I agree with some of your points in that the U.S. puts too much effort in counterterrorism; however, I disagree with your ideas of more gun control. You brought up a good point that most terrorism-related deaths occurred during the 9/11 attacks, and that people should focus more on gun violence, but I believe that the fight for less gun violence is the same as the fight against terrorism: they are both overdramatized. Although I am not an expert, I am able to recognize that the media makes it appear that gun violence is getting worse, when in reality, it is getting better. This is due to the increased news coverage and reports of the modern day. According to studies done by the Pew Research Center, gun-related homicides have reduced to nearly half of what it was in the 1990s, going from 7.0 to 3.6 per 100,000 people. I haven’t included suicide in this statistic for the following reason. You mentioned that 20,000 of around 32,000 people killed by guns are the result of suicide. I understand your point that a death caused by gun violence is still a cost of a human life, whether it is due to the harming of others or self-harm. Still, I must argue that just because guns won’t be available to a person seeking suicide, that won’t make the person’s suicidal tendencies disappear. I am not calling for a complete repeal of all gun laws; I think the gun laws are fine the way it is right now, considering the decreasing gun violence.
Gun Control: Yes or No? 