In today’s society, it is rare to turn on the news or listen to the radio without hearing discussion of gun-control in the United States. The topic of firearm-regulation in America is highly controversial in today’s society. The tragic events that occurred in Sandy Hook, Orlando, Blacksburg, and, most recently, Las Vegas have caused many Americans to blame firearms for the death of innocent civilians. However, there are a multitude of factors that play into a criminals’ decision to take the lives of innocent civilians, and taking away the right to bear arms could further trigger these thoughts. The American government should not implement harsher gun-control laws in an effort to reduce mass shootings because the laws will not directly prevent these tragic events from occurring, as supported by government agencies, history in foreign countries, and research in the United States.

Government agencies have provided the public with evidence that contradicts the idea that more gun-laws create fewer mass shootings in the country. The Center for Disease control, or CDC, is a federal agency that provides unbiased and well-researched information to all citizens of the United States. In June 2016, the CDC released informational statistics that support the idea that the possession of legal firearms does not cause an increase in gun-related crimes and deaths. Roughly 17% of injury-related deaths involved firearms, and only 33% of this statistic was related to murder and the other 66% of firearm related deaths were from suicide (Kochanek). In other words, individuals with access to weapons do not intend to harm as many people as society may believe. While it is still unfortunate that there are any firearm-related deaths across the country, the evidence provided by the CDC is not drastic enough for government officials and citizens to claim that laws need to be implemented to stop people from obtaining firearms. It is important to note this government agency does not seek to sway public opinion in any way, but rather provide citizens with accurate, useful information. In addition, Heller v. District of Columbia, a 2008 court case relating to the possession of firearms, provides first-hand government ruling on citizens’ right to bear arms. Heller v. D.C. was a court case in which an American citizen challenged the District of Columbia by saying that they violated his right to own a gun, as supported by the Second Amendment. The Supreme Court of the United States ruled that the laws implemented by D.C. were unconstitutional, therefore allowing Heller and countless law-abiding Americans the right to legally possess firearms (District of Columbia et al v. Heller). The Founding Fathers and Supreme Court of the United States felt that is was necessary for Americans to own weapons for self-protection, recreational use, and more. With these liberties, they did not intend for individuals to cause harm to themselves or others, therefore it is unnecessary to punish the law-abiding citizens by taking their basic rights away simply because mass killers have ulterior motives with firearms.

It is unnecessary to apply new gun laws in the United States because it has been proven unsuccessful in other countries around the world. In fact, crime rate in these countries has increased when it is harder for people to legally own weapons. A prime example of this idea is Brazil. Phyllis Schlafly is a lawyer with a plethora of knowledge, and she conducted primary research on Brazil crime rates. She found that it is illegal to obtain firearms in Brazil, but their crime rates are drastically higher than those of the United States. Overall, she found that by making it illegal to own guns, people are left without self-defense weapons and killers have a higher chance of killing more people without being challenged by other citizens (Schlafly). This research is rational and shows that taking away weapons from citizens could create even more chaos, and lead to an increase in mass shootings. However research, conducted by Josh Sanburn, contradicts this theory. Sanburn stated, “There were 166 mass shootings in more than a dozen developed countries around the world; 133 of them were in the US.” He made this statement in 2015, and since then numerous mass shootings and murders have occurred. His opposing evidence proves that there will be gun-related violence regardless if a country has laws against weapons or not. It is important to recognize that Sanburn does not directly list which countries he compiled this information from, thus proving that Americans may be receiving false information from the internet and media when it comes to the topic of gun-control. It is apparent that gun-related violence will occur in all countries, so there is no need to create laws that stop people from owning weapons if there is no factual research that this will stop mass shootings.

Recent research across the United States proves that mass shootings will not drastically decrease with more gun-laws in the country. The information and research gathered in the United States further provides the American people with accurate evidence that opposes gun-control. Jack Linshi, a reporter for Time, gathered data from the General Social Survey. This is also commonly referred to as GSS. He found that only about 32% of Americans possess firearms today, while nearly 49% of citizens owned weapons in 1973 (Linshi). While mass shootings have increased during this time period, it shows that there are more factors that contribute to mass shootings than just the ability to legally obtain a gun in today’s society. Perhaps individuals should focus their attention on the other contributing factors to the killings rather than become quick to blame the weapon itself. Charles Collier’s journal further supported this idea. He studied two recent firearm-related killings in America, the killing of Trayvon Martin and the tragic mass shooting Sandy Hook Elementary school. Collier found that the United States owns roughly half of the world’s gun supply, therefore it is inevitable that high rates of gun-violence will occur throughout the country (Collier). The best way to determine if laws should be changed or not throughout the country is to find first-hand, accurate research. Both Linshi and Collier responded to the negative shootings by investigation ways in which firearms have impacted these events. People should not fear guns, but rather the person who has the audacity to take the lives of countless individuals.  

As supported by the government research and events, information from other countries, and facts in the United States, there is no need to create new gun-control laws because they will not directly positively impact mass shootings from occurring in America. Law abiding citizens should have the right to bear arms because they can use these weapons for recreational activity, self-defense, and pleasure. Rather than punishing innocent civilians for the disgusting acts of violence by a few individuals, people and government officials should use their frustration to look into how and why mass shootings occur. The United States is known for granting its’ citizens with freedom, and creating gun-control laws would violate this idea. This was shown in the District of Columbia et al v. Heller case that occurred in 2008. Evidence from foreign countries provides scary, real facts. People found that countries that ban firearms actually have a higher rate of violence as criminals have more motivation to harm defenseless people. Also, statistics taken after mass shooting have occurred in America have proved that there is no need for gun laws to be passed in Congress. It is easy to blame the freedom that the United States grants its’ citizens when it comes to the possession of firearms for the sickening mass shootings that have occurred in the country. However, the main reason that these shootings occurs lies far deeper than the law. These particular individuals are either mentally-ill, angry, are deranged, and more, therefore they cause harm and grief to innocent civilians and families in the United States. The only way to prevent mass shootings from occurring is to find the main reason these events happen, and take proper action to fixed this growing problem in The United States of America. 
