Guns have turned out to be the epitome of violence in our society

Guns have turned out to be the epitome of violence in our society. Whenever people are robbed, or murdered, chances are that these events occurred with the use of a gun.Stories from parents who have lost children, or children left fatherless or motherless due to gun violence.Gun control is a debate topic that comes up every election and when a major event happens that involving guns. Pro-gun lobbyists say “Guns don’t kill people, people kill people” (Hagan, 2007) the anti-gun advocates want to take away the right to bear arms. This topic has no right or wrong answer it is a preference of the individual. This is why gun control is such a fiercely debated topic.According to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF) there have been approximately 223 million guns made available to United States citizens “from the end of the nineteenth century to the near-close of the twentieth” (Lindeen, 2010, p. 1667). An estimated 80% of those 223 million guns were manufactured in the United States. There are estimated numbers showing 77 million handguns, 79 million long rifles, and 66 million shotguns. These numbers will continue to increase every year (Lindeen, 2010).Recent survey relating to Stand Your Ground cases conducted by the Tampa Bay Times found that more than half of the defendants won the cases. Many people believe that Stand Your Ground laws help lower crime rates since everyday citizens are empowered to serve their own justice. Other people believe that Stand Your Ground Laws are dangerous because they promote more violence since the statute allows for excessive and even deadly force. Although Stand Your ground laws can save lives, Stand Your Ground laws are more harmful than helpful because they can be used as a loophole for criminals to kill people and wrongly prosecute defendants.