Resolved: Gun Ban in the US

I'm sure it will be a very interesting and enjoyable exchange. Good luck! Italicised: directly quoting from a named source Underlined: quoting my opponent Italicised and underlined: directly quoting my opponent's source I'm going to go straight in with my opening arguments. Crime Guns are the main tools used in homicides and crimes in the US. In 2011, a study was undertaken by the FBI to show that guns were used in 68% of homicides [1]. Approximately 41.4% of robberies involve guns [2] "21% of aggravated assaults nationwide"[1]. The USA is ranked the third out of a total of forty-five developed nations in regards to the incidence of homicides committed with a firearm [3] and compared to the UK which has one of the lowest rates of gun crimes the world [4], it is not surprising that it bans guns. Other countries that have both low rates of gun crimes and gun ownership include Japan and China. However, specifically to the US which is the main point of this debate, it has been proven that states with a strict gun control have less crime rates than those without [7]. Guns are a very effective way of killing, therefore, it is clear that banning guns would decrease the crime rates in the US. Suicide More than half of all suicides in the US are committed using a firearm [5] and a study by the Harvard School of Public Health "reveals a powerful link between rates of firearm ownership and suicides"[6]. The availability of firearms have caused an increase in suicide rates [5]. This is because a gun is one of the quickest and least painful (depending on where shot) ways to die. This can make people shoot themselves on impulse due to the speed of death in comparison with using a knife, which is both painful and slow- a decision that requires extra thought to carry out. Guns encourage and increase suicide, so therefore should be banned. Bad for defence Contrary to what many people would think, guns are actually not a good form of defence. As S. Martelle once said: "the notion that a good guy with a gun will stop a bad guy with a gun is a romanticized vision of the nature of violent crime"[8]. Events where people can defend themselves with a gun are extremely rare. Think about it, if someone broke into your house suddenly, you'd probably get shot by them first before you even have a chance to run upstairs or to wherever you store your gun. A study found that there are "less than 70,000 defensive gun uses annually while there are 300 million firearms owned in the United States. "[9] Therefore, guns are bad for defence. Accidents and harm to children As I mentioned before with suicide, the accessibility of guns can make accidents very easy to occur whether by complete accident or on impulse. Guns also are significantly more likely to kill a family member or a friend than a stranger. "Nearly 1.7 million children live in households where guns are stored either loaded or not locked away according to the Francisco-based Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence. " This makes American children 16 times more likely to be unintentionally killed by a gun compared to other countries [10]. Over 5% of young students indicated that they carried a gun in the past month, and it is estimated that approximately one million children bring guns to school each year [11]. Children do not understand the seriousness of guns and at a young age like that, accidents can often occur. Therefore, people must remove guns from their homes so that not only them but their children, can be safe. Conclusion Guns should be banned because they are highly dangerous, used in most crimes and suicides and bad for self-defence. From all of my points, it is clear that guns/firearms should be banned immediately in the US. Thank you for reading. Over to Feu! Citations: [1] . http://www.nij.gov...... [2] . https://ucr.fbi.gov...... [3] . https://en.m.wikipedia.org...... [4] . http://www.unodc.org...... [5] . https://www.bradycampaign.org...... [6] . https://www.hsph.harvard.edu...... [7] . https://img.njdc.com...... [8] . http://www.latimes.com...... [9] . http://www.hopesandfears.com...... [10] . http://www.ibtimes.com...... [11] . http://www.aacap.org...