Be Sure You 're Right, Then Go Ahead : The Davy Crockett Gun Craze

The exact number of gun owners in America is unknown. There are approximately 44 million firearms owners in the US, according to a National Institute of Justice survey conducted in 1994. Looking at firearm production data from 2010, various gun manufactures state the figure is as high as 300 million people. (Agresti and Smith, justfacts.com, 02/12/12). Regardless of the precise number of guns in America they are an everyday reality. For the gun enthusiast there are a number of activities which in some families, have taken on an almost religious reverence. Hunting is engaged in by 23 to 43.7 million Americans, according to a national survey in 2001, conducted by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service. Generations of families , fathers , grandfathers and sons have enjoyed the great outdoors, refining and taking pleasure in hunting.Target shooting, collecting and self protection constitutes the remainder of “legal gun owners in the U.S. Groups such as the National Rifle Association are the most outspoken and self proclaimed defender of gun owner’s rights. In 2011 the N.R.A. joined a lawsuit to continue its primary role in America. In a court update Chris Cox writes (2011), “The NRA fights to enforce--and extend--gun owners' rights.” Cox’s writing on this case illustrates the divide between state and federal government restrictions, and

This played a vital role in the change in gun culture that was realized in America in the early 19th century (Finkelman 195). The 19th century was an era that America realized the influence of the Second Amendment, which was mainly passed to increase the chances of personal gun ownership. The main change that was realized in this case is a dramatic increase in access and ownership of guns among the American people (Cornell 112). Almost every family currently has the ability to own a gun. This, however, is different from what was rarely realized in the 18th century. Also, most of the Americans started to spot and identify the special weapons that were made for personal security. And this is a factor that saw the gun market realizing tremendous increase in the number of guns as well as

"Battleground America," written by Jill Lepore, provides a strong history of guns and the way they have changed in the eyes of the American through the years. She proves her point with strong evidence throughout her article, sprinkling it with opinion and argument that is strongly supported. She presents her argument to convince her audience that the open availability of guns allows citizens to undeservingly purchase them by displaying the credibility in her sources, using negative connotations in her speech, and the strength and objectivity only a strong logos appeal can provide.

The Atlantic asked its readers about their first memories with guns, and one reader responded with "We lived in southwestern Colorado my first six years of life (1949-1955). My father had a double-barrel shotgun, and a single-barrel one, a .22 rifle, and a “deer rifle.” We ate more venison than beef and almost as much pheasant as chicken.... I never knew where he kept those guns; I never touched one that he didn’t offer. We only saw them when he cleaned them or packed them to go hunting. He let my older sister and me shoot one of them to feel the kick and power and hear the loudness.... When he passed away in 1981, a year after my mother had passed away, we took inventory of their estate, but we never found those guns. Perhaps he sold them or gave them away or simply kept them hidden somewhere so that no one would be able to find them and shoot someone accidentally" (Green). The issue of gun control has been an increasing cynosure in society, growing in its controversy. The polar opposite sides seem to grow further different from one another, with one side supporting and the other opposing gun control laws/actions. Those who support it tend to believe there should either be no place for the firearms in society at all or that there should be very strict restrictions on who may obtain a given firearm. Those who oppose the laws believe there should either be little to no change in current restrictions or, as the National Rifle Association (NRA) advocates, there ought to be

Guns and weaponry have always been a major part of the cultures of the world since the beginning of time. For the United States of America, gun use can be traced back to the colonial days, our revolutionary roots. They have helped the United States turn the table specifically in times of dire need such as the Revolutionary War. Not only have advances in weaponry influenced the U.S., they have also helped to shape events across the globe. In 1791, this was understood by the Founding Fathers while writing the Constitution, which can be seen in the Second Amendment: “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”[1]. With the advancement of guns specifically, there has been a rise in mass shootings, casualties, crime and controversy that has begun to split the United States. All a person has to do is turn on the television to a news channel, and at any given time, heartache, most often linked to guns, can be found. Some cry for a need for better gun regulation or sometimes complete abolishment for recreational use, while others cling to their weapons with claim of self-defense and economic profit. Violent crimes have been on the rise years; there has been an estimated 1.2 billion crimes of violence that occurred in the United States alone [2]. One thing is certain: gun trade and regulation boosts the economy. Last year, 301,

In light of the stereotyped, yet nonetheless accurate, obsession of firearms that the American people proudly uphold, restricting the use of guns proves to be a much more difficult feat than one would have you believe. “America 's pervasive gun culture stems in part from its colonial history, revolutionary roots, frontier expansion, and the Second Amendment”.

Ott et al. find that CFM has a “near-total absence of reflection on the role of firearms in society” (Ott et al., 2015, p.219) and is “focusing on the presentation of firearms using an aesthetic of domestication and sterility” (Ott et al., 2015, p.217). Including the Coors Video Theatre, the hunting lodge, the frontier stage stop, and The Browning Gallery, none of these are showing the violence and reality side of the weapon. The way CFM describes guns as “necessary tools, commonplace commodities, and innovative technologies in nineteenth-century America is not historically inaccurate, just highly selective” (Ott et al., 2015, p.222). They also mention taxonomy and “the manner in which they (guns) are arrayed and hung” (Ott et al., 2015, p.225). The authors called these as “artistic arrangement”, which means, “the guns purified of violence, death, and war” (Ott et al., 2015, p.226).

When a person hears the word "gun," he or she usually associates the purposes and uses of a gun with crime-related issues and plots of terrorism because of modern culture. They are used for that purpose by some people, but those people do not represent all aspects of the relationship of firearms to society. In the United States, many laws have been passed in order to regulate the use of guns by certain individuals, along with the establishment of associations that specialize in the usage and handling of firearms. With the regulation of firearms passed by the government, guns has become an integral part of modern society, attributing atrocities such as homicide with them, but also providing a portable means of protection. The addition

In Beverly Ballaro and Laura Finley’s article Counterpoint: Gun Control Saves Lives, Ballaro and Finley make a convincing argument by use of logic, emotion, and evidence. By using logic, Ballaro and Finley support their argument even further. One of their main points is that there is no need for an AK-47 or similar assault rifle in most house holds. The common uses of guns in houses is usually for protection and sport, both of which there is no need for a military grade weapon, “Designed for the purpose of killing as many people as possible as efficiently as possible” (Ballaro and Finley).

Did you know that in the United States almost 100,000 people are shot or killed with a gun in one year? 10,527 people die a year in handgun related incidents in the United States. This number, by far, outweighs the number of gun related deaths in countries such as Sweden, Great Britain, and Japan, which number 13, 22, and 87, respectively. What is the reason for such drastic differences in numbers? Sweden, Great Britain, and Japan are all countries that have stricter gun control laws than the US. Mind you, these are just the number of deaths caused by handgun related incidents; however, that isn’t counting the thousands of deaths caused by other types of firearms; in one year, around 30,000 Americans die in gun violence.

In the United States of America the right to bear arms gave birth to a phenomenon called the “gun culture,” the term coined in 1970 by a historian Richard Hofstadter, which describes America’s heritage and affection for weapons(1). Not only did gun culture become an inseparable part of American democracy, but also it is considered to be synonymous with independence and freedom, the most important values for American society. Even though the crime rate and murder rate in the U.S. is higher than in any other developed country, U.S. citizens oppose every attempt made to pass gun control legislation(2). However, it may sound like a paradox, but the crime level in the most liberal states, when it comes to gun ownership, is the lowest in the

The debate between gun control and gun rights is one topic that can affect all culture and lifestyle implications. It goes beyond just the notion of "I like guns vs. guns are dangerous." Some of the main arguments for and against gun control and gun rights are that Gun are dangerous to those who have some sort of mental disorder vs gun are to protect and service this nation. Which will of course bring up arguments for more restrictive gun laws. As society continues to diversify and human beings become more independent, we drift further apart from understanding each other. The gun control conflict is not directly affected by this, but psychologically human fear what we don 't understand. In a society with hundreds of cultures, differences and arguments can arise out of nothing. Words are one thing but the use of firearms is an entirely different topic. With less restrictive laws on purchasing and ownership a seemingly pointless feud could intensify into murder. Guns give a man power, with power inevitably becomes abuse.

Experts believe that the youth favoring the assault weapons may have something to do with the popularity of first-person shooter video games such as Call of Duty. They also cited the increasing prominence of military-style guns in the market.

This paper will explore the history of guns, myths and realities of gun violence. Gun violence is a hot topic in America today and some may believe that America was built on gun violence. This country was colonized by the use of violence with guns. We’ve had wars since the invasion of this country. The violence has been around also with the well-known 1775 speech from Patrick Henry, “Give me liberty or give me death” (Jr.). Give me death is a very strong statement that to me means this is of a violent nature. Since then violence with guns would only escalate from taking land to taking lives whether it be homicides, suicides or threats of violence against one another. With the violent history of gun violence in America and so many different opinions, who or what is responsible for the destruction on self and society and what are the some of the ways to discourage these behaviors.

In the past year, I am sure that you have heard about the issue of gun control. Well, do you really know the full story behind the debate? My goal for this essay is to fully explain everything to you behind this issue and why it is such a big deal in our world today. There are many different problems behind why gun control is such a big issue in the world today, and why some people want gun control and others do not. Through these contrasting opinions on gun control, the world will never fully decide what is completely right.