There are two sides to the gun control debate––the left and right. For and against. There are hundreds of arguments to support gun control laws and hundreds of arguments to oppose the same laws. The gun control debate in America has been going on for years, sparked by the terrible events like the Columbine High School shooting in 1999. Nineteen years later and tragedies like Sandy Hook and the shootings in Alabama and Florida are happening more and more every year. So, what are some of the arguments made for and against gun control laws?

The Second Amendment is one of the biggest things used to argue against gun control. Gun ownership has been a part of the “American Way” for centuries, which is why the founding fathers wrote the Second Amendment. The amendment states: “A well regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.” The argument here is that more gun control laws would infringe on the right to bear arms. The statement––that was a result of the District of Columbia V. Heller case––was that “the second amendment protects an individual right to possess a firearm unconnected with service in a militia, and to use that arm for traditionally lawful purposes, such as self-defense within the home.”

The left could also use the Second Amendment in their favor to support gun control. Gun control has been around since colonial America. During colonial times, it was a crime to sell/give a firearm to Catholics, slaves, servants and Native Americans. The logic and reasoning may not fit America today, but this proves the point that there were rules against certain people having firearms. The Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that “the right of the general public to carry a concealed firearm is not, and never has been, protected by the second amendment” with a 7-4 vote.

Currently, there are gun controls in place. Certain people with certain kinds of crimes on their records, mental illness, or drug addicts, immigrants, veterans who left service due to dishonorable discharge, etc. cannot get a gun. Even though we already have some regulations in place, there are holes in the system. One of the biggest challenges for gun control laws is small buyers like the people that sell at gun-shows. As of now, New York, California, New Jersey, Maryland, Hawaii, Rhode Island, Illinois, and Massachusetts are stricter on gun control than other states, like in the sense of having background checks.

As a result of the recent tragedies happening all over the country at schools and malls, companies like Walmart and Dick’s Sporting Goods are withdrawing from the gun business. Both companies have decided to stop selling firearms which has created backlash for both, sales have dropped for both companies.