The debate over stricter gun laws has been ongoing in the United States for quite some time now. Individuals who oppose stricter gun control laws argue that the second amendment to the constitution of the United States constitute part of the bill of rights that protect the right of American citizens to bear arms, and any attempt to set up laws for gun control will be a direct violation of this (Hofstadter 10). They argue that the primary purpose of the amendment was to ensure that American Citizens had the capability to protect themselves against criminal activities and defend the country against external aggression. From a personal perspective, the recent surge in instances of gun violence in the United States of America indicates that stricter gun control laws are necessary for the safety of the American citizenry. Thus, this paper is going to focus on highlighting the benefits of more stringent gun control laws and why members of the public should support it.
The Democratic Party does not wish to throw out your right to bear arms but they would like to have more of a gun reform that lies within the scope of the second amendment.
In the discussion of gun control, one of the main controversial issues is whether or not there should be more or less regulations put on firearms. In addition, another issue that comes up is whether or not those regulations will have a benefit on society. One one hand, gun regulation proponents believe that stricter regulations restricting the types of firearms and ammunition that can be purchased will reduce the amounts of crimes and make society safer. One the other hand, gun regulation opponents argue that stricter regulations infringe on the rights of citizens and only endanger society more. So what is the answer to the question? Should there be stricter
From 1975 until the DC vs Heller ruling in 2008, the Firearms Control Regulations Act was in place, which banned residents of DC from owning handguns, automatic firearms, or high-capacity semiautomatic weapons. Since then, very little gun legislation has been passed at all. In fact, since the horrific Newtown shooting that occurred in 2012, not a single piece of legislation has been passed on guns. While conservatives might feel sorry for the victims, they realize that many conservatives, like Joe the Plumber (the Ohio workingman who gained prominence in the 2008 election), who once said, “Your dead kids...don’t trump my constitutional rights”, would stop voting for them if they tried to implement gun control policies. Many on the right claim that gun control is an effort not just to regulate guns, but to completely ban them. This is an effective scare-tactic used to get their constituents angry at the Democrats. But gun regulation and gun bans are two very different things. Data shows us that there are certain groups of people who should never be allowed to own a gun. This includes those who have prior offenses of violence, those who are mentally ill, suspected terrorists, and people who have children living in their home. However, there are people who can make a reasonable claim to needing a gun, and they shouldn’t be denied that right. For example, people in very rural areas, without much access to the protection provided by public safety officials should have the right to own a gun if they demonstrate they are able to use one properly. Also, hunters and people who have obtained restraining orders against those who have threatened them with violence might make a case for their right to own a gun. Most gun control advocates don’t want to take away guns from everyone, they
In the past few years Gun control has become a hot topic throughout America. With all the shootings going around the United States, we are faced with controversies over gun control. Americans believe that their government is going to do whatever is best for them, but is that true when they are trying to strip us of our rights that were created for us over 300 years ago. Our country has been thriving with the amendments and laws set before us, and today we are trying to change them. But by just changing a few laws is that really going to stop a criminal from getting what they wanted, there criminals for a reason. Our second amendment gives us the right to bear arms and protect our selves from enemies foreign and domestic. This is the foundation of country; we fight to keep the right that were given to us, so that we can protect our families, our country, and our freedom.
Gun control has become a very hot topic of contention in America today. What seems to echo here are two words: “guns” and “crime”, in a sense that are these words mutually exclusive to each other? Does the use of guns ultimately lead to crime? On the flip side, have the laws in America restricting firearm use been effective enough to protect the lives of the citizens? These are some of the questions that strike the hearts of many when the gun control debate music is played. However, the debate about gun control is not new.
Gun control is a topic that is heavily debated in our country and has been for a while. Since the ratification of our Constitution, the 2nd amendment has been interpreted very fluidly from many different groups and people. Ranging from the National Rifle Association who believes that our 2nd amendment right should not be restricted at all, to our current president Barack Obama, who believes the process of obtaining a gun needs to be stricter.
The argument over gun control is an ongoing debate with the first big written regulation dating back to when the 2nd amendment was first written in 1791. 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” (Legal Information Institute). Since then it has been fought over time and time again about what this statement truly means and what it entitles for people. The definition of gun control is “government regulation of the selling, owning, and use of guns” (Merriam Webster), so by definition the meaning of gun control already violates a person’s 2nd amendment right to bear arms. However, it was ruled by the supreme court that “Like most rights, the right secured by the Second Amendment is not unlimited” (Denniston, Lyle), meaning that there are certain things the government can do that would technically not infringe upon a persons right to bear arms because the interpretation of the 2nd amendment could has many possible meaning since our forefathers who wrote it are long since dead and can’t tell us what they really meant.
The single source most likely has the most credible information about gun control is “The Gun Debate Is a Culture Debate” by Trevor Burrus. Burrus informs his audience that the gun control debate is more of a cultural debate which won’t help reduce gun violence. For instance, Burrus states “When it comes to guns, the much ballyhooed red state/blue state cultural divide is real”. Without Democrats and Republicans coming together to find a solution, they are divided as they have their own agendas instead of working toward the greater good. As well Burrus states “If we want to have a productive discussion on guns we must find a way to cross this cultural divide”. This proves that without unity, the gun control issues won’t be solved. Both
School violence is becoming a worldwide issue, but is a particular problem within the United States. Violence can occur in many ways such as; bullying, school gangs, physical attacks, and fatalities involved with guns. School shootings have been on the rise over the past several years. To bring awareness to school violence, teachers, staff, and parents need to be further trained in noticing warning signs of depression and anger issues which may lead to bullying and disrespectful learning environments for all parties. In addition to awareness within schools, the debate over gun control has been a topic discussed for many years in hopes to curb school shootings.
Gun laws have been the main focus of recent controversy due to the constant media coverage that surrounds the topic and the spike in crimes recently committed containing guns. Recently in the media, there have been many cases highlighted that illuminate just how dangerous these weapons are. These cases include, but are not limited to, the Orlando Massacre and the Virginia Tech shooting. Each of these mass shootings provides examples of how easily assault rifles can be placed in the hands of the wrong people and how detrimental it is that these laws are changed. On the contrary to changing the current gun laws, many people fight to keep these current laws in place and protect their 2nd amendment. Throughout this essay I’ll explore many possible
Gun Control has been a controversial topic in recent news headlines all around America, because of recent mass casualties, the Sandy Hook Elementary shooting, movie theater shootings, college campuses shootings, and police officer shootings. According to Webster’s Dictionary, the term gun control is defined as regulation of the selling, owning, and use of guns. Many Americans have been conflicted by the controversial issue of gun control because of gun safety, constitutionality, and armed civilians.
The controversial issue of gun control is one of the most debatable topics among politicians and civilians alike. This is because of the complexity of gun control and the long history that is related to the subject. Gun control is typically an effort, by the government, to create legislation that regulates the sale and use of firearms within the country. There are various arguments that surround this topic which include gun-related violence, accidents, self-defense, murders, suicide, constitutional rights, and so on. James Q. Wilson, a professor who has taught at Pepperdine University, Harvard University, and the University of California, Los Angeles, and a published author of several books, take a negative stance on the subject of gun control. Wilson contributed to the gun control debate in the last few years with his written op-ed article. According to Wilson, there is no possible method to eradicate the hundreds and millions of guns that exist within the country, restrictive gun laws will not significantly affect the United States’ murder rate, and that guns play an important role in self-defense in everyday lives. Contrary to what Wilson believes, strict gun control is necessary and should be enforced to ensure public safety because gun laws have the power to produce a positive outcome in the long run, reduce gun-related violence, and reduce the numerous risks that gun ownership open.
Gun control is such a hot debate in the United States of America especially in the wake
As the United States mass shootings have become more common, the amount of people who are in favor of assault rifle restrictions have increased exponentially. In fact, in a recent broadcast on National Public Radio with political reporter Danielle Kurtzleben, Kurtzleben quotes a poll her team offered to the public in the days following the Las Vegas shooting where she found that 80% of the people that her team polled are “in favor of a variety of bans.” These bans included “assault-style” weapons, high capacity magazines, or bump stock attachments. The most surprising fact was around 70% of republicans responded to her team’s poll saying they supported the bans. Gun control used to be a topic that was dominated by democratic support with Republicans opposing any type of restriction on the countries’ second amendment; however, in recent times, more republicans have begun siding with the democrats to some extent and supporting certain types of assault rifle gun control, believing that either the rifle itself or the attachments are a danger to the public.