Crimes Involving The Use Of Firearms

While it is true that the United States possesses an unparalleled amount of firearms, nowhere does it say that those firearms must be used for violence. Yet, there are nearly 33,594 gun related deaths per year (National Center for Health Statistics, 2016, p. 1). The reason behind this outbreak of illegal usage of firearms is something known as deviance; more specifically, criminal deviance. Deviance is the recognized violation of cultural norms, while crime is the violation of a society’s formally enacted criminal law (Macionis, 2014, p. 238). People tend to forget that there is a biological element to crime. Not every criminal consciously chooses the life of crime, some are genetically pre-disposed; others may have a mental illness that prohibits them from thinking and judging clearly. All of these biological factors cannot be overlooked when assessing gun violence. While there have been recently developed mental screenings, it is nearly impossible to determine every individual that potentially poses a risk with a firearm. Of course, biology is not the only aspect of gun violence. Many individuals have been faced with situations in life where they feel the only answer is to harm another human being with a firearm. Perhaps an individual breaks into a home yielding a weapon and the homeowners feel that the only viable option was to fatally harm the individual. There are also people who “become deviant as others define them that way” (Macionis, 2014, p. 241). Each

With the popular culture providing positive images of guns, the United States has a gun prevalence that is very rare in the modern world. While many people appreciate the “gun culture”, guns are heavily involved in violence in the United States. According to U.S. Department of Justice, since 1960, more than 750,000 Americans have died under firearms, including homicides, suicides, and unintentional injuries. The figure 1 provides a comprehensive survey of U.S. violent crimes for the period from 1993 to 2011.This figure illustrates that from 1993 to 2011, about 60% to 70% of homicides were associated with a firearm. Over the same period, between 6% and 9% of all nonfatal violence, with about 20% to 30% of robberies and 22% to 32% of aggravated assaults involving a firearm.

For the first time since the introduction of the current gun laws Australia national number of privately owned guns is higher than it was prior to the Port Arthur massacre. It is also important to take into account that Australia’s population has increased by almost 5 million in the last 20 years, this means that the per-capita gun ownership is still 23 per cent lower than it was in 1996 (Alpers, 2016). In a survey by the author it was found that 90% of the respondents believe that the gun laws affected Australia positively, the rest said they haven’t affected Australia. It was surprisingly found that no one said the gun laws had a negative effect on Australia, this could be due to the lack of respondents as some citizens believe the gun laws have effected Australia negatively, because they believe individuals need the right to bear arms and protect themselves (Alpers,

People who appreciate activities like shooting competitions and hunting, use firearms responsibly. This use contrasts with other uses, which often result in consequences that can be both intended and unintended. With past and present mass shootings, and acts of bloodshed perpetrated with the usage of weapons; has triggered a focus on gun control that once again has been brought into the spotlight. The purpose of the ongoing gun argument addresses the crimes that are committed with guns. This issue of gun control separated people into two groups: those who believe that carrying guns might prevent some crimes and fatalities, and those who don’t. There are individuals who believe absolutely the reverse: that more crime and deaths

According to Koper and Wilson (2006), guns will always be available through trafficking and illegal purchases. For example, Kates and Mauser (2006) found that Russia has one of the highest crime rates of all established countries, regardless of having one of the strictest gun limitations. That being said, crime still commonly exists, and often more, in countries with stricter gun penalty laws, in contrast to countries with more lenient gun regulations (Koper, et al., 2006). According to Kates and Mauser (2006), this could be attributed to the ideology that criminals will be more likely to successfully attack victims when they know that the victim is incapable of protecting himself.

Several countries have already tried to enact gun control laws. For example, in 1997, Great Britain passed a law banning handguns and several other types of firearms except for sport. Within the first few years, the country saw a significant rise in crime rates, as much as by 40%, in major metropolitan areas ("Handgun crime 'up'," 2001). Much of this was attributed to the increase in gang activity and their use of firearms to commit crimes. These are the people that do not follow the letter of the law. Even though Great Britain set the world standard for gun control, they were unable to stop criminals from gaining access to firearms thus putting the law abiding citizens in greater danger than when they were allowed to carry firearms.

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

Guns are easily accessible in the world today, easier to obtain than getting a college degree, a job, or even a loan from your bank. This poses a threat to everyone on both ends of the gun and can harm both the victim and offender. The crimes often coincide with drugs, gang affiliation, robbery, and the intent to murder. People lose loved ones to every day when foul play is involved, ending up dead or seriously injured and disabled, bound to wheelchairs or brain dead for the rest of their lives. The offender ends up sentenced to life in most cases.

interpretation, as well as varying degrees of moderated success or lack thereof. For example, they open the chapter with a discussion of the fact that sociological experts in the Clinton administration had predicted a massive influx of gun-related crime within the coming years, stating that the percentage of teen homicides was subject to increase as much as fifteen percent over the course of the next decade. They then go on to admit that even these experts were unable to adequately predict the trend that occurred, in that several factors ensured the actual decrease of teen homicides over the course of those years. By 2003, as this chapter states, the number of gun-related murders in New York City had fallen to 596, as compared to 2,245 in 1990.

“Ban guns and only criminals will have guns, we are told (Milligan, Susan).” Mrs. Milligan has a valid argument with the number of acts of violence committed with firearms by citizens with no prior violent criminal history, as well as children. There have been a number of seemingly avoidable murders committed with firearms in recent years and the count is steadily rising. I agree that there should be some precautions be in place in the process of buying and selling firearms, there should be a check on violent criminal history and unlawful tendencies. There are background checks in place and when you purchase a firearm it is registered to you and the serial number corresponds to your name in the governments system.

Due to the high rate of crimes committed throughout big cities by gun violence, it is essential for Law Enforcement to enforce a solution to prevent violent, brutal crimes from occurring. Both Federal and local Law Enforcement must work together to promote a solution for reducing gun violence. Back in Bush’s first term as President it was significant for Bush’s administration to create a project to “get the message out there” about deterrence and the increasing number of crimes committed through the use of guns. Bush’s administration came up with the project known as the Project Safe Neighborhoods. The goal for Project Safe Neighborhoods is to inhibit criminal behavior by using deterrence and incapacitation. Through deterrence and incapacitation Law Enforcement can provide safe neighborhoods across the country.

Did you know that in 2010 alone, there where over 30,000 gun related deaths? Only 35% of those death where from homicide and the leading cause of death by guns in America are from suicide. Gun control activist argue that without guys we are more safer; Gun rights activist argue with guns we are safer. Despise both groups arguments it is mutually agreed guns are dangerous and aren't something that should be played with. Gun control is not effective as it has not been shown to reduce the number of gun-related crimes because, states with strict gun laws see no decrease in crime, the Paris attack shows gun laws don't stop terrorists, the 2nd amendment guarantees our right to bear arms and gun laws don't stop terrorists from buying guns from a black market.

Equally important, those who cannot legally buy guns, they will steal, which make the legal gun owners seem to be the helper of produce crime and obtaining guns from other illegal channel. Gun control laws can prevent the

One may attribute the increased rate of violence in the U.S. to guns, and while this may hold some truth, the fact remains that the mere presence of guns does not cause violence. Gun ownership is at about twenty five percent per capita in Switzerland, yet the homicide rate was about point five per hundred thousand residents, according to the Swiss Federal Government. Violence rates in the U.S. are not just because of the presence of guns; guns and peace can coincide. In addition to this, tighter legal regulations do not necessarily reduce violence, as about seventy nine percent of gun crimes are caused by illegal gun owners, according to a study conducted by Pittsburg’s Graduate School of Public Health and the Bureau of Police. Why would one with the desire to commit a crime bother obtaining a gun legally when the same gun could be purchased

Further, despite the fact that gun ownership in the U.S. increased enormously during the 1990’s, there was a consistent, dramatic reduction of criminal violence. In fact, homicide and violent crime have plunged over the last 15 years. Considering that 18 of 25 countries surveyed had an increase of violent crime, America’s large decline is impressive. Moreover, Norway, Finland, Germany, France, and Denmark also have a high rate of private gun ownership, and the murder rates in these countries are as low as or lower than developed nations with less gun ownership (Kates & Mauser, 2007).