Gun control policies regulate the manufacture, sale, transfer, possession and use of firearms. In The United States the issue of gun control has been a hot topic for many years. The second amendment to the constitution "the right of the people to keep and bear arms" means that individuals may own guns, not just police and military however; Democratic lawmakers believe this may not be the way the amendment was intended to be interpreted. One problem with this issue is determining the rights of the people as they were intended by our forefathers. Since 1791 Americans have had the right to keep and bear arms, the misuse and illegal acts of criminals have brought this right under “fire”. In January 2004, three authors reprinted and analyzed …show more content…
The impact of gun control has many paradoxes. A ban on firearms could possibly reduce crimes committed with firearms however; the other side of the research also shows that a ban on firearms for the people could lead to higher rates of violent crime due to criminals knowing that the public has no way to defend themselves against an armed intruder . If the people lose the right to protect themselves and criminals know this, what is stopping them from committing violent crimes? Somehow being armed with only a shovel or sharp object just doesn’t seem equivalent when you are face to face with an armed intruder. Inadequate data and weak research methods have left Americans and policy makers with poor evidence of a clear answer to the issue of gun rights in America. A poll conducted for the NRA of 1,000 of its members between January 13 and January 14, 2013 found: 90.7% of members favor "Reforming our mental health laws to help keep firearms out of the hands of people with mental illness." A majority of 86.4% believe that strengthening laws this way would be more effective at preventing mass murders than banning semi-automatic rifles (Kates, 2007). In 2004, the U.S. National Academy of Sciences released its evaluation from a review of 253 journal articles, 99 books, 43 government publications, and some original empirical research. It failed to identify any gun control that had reduced violent crime,
In America guns have been a part of the country’s society since it’s birth. Throughout history the citizens of the US have used firearms to protect the nation, protect their families, hunt for food and engage in sporting activities. The issue of Guns and gun control is complex. Weighing the rights and liberties of the individual against the welfare and safety of the public has always been a precarious balancing act. In the United States, gun control is one of these tumultuous issues that has both sides firmly entrenched in their positions. Those parties in favor of gun ownership and the freedom to use and keep arms, rely on the fact that the provision for such rights is enshrined in their constitution. In this climate of
The article “Gun Control Laws: Should the United States adopt stronger gun control laws?” focuses on the debate on passing stricter gun control laws. For example, supporters believe that gun control laws will decrease mass shootings and gun violence. Additionally, adopting these laws does not violate the Second Amendment, and as a result it does not limit the government from the use of fire arms when it is necessary. However, opponents argue that the gun control laws will not stop gun violence. The problem is the people holding the gun and not the gun itself. Furthermore, opponents gathered that stronger gun control laws do violate the Second Amendment. The author illustrates the debate on whether the United States should or should not adopt stronger gun control laws.
The issue at hand has been the focus of news, social and political debate in the recent years. Gun control refers to the attempt by government to regulate the right to keep and bear arms based on a preconceived criterion. This debate has been due to prominent cases of mass gun violence, especially against civilians and children. Gun violence affects every American citizen. About 40% of all Americans carry or own licensed guns. This gives value to the issue and its implication on society. There has been an equal uproar on both sides of the debate. The issue at hand is the addition of measures to
America needs to institute, and initiate gun control laws throughout the entire nation. But not everybody who inhabits the United States believes in regulating arms. Those who are against establishing gun laws argue that gun control directly infringes upon their “right to bear arms” granted to them by the 2nd Amendment. Anti gun control supporters, such as the National Rifle Association, often claim that the act of regulating guns is a sufficient reason why such an Amendment was introduced in the constitution; to protect themselves from any and all forms of violation of civil liberties and freedom. Supporters of anti gun laws are unwilling to welcome any interpretations of the 2nd Amendment that do not match up “word for word,” as was written in the Bill of Rights.
Death, violence, individual rights, crime, and cost are many words that arise when researching the controversial topic of gun control. This issue revolves around the Second Amendment of the United States Constitution and states: “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.” Is there a black and white answer or is there a need to find a middle ground? The foundational right must be preserved for an individual to own a gun. However, basic safety measures need to be in place for added protection and security of all Americans. To explore why this balance is the best option, it is necessary to look further into the
The debate over gun control has been raging through the American political systems for years. On one side, there is the National Rifle Association (NRA) and 2nd Amendment-citing citizens who use their firearms for hunting and self-defense. On the other, there is Handgun Control Inc. (HCI) and followers of the Brady Campaign who want to ban guns on the basis that they are dangerous. Both sides have strong arguments, anchored in historical precedent and statistical analysis. Anti-gun control lobbyists’ arguments include the guarantee of the 2nd Amendment, the definition of “militia” as any adult male, self-defense, the relative uselessness of permits and regulations, and court cases in favor of firearm possession. Pro-gun control activists
Gun control is among top controversial issues that affect the people of USA (Lund, 2015). The battle on who is allowed to own a gun has received debates from different sides. This has therefore called for constitutional reforms in bills and laws that govern the use of firearms. Firearm regulations help to set policies which govern, regulate on acquisition and access to guns by civilians. In the USA many changes have been made concerning manufacturing, selling and transportation of
For the purposes of this paper "Gun Control" is defined as policies enacted by the government that limit the legal rights of gun owners to own, carry, or use firearms, with the intent of reducing gun crimes such as murder, armed robbery, aggravated rape, and the like. So defined, gun control understandably brings favorable responses from some, and angry objections from others. The gun control
The United States has 88.8 guns per 100 people. As a country the United States has approximately 270,000,000 guns. Both categories top the world. 22% of gun owners own two or more firearms. This gun wave had very humble beginnings from westward expansion to the revolutionary war and to the Second Amendment. This controversial amendment states: "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."
The term “gun control” deals with the regulation of the selling, purchasing, and using of firearms in America. The availability of firearms to the public has been causing serious debates around the country because of the diversity in the people’s cultures, judgment, and religions. Many people thought the provision set by the Second Amendment when it was ratified can perfectly be applied in the society today. However, the understanding of people about the Second Amendment and how they interpret it change over time. They cannot agree with each other about the meaning of the historical evidence (Karlan, 2013). Research and polls found that people in the rural areas tend to support the right of gun owners while those in urban areas encourage gun control. Due
America is the most well armed nation in the world, with American citizens owning about 270 million of the world’s 875 million firearms (Marshall). Indeed, this is more than a quarter of the world’s registered firearms. The reason why Americans own so many guns is because of the Second Amendment, which states, “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.” (Rauch) This amendment guarantees U.S. citizens the right to have firearms. Since this amendment is relatively vague, it is up for interpretation, and is often used by gun advocates to argue for lenient gun laws. Hence, gun control is a frequently discussed controversial topic in
Gun control has a history dating back to 1791, when the Second Amendment of the Constitution was ratified. However, more recently, the debate over gun control has escalated into a much more public issue to which many citizens can relate. After all, stories about incidents involving guns appear frequently today in newspapers and on television or the radio. One could say that the debate started with the passage of the Gun Control Act of 1968, which banned ownership of guns by certain groups of people and regulated the sale of guns. Since then, two main groups have gradually appeared: people who oppose strict federal
As far as overall gun violence is concerned, according to the FBI's 1998 Uniform Crime Reports, the overall violent crime rate in the US decreased about 7%. Robbery alone declined by 11%, the lowest since 1969. In addition, murder dropped by 7%, the lowest since 1967. More significantly, despite the fact the number of firearms and handguns owned by individual Americans continued to increase from 1997-1998, the FBI also reported the rate of firearms used to commit murder and robberies decreased in 1998. (1998 Uniform Crime Reports). These facts conclusively prove that firearms owned by peaceable citizens do not lead to increased murder or violent crime rates. In fact, they demonstrate that armed citizens lead to reduced rates of violent crime. When the gun is in the hands of a well-rounded person, it is no more of a weapon than your every day curling iron.
Gun control is one of the largest debated issues in the united states along with immigration. The use of guns in the U.S.A is a representation of freedom to many of the citizens. In the second amendment, which declares "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." This clearly defines that a united states citizen has the ability to keep arms for personal use, but with the increase of public shootings such as the heartbreaking shooting at Newtown a refinement of the already in place gun control laws is needed.
Gun control, or firearm regulation, can be defined as the set of laws or policies that regulate the manufacture, sale, transfer, possession, modification, or use of firearms by civilians. In America and countries across the world, the distribution and legalization of guns and gun related products has created great controversy in contemporary politics. The purpose of the debate being an attempt to find the middle area between constituent safety and rights of civilians to own or protect themselves. Both sides of the debate have their advantages and disadvantages. The question that arises is does gun control legislation actually protect the constituency rather than just take away rights?