Elijah Fang
Ms. McKiddy
11 March 2016
Think about it, a weapon made solely to annihilate, a weapon that could easily destroy
thousands of human life. What kind of weapon could do this? Nuclear weapons, a powerful
weapon with a potential to destroy cities, killing hundreds and thousands. This weapon of mass
destruction could possibly end the human race. Some countries even live on edge every single
day of their life, prepared to take action whenever nuclear warheads are launched. The use of
nuclear weapons is unnecessary and should be banned due to its controversy, high production
Now, the big question, why or why not should the use of nuclear weapons be banned
throughout the world? Well, we have used atomic bombs to end World War 2, by dropping them
on Japan’s Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The US literally ended this war with a bang, a destructive
one also. This method was very controversial, due to the fact that the US murdered many
innocent Japanese civilian lives. Besides the controversy, the warheads helped us through the
Cold War. The US boasted their nuclear arsenal, causing tension to rise, but successfully
First of all, one of the reasons why the use of nuclear weapons should be banned is
because of the controversy. For example, in the article, “Tokyo Admits Hiroshima Destroyed by
Atomic Bomb”, written by William F. Tyree, it states, “Most of the bodies found in the area of
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devastation were so badly battered it was impossible to distinguish men from women” (Tyree
n.pg.). Approximately, 100,000 or more Japanese civilians and soldiers were killed in Hiroshima.
100,00 or more innocent civilians murdered in this act of war. Now, Hiroshima did house many
soldiers, and many US soldiers may say that this bombing had saved their lives, but they
shouldn’t forget that approximately 80% of the casualties were Japanese civilians. Another
example of controversy is in the same article, in which a broadcaster states that the heat from the
atomic bomb was so intense that all of the living things within the radius would have been
burned by the immense heat (Tyree n.pg.). Now, all living things meant animal life and the
ecosystem within the blast radius, therefore, the entire area was turned to a barren wasteland.
This also happened to Nagasaki, creating two barren wastelands, waiting to be rebuilt. These are
a few reasons why nuclear weapons should be banned due to the controversy.
Next, the use of nuclear weapons should be banned because of its high production costs.
For example, in the article, “Back to the Cold War on Nuclear Spending?”, by Walter Pincus, the
author states that $95 million will be put into the construction of a nuclear facility, which will
store and maintain weapons (Pincus 13). This is a huge problem. Most of the society’s tax money
goes into the research of this facility. But wait, there’s more. Another example, in the same
article, Pincus states, “President Obama’s budget for fiscal 2016 seeks $8.8 billion for the
nuclear weapons program run by the National Nuclear Security Administration” (Pincus 13).
Basically, Obama is willing to waste $8.8 billion on the research on nuclear weapons. Imagine
what that $8.8 billion could have done if it went towards the research for the cure of cancer, or if
it went to help the people in need, the homeless, the poor, the starving children! These are only a
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couple of examples of why nuclear weapons should be banned, due to the fact that it’s
Now, many people who support the use of nuclear weapons may say that disarmament
will never work due to the fact that many countries aren’t willing to dispose their nuclear
warheads since the weapon is expensive and great for offense and defense. Although this is true,
it is still shown that the amount of nuclear warheads have gone down, gradually. For example, in
the article, “Nuclear Overkill”, written by Dianne Feinstein, she explains that during the Cold
War, the US and Russia developed over 30,000 warheads in order to keep another team from
gaining the upper hand. Feinstein then states that the US now has around 5,000 nuclear weapons,
which clearly shows that America has disarmed plenty of warheads (Feinstein n.pg.). 5,000 is
still plenty of warheads, but think about it, it’s definitely less than 30,000. Next, people who
support nuclear warheads may also say that using nuclear warheads will use less infantry
soldiers, therefore preventing casualties. But, like before, nuclear warheads require a lot of
money. In the same article, “Nuclear Overkill”, Feinstein states that reducing the extra arsenal is
pointless and it’ll save money, and a lot of it (Feinstein n.pg.). Having extra nuclear warheads
needs constant maintaining, therefore draining money. Although it is good to have a backup, it’s
a low blow to economy. These are a few solutions to the arguments referring to the topic.
Lastly, the use of nuclear weapons should be banned because of its destructive power.
For example, in the newspaper article, by Alan Robock and Owen Brian Toon, the authors state,
“-smoke from fires ignited by nuclear explosions would be so dense that it would block out the
sun, turning the earth cold, dark and dry, killing plants and preventing agriculture for at least a
year” (Robock, Toon 31). Now, theoretically, if this happens, it is a phenomenon called a nuclear
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winter. This destructive power could end many lives, due to an insufficient amount of crops to
feed on, a cold weather, etc. Another example, in the document, “Truman says Atomic Bomb
Used Against Japan”, by Virgil Pinkley, the author states, “There came a tremendous, sustained
roar and a heavy pressure wave knocked down two men outside the control tower 10,000 yards
from the explosion” (Pinkley n.pg.). With this vivid description, the audience can easily picture
the monstrous strength an atomic bomb has. Pinkley also states that a tower made up of steel was
completely demolished, and a gigantic crater was created nearby. (Pinkley n.pg.) Again, Pinkley
describes the force of the atomic bomb, and the damage it can cause, if used correctly. All of
these examples clearly illustrates the damage nuclear weapons can create and the destructive
power it contains.
There are many factors to this problem, which will affect the answer. For example, will
other countries be willing to get rid of their own nuclear devices, or can the US actually trust
other countries to disarm their nuclear warheads? If the use of nuclear weapons was wiped from
the face of Earth, money wouldn’t have been wasted on machines of certain death. Many
countries wouldn’t live in constant fear. But the only thing it won’t stop is war. War is something