The negative impact of firearms during the last two decades in the United States has had the biggest impact on juvenile causes of death and young adults’ life choices. The leading cause of death among children shifted from car accidents, suicide, mental illness and poor physical health, to firearm and gun-related violence. Evident from cases occurring recently, there has been an influx of teenagers and young adults causing harm to communities using firearms, whether they be schools, events, businesses.

It is estimated by the Small Arms Survey (SAS) that there are 393 million guns in America, a ratio of nearly 1.2 guns per person. According to the director of the Harvard Injury Control Research Center, “All societies have issues about violence, but we give our violent people incredibly easy access to guns.”

According to the U.S. Department Of Justice, by 1999, the handgun homicide rate for the teenage-young adult age group is 158 percent higher than it had been during the 1980s, allegedly contrasting to the decline in firearm murders among those aged 24 or higher. One would think that in a country with such a massive amount of guns, that there would be harsher laws around them to ensure the safety of its people, but in fact, you may be able to walk into a gun store and walk out with a firearm the same day, since under federal law, a background check is not required when purchasing from a private seller. Some stores don’t even restrict what caliber a person can own, allowing people to walk out with police/military grade weapons and ammo no questions asked.  

In regards as to how the nation would help this issue, harsher gun laws could be instilled restricting access of heavy firearms to civilians in any instance where a background check is not being presented. Furthermore, gun attachments, modifications, alterations should be outlawed if they serve to make the firearm more practical for illegal use; it should be mandatory that anyone under the age of 30 must undergo a background check for an extended period of time before acquiring a firearm.

Unfortunately, a sizable portion of the nation is not willing to “give up their freedom” in order to keep others safe, as they argue that gun control would be pointless.