The Gun Control Debate
            
             On April 20, 1999 Eric Harris and Dylan Klebod opened fire on their high school in Littleton Colorado. Eric and Dylan entered the school at 11:19, shooting randomly, they killed the first two of their thirteen victims. Finding the cafeteria empty, they continued towards the library. Students saw the gunmen and a frenzy broke loose; screaming, running, panicking. Harris saw Cassie Bernall hiding under a table, he looked at her and fires a shot to her face killing her instantly. This continued for what seemed like hours, days even, but at 12:05 there were two final shots, one killing Eric and one killing Dylan. After it was all said and done, fifteen people were killed. (Time, Dec. 20, 1999)
             A recent spree of deadly school shootings like the Columbine massacre mentioned above has brought up debate on the issue of controlling guns. Many anti gun groups claim that banning handguns would substantially reduce violence because a majority of violent crimes are committed with handguns. Such a drastic step is not necessary, but something has to be done in order to reduce the violence. If strict laws dealing with background checks were widely enforced throughout the nation, then there would not be such a widespread problem in our country and citizens would be able to enjoy their constitutional right of bearing arms.
             Besides being a constitutional right, owning guns has legitimate purposes. The main purpose for a handgun is to provide protection for its owner when he is faced with danger. If responsible people own guns, then there will be few problems. Handguns and long guns, such as rifles and shotguns, can be used for sporting competitions that involve target shooting. Long guns are also used for hunting wild game, such as deer, turkey, and bear. Hunting is very popular among people in the United States.
             The National Coalition to Ban Handguns says that most murderers are not criminals; they are &q...