The Case for Gun Control

Purpose: The purpose of this speech is to persuade people to support gun control and limit access to dangerous firearms. 

I. Introduction

a. Hook: In the news, how often do you hear about kids playing with their parents’ guns and then having a tragic accident. How about mentally unstable people or criminals buying firearms on the street? These instances oftentimes lead to deaths of sons, daughters, mothers, fathers and close friends.  

b. Importance: When we are talking about people’s lives, everyone is involved and everyone is potentially affected. 

c. Thesis/Argument: The thing is, these kinds of issues in society can be greatly avoided by controlling access to firearms.

d. Core Reasons: Because of many serial shootings and the government’s inability to control the guns in circulation, tighter enforcement should be supported.

II. Body

a. Point #1: Inadequate gun control has contributed to mass shootings by unstable people. 

i. Support: On December 7, 1993, Colin Ferguson massacred 6 people and injured 19 others in the Long Island Rail Road shooting in New York (Jacobs 7)

ii. Support 2: The Columbine shooting is another example of how guns are out of control and endanger people (Jacobs 7)

iii. Support 3: The recent shootings in an Elementary School in CT, a theatre in Colorado and restaurant in CT show that guns ruin lives and do much harm to innocent civilians (Gordon)

iv. Relation: These instances resulted in people getting access to guns and killing many people. You have to ask yourself if gun control is in place, would this have happened?

b. Point #2: Because there are so many in circulation, it needs to be regulated.

i. Support: In 2008, almost 17,000 murders took place, of which almost 70% were because of firearms (Agresti)

ii. Support 2: There are almost 80 million adults in the US who won a gun (Agresti)

iii. Support 3: Just one agency, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), is supposed to control 77,000 gun dealers in the US. Almost 40% of the guns used in crimes are not registered either (“Fact Sheets…”).

iv. Relation: This means that it is dangerous and unregulated. There is just not enough manpower to adequately control guns and prevent illegal dealers from selling to killers and unstable people.

III. Conclusion

a. Transition: Clearly, there are many guns out there and the capacity for danger is clear. There needs to be something done.

b. Summary: We have seen that guns were used in violent shootings involving unstable people where children and teachers were shot in public places that were supposed to be safe. Also, just one agency (ATF) clearly cannot regulate all of the guns in circulation that are even legal, let alone illegal. 

c. Call to Action: Consider how safe our streets and schools would be if guns were more tightly controlled.

d. Concluding Statement: If you don’t think that gun control is a huge risk for you, consider all of your loved ones and the possibility of them getting tragically hurt or killed by a shooter.

Works Cited

Agresti, James. "Gun Control - Just Facts." Just Facts. 13 Aug. 2010. http://www.justfacts.com/guncontrol.asp.

Gordon, Maggie. "Arrest made in restaurant shooting - StamfordAdvocate." StamfordAdvocate.com - StamfordAdvocate. 31 Dec. 2012. http://www.stamfordadvocate.com/policereports/article/Arrest-made-in-restaurant-shooting-4158342.php.

"Fact Sheet: Illegal gun trafficking arms criminals & youth: Gun Victims Action Council." Gun Victims Action Council. 1 Jan. 2011.://gunvictimsaction.org/fact-sheet/fact-sheet-illegal-gun-trafficking-arms-criminals-and-youth/.

Jacobs, James. Can Gun Control Work? New York: Oxford University Press, 2002.