1. Increase of gun related deaths in the US

2. Lack of use within civilians

3. Rifles are fast killers

4. US and gun history

5. Guns and their financial benefits

Some experts may say that the reason that these weapons have not yet been banned is because of the financial benefits that they have created for this country. There are many interest groups that have been profiting off of these weapons. The United States works with these groups like the NRA, or the National Rifle Association, which has made over $9 billion from these weapons, and because they are making the country more money, there is no way that this country will instill a ban of these guns. This argument is valid but we should not be focusing on the JUST the money from these weapons. We should also start focusing on all the American lives lost as well. 

My interviewee is a 16 year old female who lives in Chicago. My candidate understands that people want guns to protect themselves. In contrast, she thinks that guns can be to easy access to children and can become extra dangerous. She says that automatic guns are less common but although theyre less common, they throw faster rounds are are a fast killing method mostly used for hunting. She believes that hand guns should be fine because they are less fast and automatic guns are faster and an easier killer. The US makes it hard to ban guns because of the protection of the second amendment but also the US trades weapons and so they want to maintain that benefit of money coming their way by continuing to trade those weapons. She says it would be beneficial to ban automatic weapons because in mass shootings automatic weapons are more commonly used. 

This interview is a credible source because interviewing someone who lives in a city where gun violence is unfortunately super common enables an opinion that is valid and useful for my research. 

In my opinion, I think that automatic weapons should be banned in the US. There is essentially no reason why these weapons should be out and about in the streets knowing how deadly they are. 

Picture the terrible aftermath of mass shootings that have tormented communities across the country. From schools, to places of worship, the sound of gunfire has destroyed lives, leaving families shattered and communities in mourning. This debate over gun control and gun laws has immensely intensified. As the debates continue over this controversial topic, it has become apparent that banning automatic weapons in the United States is a necessity for the safety and well-being of its citizens. Therefore, the United States should implement a ban of these automatic guns due to the increase in mass shootings in the country, the lack of necessity in civilian use, and the rate in which these weapons are killing. 

Historically, the US was built off of guns. The Second Amendment gives citizens the right to keep and bear arms. When the Native Americans were on this land, the way they were kicked off was with the use of guns and the killing and wiping out of these people. These beliefs have been dragged on to today’s society and the patriotic Americans of this time have felt threatened by the ban of guns and actively believe that guns are a core part of our country and an important aspect of how our country was founded. 

As I began to conduct my research, I found that mass shootings with automatic weapons in the United States have increased in the past years and do not seem to be slowing down. One study showed that “The decade after the ban expired, mass shooting deaths increased by 347 percent” (Jones). Stanford University conducted research and reviewed mass shootings throughout a 35 year period. The analysis found that in the decade in which the ban was implemented, they found a 25% decrease in mass shootings and a 40% decrease in mass shooting deaths. After the ban expired, mass shootings and deaths immediately rose. This shows that the assault weapon ban was effective and it should become a permanent ban rather than a temporary ban because as shown by the data, mass shootings deaths quickly skyrocketed as the ban was lifted. Additionally, “After the ban: On October 1, 2017, in Las Vegas, 480 people were shot, 58 fatally” (Jones). From 2005 to 2017, post ban, there have been over 300 mass shooting deaths. During the ban there were only 58. This piece of evidence shows that the ban was effective but since the expiration of the ban, mass shootings have risen, therefore, we need to find a way to reinstate the assault weapon ban so that mass shootings in this country decrease and the country becomes a safer place for its citizens. 

Additionally, there should be a ban of automatic weapons because there is simply no reason as to why automatic weapons should be in the hands of regular civilians in the United States. There is really no need. “Our courts haven't found a constitutional right to have assault weapons, anyway” (Swalwell). As of now, even considering the Second Amendment, our country has not found a good enough reason as to why we should even have these weapons. They are a clear danger and threat to our society and so there is no reason not to ban these weapons. There is one reason that our country has yet to ban these weapons. Money. The United States is making money from selling these deadly weapons and although it has caused much mourning, they are making money off of this, therefore, unfortunately, they do not want to reinforce a ban of these weapons. “Baltimore Police Department recovered 890 firearms with high-capacity magazines” (Jones). High capacity-magazine guns should not be held by that many people. This piece of evidence shows that firearms really are just out and about all across the country and there should be a better way of handling these majorly dangerous weapons. This statistic was only from one city in the United States. If there are that many automatic weapons in one city, we can only imagine how many more there are across the country. 

Automatic weapons have a clear function. To kill. These weapons are made to kill quickly and efficiently. One source says that “The high-velocity bullet fired from a military-style, semiautomatic assault weapon moves almost three times as fast as a 9mm handgun bullet” (Swalwell). Automatic weapons are three times as fast as a standard handgun. These weapons are being labeled as “military-style”, therefore, they should only be used in the military. There is no reason as to why regular civilians should be handling and using military-style weapons. The purpose of these weapons are for the military, not for regular civilians in our country. To add on, “Assault weapons are designed to perform the military function of killing large numbers of people by making spray firing easy” (US Department of Justice). If this is the case, in what world should we be using these weapons on a regular basis? There is no valid reason as to why a person should be using an automatic weapon and “spray firing”. There is no reason to be killing multiple innocent lives and destroying families with these deadly weapons. These weapons have been proven to be killers and the fact that there has been nothing to combat this problem is a true summary of how and why America still faces the tragedies it faces today. 

Some experts may say that the reason that these weapons have not yet been banned is because of the financial benefits that they have created for this country. There are many interest groups that have been profiting off of these weapons. The United States works with these groups like the NRA, or the National Rifle Association, which has made over $9 billion from these weapons, and because they are making the country more money, there is no way that this country will instill a ban of these guns. “The NRA still has a substantial budget which it uses to try and influence US politicians on gun policy.” (BBC) The influence of these politicians has a great effect on if and how gun policies would be put in place. The NRA is more influential on republican politicians, therefore, as long as these politicians are making that green paper, they will continue to fight against any gun control policies. These ideas make it harder to place gun control laws, but they are still an important part of what is the next step in making this country a safer and better place because with nothing being done, there are still people being killed by these guns every single day. 

The United States must immediately implement a ban of these weapons because of all the harm that they have done and all of the harm they will continue to do if this ban is not put in place. If we want to create immediate change, we must fight for it. Our society must come together to speak on this topic and grasp the attention of the people who run this country and DEMAND change. We must do whatever it takes to make change because we are running out of time. We should continue to bring awareness to this huge issue and shed light on the problems we face as a society day in and day out. These weapons have caused enough problems and it is time to change that. Change starts with the people and the only way we can create change is if we fight for change. 

“Banning Assault Weapons: A Legal Primer for State and Local Action.” Office of Justice Programs, April 2004, https://www.ojp.gov/ncjrs/virtual-library/abstracts/banning-assault-weapons-legal-primer-state-and-local-action. Accessed 8 March 2024.

Jones, Kierra B. “Assault Weapons and High-Capacity Magazines Must Be Banned.” Center for American Progress, 12 August 2019, https://www.americanprogress.org/article/assault-weapons-high-capacity-magazines-must-banned/. Accessed 8 March 2024.

Swalwell, Eric. “It's time to remove weapons of war from our streets.” It's Time to Remove Weapons Of War From Our Streets, https://swalwell.house.gov/it-s-time-remove-weapons-war-our-streets-0. Accessed 8 March 2024.

“US gun control: What is the NRA and why is it so powerful?” BBC, 13 April 2023, https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-35261394. Accessed 8 March 2024.