Article Analysis. Free Sample

Analysis of the article “A Criminologist's Case Against Gun Control."

 Gun control is one of the most controversial ethical issues in the U.S., which has elicited endless debates as the public takes divergent stands on the issue. The constitution of the United States permits citizens to own guns for personal security reasons. However, the U.S. records the highest gun-related deaths and killings than any other developed country in a signal year. Proponents of the gun control movement believe that issuing strict gun policies will reduce crimes and save more lives lost to guns each year. In his article "A Criminologist's Case Against Gun Control," Jacob Davidson's arguments reveal his cynicism about gun control policies as the means of curbing gun-related deaths in the United States. Instead, he argues that there is a need to focus on more practical ways of solving the problem instead of devising policies that cannot solve it.

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The author begins his article by acknowledging that mass shootings have increased in the U.S., and the ease of owning guns contributes to them. However, he questions whether such statistics reflect a true picture of gun-related deaths. For instance, he says individuals can read that 30,000 people have been killed with guns without being specific that 20,000 of those deaths were suicides. According to Davidson, this situation raises concerns about where the gun control policies should focus on to tame such deaths. He believes that focusing on policies without logical implementation will not solve guns in the U.S. David also compares the current gun-related deaths to the situation during the 90s and says that the number has significantly gone down.

Davidson observes that guns are not dangerous as individuals paint them because if the public learns how to use these weapons appropriately, the problem will be solved. Implementing a gun control policy is likely to increase insecurity levels in the nations because individuals will use illegal means to acquire weapons. For Davidson, the gun control policy will not work in the U.S. as it worked in other nations such as the United Kingdom and Australia because gun ownership is documented in the Second Amendment of the U.S. constitution. He cites an example where Australia initiated a gun buyback program to retrieve the guns owned by civilians and further restrict any sale of guns. Gun control is unlikely to solve the problem of gun-related deaths in the U.S. because restriction will not prevent people from owning guns.

The author also commits a fallacy of appeal to authority when he says that the issue of civilians owning guns for personal protection is protected in the Second Amendment, making it challenging to implement gun movement policies. However, Davidson's argument overlooks that the initial goals of gun policies were to enable citizens to acquire guns to protect themselves. Since the freedom to own guns has become a threat to life, the legislature can devise ways to curb the problem and save lives by setting policies such as gun control. Davidson fails to consider the two sides of the coin in his argument because he overlooks the harm that the availability of guns has caused.

Opponents of gun control will argue that generalizing policies will prevent responsible citizens from acquiring guns for individual security. However, gun control policies do not prevent individuals from owning guns. Instead, they introduce more critical laws to ensure that guns land in the hands of only dignified persons who are unlikely to misuse such weapons at the slightest provocation. It is not correct to assume that gun control will bar citizens from using guns. While it is true that the Second Amendment permits citizens to own guns, it is vital to question whether those owning lethal weapons deserve to get onto anybody’s hands (Ausman et al. 199). Gun control introduces new policies to scrutinize citizens before allowing them to purchase guns rather than barring them from acquiring one.

Guns are dangerous weapons, and whenever a shooting happens, the target victims will most likely lose their lives. It is vital to establish policies to ensure that gun owners use their weapons ethically to protect lives. The guns should be used only when necessary, not just showing up in a public place and shooting innocent citizens. Gun control policies seek to offer a guideline for owning guns and preventing gun-related mass shootings and suicides.

Ausman, James I., and Miguel A. Faria. "Is gun control really about people control?." Surgical neurology international 10 (2019). DOI: 10.25259/SNI_480_2019

Jacob, D. A Criminologist's Case Against Gun Control. (2015). https://time.com/4100408/a-criminologists-case-against-gun-control/

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