In 1982, a survey of male inmates at eleven different penitentiaries found that sixty-nine percent of prisoners knew another criminal who had been frightened , injured or decided not to. commit a crime because they thought the victim had a gun (Agresti and Smith). As the United States heads toward the end of 2013, current debates over gun control are hitting the country, leaving everyone to develop their own position on which side of the debate they wish to be on. Gun control is defined as efforts to regulate or control the sales of firearms; However, most of what we hear from others is that Obama wants to remove all guns from the country. This is not entirely true. Obama's proposal to Congress is legislation that would strengthen background check protocols, ban assault weapons, high-capacity munitions and armor-piercing bullets. The proposal also calls for more funding for additional police officers on the streets, first aid training, mental health programs and emergency plans in schools. The Second Amendment to the US 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 a constitutionally abiding American citizen has the right to bear arms. Currently, more than three hundred and seven billion people reside as American citizens. In the homes of these Americans, forty-five percent have a registered gun in their home. As a diverse nation, there are many reasons why guns are in a home. Sixty percent said the gun was used to protect against intrusions middle of 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 up Sandy Hook today." » Things like this happen because law enforcement is not as strict as they should be with gun laws already passed. This issue is a growing debate in our country, which seems to go one way or the other. Stronger enforcement is needed to address the growing problems in our country today. It is essential that background checks be strengthened and military weapons left with the military; there is no need for people to have automatic weapons in their homes. However, shotguns and handguns should be left to Americans. The Second Amendment protects the right of the American public to bear arms. If something is not decided quickly, then people will see increasing problems in the future. Works Cited (Snyder)