The problem here arises that the gun itself cannot kill people, but the people who own it can use it as a weapon to kill another person. Furthermore, not all gun owners are criminals, so gun confiscation is not the optimal solution. In the essay “Just Take Away Their Guns,” James Q. Wilson stated: “There are approximately 200 million privately owned guns, about a third of them handguns. Only about 2% of the latter are used to commit crimes” (Wilson). This means that for every 100 people who own guns, only 2 use them to commit criminal acts. Not all gun owners are criminals, most people own guns for self-defense purposes. Therefore, the most important thing the government needs to do is to closely manage the buying/selling of weapons rather than simply taking them away from the people. If a person wishes to purchase a gun, he or she must undergo a background check and provide an appropriate reason for purchasing it. On the other hand, the police should reward anyone who discovers the illegal use of firearms. Over the past twelve years, police department data shows that officers have made more than five million arrests, but the number of illegal weapons found is only 0.02% (Badger). Furthermore, shootings are not decreasing enough to justify increased stops and searches. Since 2002, shootings in New York City have decreased by only 3.9% (Policy