In The Light Of The Recent School Shooting In Newtown, Connecticut, Should Firearms Be Banned In America?

No, I don't believe firearms should (or will) be banned outright.

However, I believe there needs to be far tighter control on weapons, and there needs to be strong federal legislation to tackle the problem of lax gun control at state level.


Why guns shouldn't be banned.

Following a tragedy as horrible as the one that took place in Newtown, CT, it can be easy to think that the argument for outlawing firearms is a no-brainer.

However, these are only some of the reasons why an outright ban would be a bad idea:

• There are estimated to be 223 million legally-owned firearms in the US. If outlawed, most responsible gun owners would hand in their weapons to be destroyed - but millions of firearms would undoubtedly end up on the black market, and in the hands of gang members and criminals across the country.

If you think the millions of guns locked up in gun cabinets of suburban homes are a threat to national security, imagine those weapons flooding the streets of inner-city ghettos.

• America will never support an outright ban. The Second Amendment (which gives citizens the right to bear arms) is so deeply ingrained in American culture that a gun ban would be about as popular as the idea of bringing back Prohibition.

It's worth noting that, although plenty of anti-gun sentiment has been voiced in recent days, gun sales have actually increased due to the climate of fear that this event has caused.

This trend is replicated after pretty much every major shooting tragedy, and was reportedly the case following Columbine and Aurora, as well as now with Newtown.

• Outlawing guns would be political suicide for the incumbent president. A ban would also be impossibly expensive to enforce, and the powerful gun lobbies would never allow it to happen in the first place.

It's also worth bearing in mind that the American weapons manufacturing industry is the biggest in the world. America can little afford to cut out a chunk of its economy in such a precarious financial climate.

What America should do about the gun problem Regardless of where you stand on the issue of gun control, I think we can all agree that something needs to be done about the level of gun violence in America today.

Because of the complexity of the issue, there's unlikely to be an easy answer. However, the following are points that I think are worth considering:

• There's no legitimate reason for powerful assault rifles or clips that are able to hold more than 10 rounds to be made available to the public. These types of weapons were designed for warfare, not  for civilian self-protection or hunting.

In 1994, Bill Clinton passed the Federal Assault Weapons Ban that prevented the manufacture of civilian automatic and semi-automatic weapons. George Bush allowed the ban to expire in 2004. I wouldn't be surprised if it were brought back following this latest tragedy.

• Handguns are responsible for the largest number of gun-related deaths in the US. Handguns are not used for hunting, and shotguns and rifles are just as effective for protecting one's home from intruders.

If we want to see any meaningful reduction of gun violence, handguns need to be outlawed. They're simply too easy to obtain and very easy to conceal.

• Gun licenses, weapons and ammunition are too readily available. I think the US should take a look at what countries like Japan do in terms of gun ownership. Prospective gun owners should be forced to take classes and pass a rigorous vetting procedure.

In a country where you need to be 21 years of age to have a beer, it seems ludicrous that an 18-year-old can simply waltz into a local Walmart and purchase a weapon and ammunition.

• Gun control needs to be enforced at federal level. Currently, each state sets its own laws in terms of gun control. This creates a situation where weapons can be purchased from states with lax gun regulations, and then easily smuggled into states which take a stricter approach.