In the United States, gun ownership is a common phenomenon. Civilians are allowed to own guns for personal safety (Burke par4). However, the law is unclear as to whether using guns in public is legal. This has been a hotly contested issue among politicians, policymakers, and civilians. It is important for the federal state to draft laws that control the use of guns in public. Laws regarding the use of guns vary from state to state.
Recent studies have established that gun ownership is gradually getting out of control due to lack of proper gun control legislation (porter par5). Using guns in public should be illegal because it is a threat to public safety and can cause mental disturbances such as trauma to people who experience bloody gun incidences.
One of the reasons to illegalize the use of guns in public is because it threatens the safety of other people (Porter par8). For instance, if a licensed gun holder is provoked and decides to use his/her gun, the scuffle could turn into a dangerous confrontation. In America, 47 percent of adults own guns (Gun Owners Association, par4).
Therefore, the number of civilians who own guns is high. For this reason, using a gun in public is likely to spark a confrontation that could endanger the lives of other civilians (porter par4). A public gunfight could cause injuries to people going about their business.
Another reason to illegalize public use of guns is its potential to cause psychological disturbances on victims (The Future of Children par1). An example of this is a young child who witnesses the killing of civilians in cold blood. The child could become traumatized because of the bloodiness of the incidence.
Many people who have experienced gang massacres suffered psychological disturbances because of the bloody nature of the experiences (The Future of Children par6). To avoid such occurrences, a law should be enacted to illegalize the use of guns in public. Criminals take advantage of the laxity of gun control laws to use their guns in public. Indeed, it is important to protect the innocence of civilians by banning the use of guns in public.
It is often said that the public use of guns fosters the safety and security of civilians (Gun Owners Association par3). For this reason, proponents argue that criminals are less likely to commit a crime if they realize that there is someone with a gun in the vicinity (Gun Owners Association par9).
However, this makes the situation worse because the criminal could turn rowdy for self-defense. In such a situation, the criminal could start to shoot haphazardly to disperse crowds to find an escape route. Innocent civilians going about their business could get hurt. Public use of guns is more dangerous than many people think. For that reason, it should be illegalized.
In conclusion, the public use of guns should be illegalized because it is a threat to public safety and can cause mental disturbances such as trauma to people who experience bloody incidences. People will feel more secure with the knowledge that the law prohibits the use of guns in public.
Therefore, in case of a confrontation, they are sure that there is no danger of getting hurt. The government should illegalize the public use of guns to improve the safety and safeguard the psychological welfare of its citizens.
Works Cited
Burke, Patrick. U.S Gun owners Outnumbered Hunters by 5 to 1 in 2011. 2013.
The Future of Children: the Economic and Psychological Toll of Youth Gun Violence. n.d. Web.
Gun Owners Association: Fact Sheet, Guns Save Lives. 2008. Web.
Porter, Henry. American Gun Use is Out of Control: Shouldn’t the World Intervene? 2013.