In 1982, a survey of male inmates from eleven different penitentiaries stated that sixty-nine percent of prisoners knew another criminal who had been frightened, injured, or had decided to don't make him commit a crime because they thought the victim had a gun (Agresti and Smith). As the United States heads towards the end of 2013, the current gun control debates are sweeping the nation, leaving everyone to develop their own positions on which side of the debate they want to be on. Gun control is defined as efforts to regulate or control gun sales; however, most of what we hear from other people is that Obama wants to remove all guns from the nation. That's not entirely true. Obama's proposal to Congress is a law that would increase background check protocols, ban assault weapons, high-capacity ammunition and armor-piercing projectiles. The proposal also includes increased funding for additional police officers on the streets, first responder training, mental health programs and emergency plans in schools. The Second Amendment to the United States Constitution shows that it is unconstitutional to have complete and total gun control. The Second Amendment states that “a well-regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.” This means that it is the right of an American citizen, respecting the Constitution, to have the right to bear arms. Currently, there are over three hundred and seven billion people residing as American citizens. In the homes of these Americans, forty-five percent have a registered gun in the home. As a diverse nation, there are many reasons why there are firearms within a family. Sixty percent said the gun is used to protect themselves from in... paper... and to kill people. Mass school shootings don't happen because the gun wakes up one day and says, "Hey, I'm going to shoot Sandy Hook today." No. Things like this happen because law enforcement isn't as strict as it should be with gun laws already passed. This issue is a growing debate in our nation, which seems to go both ways. More rigorous enforcement is needed to help the growing problems in our nation today. It is essential that background checks are strengthened and that military weapons are left to the military; people don't need to have automatic guns in their family. However, the rifles and pistols should be left to the Americans. The Second Amendment protects the right of the American public to bear arms. If something is not decided soon, people will see problems increase in the future. Works Cited (Snyder)