on attempts to limit gun ownership. A 2008 Gallup poll revealed that 28% of the population supported a total ban on handguns — the lowest level since the poll was first taken in 1959 (when support for a total ban was 60% of the population). This same poll revealed that 49% of Americans in 2008 preferred more restrictive gun laws, compared to 78% when the question was first asked in the 1990 version of the poll. A 2009 CNN poll found even lower levels of support for gun laws: in this poll, only 39% favored more restrictive laws. The poll indicates that the drop in support (compared to 2001 polls) came from self-identified Independents, with levels of opposition among Democrats and Republicans remaining consistent.There is a sharp divide between gun-rights proponents and gun-control proponents. This leads to intense political debate over the effectiveness of firearm regulation (Wikipedia). America need to improve gun’s policies for citizens’ safety, and the government should manage thorough education about guns.