Essay about Just Take Away Their Guns
In the essay “Just Take Away Their Guns”, James Q. Wilson argues that restraining people from legally purchasing firearms do not have any effect on the illegal use of guns. About two-hundred million citizens privately own a gun and one-third of that two-hundred million own a hand gun. Only two percent of the citizens are using them in unlawful acts. Most guns are either stolen or borrowed, or privately purchased, which are rarely affected by gun laws.
Any decrease in ammunition stock would reduce the right for law abiding citizens to defend themselves. Guns are fired about a million times a year out of self-defense. The number of people who defend themselves outnumbers the amount of arrests for crimes committed. According to Wilson, the government should not take away the right for law abiding citizens to purchase guns. They should take away the rights of those who carry guns unlawfully.
It is encouraged that law enforcement confiscate guns from people who carry without a permit. Although the Fourth Amendment of the Constitution bans unreasonable searches of persons, it was decided by the Supreme Court that frisking a person is acceptable if an officer is given a reason to suspect that the person is posing a threat to society. It is a lot less severe to have a reasonable suspicion, rather than making a plausible assumption, because it is supported by specific facts of the matter.
There is a shortage of officers in many cities because law enforcement personnel worry about having their cases disposed of for inherent reasons. However, actual harassment by law enforcement can be reduced with this technique. It is suggested that lists of people on probation or parole are given to patrol officers, so that it can be insured that they are inspected often to prevent them from harming others with guns. The claim that self-defense is a legitimate form of preventing illegal acts, is supported by evidence reported to the National Crime Survey.
Those that encourage the government to severely restrict selling guns ignore the facts that the majority of the population uses firearms for self-defense. The National Rifle Association who is opposed to gun control, however, tell the government that guns are not killing, but the people using them are. They encourage the government to severely punish people who use guns to commit crimes. Although when a gun is carried by a criminal to protect themselves from other armed criminals, it can be the influence of a gun-related crime.
In conclusion to Wilson’s essay, whether society does or does not take these measures to fix the issue, there will still be opposing arguments. Young black or Hipic men will most likely be suspected of carrying a gun, more than an older white man or woman. But if society is determined about reducing crimes, they need to confiscate guns being held illegally. This cannot be prevented if society keeps ignoring the accessibility of purchasing guns at a gun shop, and pretending that they do not pose a threat until a criminal is charged with using one.
