Organized Crime and Gun Control

In the current past, there has been a hot argument concerning the firearm regulation. On the one hand of the debate, there are individuals in desire of placing stringent restrictions on guns and on the other hand, there are these who are against the control of guns. Those in favor of restrict of guns believe that gun control can definitely reduce organized crime while those towards the control of guns believe that having the proper of bearing arms is indeed an effective method towards crime deterrent. It is my belief that each regulation abiding citizen ought to be in a position of carrying a gun so as to defend themselves against individuals who intend to injure or harm them. It is imperative to underscore that regulations governing gun control are simply ineffective besides having adverse effects on crime. Rather than reducing crime, the laws governing gun control just simply takes the guns out of possession by good individuals and puts them in the possession of the bad individuals like criminals.

In fact, the laws governing gun control do bar criminals from the possession of firearms. I believe whether there is or there is no regulation restricting the use of guns, always criminals will find ways to obtain guns since their chances of obeying laws are less. This is the reason they are referred to us as criminals. In addition, there is no regulation which can stop the demand and supply of the illegal firearms trade. If there happens to money to be generated from the black market, an individual will try to maximize it. The criminals can obtain guns easily via the black market. Felons often claim that there are guns everywhere and if one has money, he or she can obtain a gun. Therefore, if a criminal needs a gun, he or she is not likely to visit a store to purchase one. Thusly, the criminals care less regarding having background checks or not. There is no regulation which can halt a criminal from harming themselves for self-protection purposes. A number of criminals have many enemies and they believe that they would rather be caught with guns as opposed to being caught without one.

It is noteworthy to point out that the more regulations and rules for gun control in place, the happier will be the criminal because they understand that with more gun laws and regulations in place, there are fewer chances for the crime victim to defend themselves using a firearm that is lawfully owned. It is a fact that in many states that have granted rights to their citizens to carry guns, the crime statistics are indeed lower compared to those states with laws and regulations governing gun bearing. This is because, in the states that permit firearm bearing, the guns are employed more defensively compared to criminally. Usually, criminals roll the dice whenever they target law-abiding individuals in the states that have enacted the right to carry guns. In fact, criminals according to research don`t fear authorities or the police. Instead, they fear most the citizens who may be potentially armed (Scherer). Normally, this is because it becomes harder for the criminals since they are not aware of what will happen when they rob citizens who may be armed. Either they are fortunate to meet a victim who is unarmed or they will become victims of the citizens who are ready to shoot so as to defend themselves and the family.

Essentially, the gun control regulations affect only the citizens who are law abiding. Unfortunately, the regulations do not affect the criminals. Irrespective of the existence of laws of banning guns possession, criminals will always find ways of obtaining guns. The gun regulations are ineffective in restricting the illicit trade of firearms. For instance, handguns in Chicago are not legally for sale. It is only ammunition, rifles and shotguns that can be purchased with only the individuals who have Firearm Owners Identification Cards. In fact, the Chicago region is among the most difficult regions to obtain a gun legally. For one to acquire a gun license, he or she has to undergo background checks besides waiting up to one month for them to carry a weapon legally. Whereas it is cumbersome normally for one to possess a gun legally, it is far easier to possess a gun illegally in Chicago. Actually, there are many unregistered firearms in Chicago or any other state`s streets with much more coming in each month. Therefore, banning handguns selling in Chicago, in fact, makes no difference. Individuals can go elsewhere in order to buy a weapon. One can go to another state to purchase a gun, for instance with Wisconsin and Indiana in close proximity.

Another instance proving the ineffectiveness of gun control laws pertains to the staggering crime increase in England from the time the ban on guns was imposed. England, in the year 1987 passed a law banning all guns (Karr). This law made it illegal for any citizen to carry guns. In essence, guns sanctions in England became among the strictest law globally, only for this new law to create an illusion of England being safer. Rather than lowering crime rates, this law put the citizens at the criminals` mercy who are assured well that their victims are actually unarmed and defenseless. Two years following the enactment of the law, crimes related to guns increased to 40 percent whereas armed robberies increased to 53 percent. Violent crimes doubled between the years 1997 to 2001. It becomes more apparent that individuals were more susceptible to a robbery at gunpoint in the city of London as likened to New York. Statistics indicate that in the U.S. the happening of home burglaries actually is 13 percent since the majority of the burglars often fear homeowners who are armed compared to how they fear the regulations. Burglary statistics in England are actually five times higher when compared to the U.S (Colorado Bureau of Investigation). Therefore, it is clear that the gun ban in England created more unintended impacts of lawlessness in many streets in addition to failing to stop criminals from gun possession and committing crimes.

In conclusion, it is my belief that the right of bearing arms is actually unalienable right which I do not believe that any governments have the right of taking it away. It is my feeling that all the citizens possess the right of protecting themselves together with their families. Laws restricting the usage of guns do not assist the law abiding citizens. The laws indeed serve to only take away each citizen`s ability to safeguard and defend themselves in addition to making them helpless against the criminals. Control of guns only establishes an illusion that the society is actually safer and in essence, it fails to solve the crime`s root cause.

















Work Cited

Firearm Statistics. Denver, Colo: Colorado Bureau of Investigation, 2002. Internet resource.

Karr, Justin. Gun Control. Farmington Hills, MI: Greenhaven Press, 2007. Print.

Scherer, Lauri S. Gun Control. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2009. Print.