Essay on Gun Control: the US vs. Other Countries
There is an old joke from the time when people used to complain about the piracy video that started before a DVD movie did. The joke was a response to the question, “Why would you want to break the law and watch pirate movies?” The reply was “Because I don’t want to get shot eating popcorn.” In an incident on Friday 24th July 2015, innocent people were shot and killed or injured in a movie theater in Lafayette, Louisiana. Just as shown in the documentary “Bowling for Columbine,” the NRA (National Rifle Association) held a gun support rally in the same town just days after the incident. They rallied to ensure that people dare not start calling for better gun control. One of their arguments is that they are different from other countries and that guns would be impossible to ban in the US.
In my argumentative essay, I give examples of gun control issues in other countries and how they relate to US gun control. Australia Banned Guns Very EasilyGuns were legal in Australia for years, but after the Port Arthur massacre they were banned. The people of Australia agreed in the most part to the ban and both the murder and crime rate has dropped dramatically. Australia was able to do this because the people do not live in media-fuelled fear, nor is their country controlled by gun manufacturers. The US and China are the biggest gun manufacturers in the world, so it is hardly surprising that they would not allow guns to be banned on their home turf.
How Is China Able To Ban Guns?People in China are not allowed to own or carry guns except in rare circumstances, yet they like the USA are the biggest gun manufacturers in the world. Why would American gun companies restrict gun control whereas Chinese companies allow a ban to remain? The reason is because gun companies need public support in order to keep selling weapons to foreign groups. If guns were banned, then people would have a stronger case for closing down companies that sell guns to foreign groups that are then turned on US people and soldiers. China doesn’t need public support because they do not have a democracy in China. The UK is a big weapons manufacturers tooThe fact that the US is one of the two biggest gun manufacturers in the world means it may be difficult for them to ban guns, and because they have a democracy the gun companies have every reason to keep guns on the streets, but why isn’t it the same for the UK? The UK is a massive weapons and surveillance manufacturer, so how is it that they, with their democracy, have no guns on their streets? The biggest reason is because the UK builds extremely advanced weapons, the sort of thing that can knock a fleck of paint from a barn door 30 miles away. Their manufacturers do not have to worry too much about public support because the UK only sells advanced weapons to a small selection of allies.
The things they sell to most other countries are non-lethal things such as armor and surveillance technology. The UK weapons companies do not have a public support issue in the way that the US companies do. ConclusionThe biggest reason that guns are not banned in the US is because the gun companies need public support to keep trading weapons overseas, which means keeping people hooked on their guns. Plus, the US citizens are bombarded with messages of fear that keep them scared enough to hold on to their guns. Other countries are able to ban guns, but it does seem that whilst the gun companies have their stranglehold and whilst the media keeps people in fear, things such as Columbine, Meridian, Wedgewood Baptist Church in Fort Worth and Lafayette, Louisiana are not going to make any difference to gun control laws in the US.
