The gun control debate is filled with illogical support from anti gun control advocates. In an article published by Paste Magazine, written by Jacob Weindling, he discusses the nine worst arguments against gun control. Every time our country is mourning yet 
another mass murder is committed by a white man who has legally obtained a gun, this debate unfolds yet again. However, no progress is ever made in terms of gun control. About 90% of Americans support universal background checks, but that has yet to be enforced. According to Weindling, the main reason that no law enforcement is ever accomplished is because the 10% of Americans that are opposed to stricter gun control laws are way more committed to the cause than the rest of the country who support it. One of the most illogical arguments that Weindling mentions is an analogy of guns that are tools that can kill, compared to knives which are a tool that is not being banned. Anti- gun control advocates have yet to prove why gun restrictions will not work with concrete evidence. Their debate is always focused on our second Amendment right, and other arguments that do not seem viable to the debate issue, or the solution for our country.
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A Mass Shooting in Texas and False Arguments Against Gun Control
In the light of recent events that occurred in Sutherland Spring, Texas, it is important now more than ever to discuss the topic of gun control. In particular I would like to discuss not just the topic of gun control, but the idea of hope when it pertains to these horrific events. Hope is a thing that can be looked at in a variety of ways, depending on a person’s outlook in life. For instance, when referring to one of the greatest movies of all time, Shawshank Redemption, the two main characters, Andy and Red, have different 
views on this idea of hope. On one hand, you have Red who states, “hope is a dangerous thing my friend, it can kill a man”. However, on the other hand, you have Andy stating, “Remember Red, hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things, and no good thing ever dies”. That is what I am arguing here today, that hope is good thing. Hope can be the best of things when it comes to dealing with events such as Texas or Las Vegas.
According to a recent article published in The New Yorker, “There is never a time to give away to hopelessness”. Adam Gopnik is able to use this concept of hope to express to his readers the importance of not giving up. He stresses the importance of always believing there is light at the end of the tunnel. In other words, Gopnik wants to assure his readers and anyone else for that matter that although we have seen numerous mass shootings over the past several years, each one helps us get closer to our end goal. Gopnik states, “with every public crisis, the truth matters and clarifies and brings light, even when the light can’t immediately show a better path forward”.
In addition, Gopnik goes more into depth regarding the difficulty of defeating the gun lobby. However, he proposes a series of myths that are used by the lobby to help its 
cause. These myths range from opinions such as if military style weapons are banned, there would be no effect to the science regarding gun violence being inconclusive. However, Gopnik uses this article to refute those opinions and affirm the beliefs regarding gun control in our nation. For instance, if military style weapons are banned, there would be an effect. It would act as a step forward and every step forward clears the way for more steps to be taken. In other words, the banning of these military style weapons would act as one step and would lead to other steps being taken to control gun violence. In terms of the social science being inconclusive, Gopnik argues against that particular opinion, stating, “The results are in. We really do know. Now we only have to do”. This is a central idea of Gopnik’s article.
This idea of ‘do’ is very relatable to the concept of hope. In fact, in my opinion, they work together. They build off one another. If a person is more hopeful that a particular issue will get resolved, they are going to be more active to help the process reach its end result. In other words, individuals, such as myself, who care about this issue of gun control and are hopeful about the future of our country, will do more things to make sure our current situation is improved. For instance, referring to a quote by the past President Barack Obama, “Hope is that thing inside us that insists, despite all evidence to the contrary, that something better awaits us if we have the courage to reach for it, and to work for it, and to fight for it”. This is what more of our country needs to believe in. We need to spread the word that every individual should not just be hopeful about our nation’s future, but to take that hope and turn it into action.
A Timeline of Gun Control in the United States
In order to understand gun control today, we need to study where we started. It would be inconclusive to analyze the efforts of gun control just within the past year. To fully grasp the evolution and make substantial change, we must reflect back on the previous laws of our country.
To view a more extensive timeline of gun control policies from 1791 to Present day, click here.
The Importance of Gun Control 