Persuasive Speech Against Gun Control

Ever since the inception of this country 240 years ago, guns have been an integral part of the American identity; a sense of lawlessness, individualism, personal autonomy and freedom. They were the tools that liberated us, and gave us independence over a tyrannical, unrepresentative empire. However, in more recent years, these tools have been used more and more frequently in mass shootings, some of which are occurring at schools, targeting teachers and children. Since the infamous shooting at Columbine High School 19 years ago, we have had several shootings at schools, and we tend to get “thoughts and prayers”, a gesture with good intentions, but little actual progress made. This problem can be contributed to the increasing power of guns, and a lack of mental health coverage, gun

The amount of people calling for a full ban are in the vast minority; most people advocating for gun control just want to make sure that average people, not the mentally ill or felons, can own a gun for self-defense, hunting or recreational shooting. There are more guns than people in this country, and while it may be difficult or pointless to regulate the legal, over the table purchase of them, it’s better than doing nothing, or letting teachers carry guns, which would do nothing but cause more chaos, fear, and deaths. Your 2nd amendment rights are not restricted by having to pass a background check or mental health test, in the same way that your 1st amendment rights are not restricted because you cannot say “fire!” in a movie theater or threaten someone’s life. Amendments need to adapt to be applicable, and an amendment written by people 240 years ago should not and will not be applied the same way as it is in the