the case against gun control

Throughout modern history , gun control has remained one of the most hotly debated s in the United States . While a significant number of people believe that the passage of more gun control legislation will lead to a safer society , there are many valid arguments against gun control . Many pro gun advocates believe that not only are gun control laws unnecessary , but they would even be a detriment to society because such laws would be impossible to enforce , they would not necessarily prevent criminals from committing crimes with firearms , and these laws would

impede private citizens who wish to defend themselves against violent crimes

Due to the significant number private citizens who own guns in the U .S , gun control laws would be impossible to enforce . Enactment of a gun prohibition , for example , would require extensive law enforcement resources to ensure that everyday citizens no longer possess the guns they previously owned and also to ensure that people do not obtain new guns in the future . Both law enforcement and the justice system would expend a considerable amount of money on search and seizure of weapons as well as punishment of those who are found to be in violation of the law (Kopel 1988 . The sheer number of guns that are owned in the U .S as well as the amount of resources that would be required for enactment make gun control an ineffective policy that would be impossible to enforce

In addition the difficulty of enforcement , gun control laws are impractical because they would not actually disarm criminals due to the ratio of people who commit handgun crimes to the extremely high number of guns in the U .S . For every one person who commits a handgun offense each year , there are 400 handguns available in the supply of guns that are available in the country . In the case of handgun-related homicides the ratio increases to the extent that there are 3 ,600 handguns available for every person who has killed a person with a gun . Because the ratio of criminal offenders to handguns is so high , imposing gun control laws would have little or no effect in reducing crime due to the fact that the large supply of guns that are already available provides potential offenders with numerous options for procuring a handgun Furthermore , although no state allows people who have been convicted of a violent felony to purchase a gun , a survey conducted by the National Institute of Justice reported that 90 percent of surveyed prisoners said they were able to obtain a handgun within a few days to as little as a few hours of committing a crime (Kopel 1988 . This example also serves to illustrate that people who have made up their minds to commit violent crimes with guns would not be deterred by gun control statutes

In addition to failing to deter crime , increased gun control laws would also increase instance of violent crime by taking away citizens ' ability to prevent themselves from becoming victims...