The issue of gun control as a political and social matter represents one of the most contentious divisions in the country today. Recent highly publicized shootings have brought the debate to the forefront of the public conscience. With over 300 million privately owned guns and 30,000 deaths involving firearms reported per year, both sides of the debate are firmly invested in upholding their cause (Rogers, 2012). The emotional nature of the issue is a lightning rod in political campaigns and the complexities of the issue have confounded law enforcement. Both gun rights and gun control lobbies have struggled to find any compromise that balances the rights of citizens with the need to end violence. The existing and proposed gun control in …show more content…
The proposed ammunition ban did not meet the ATF’s own criteria for armor piercing. Furthermore, this argument was carefully crafted under the premise of banning specific ammo that will defeat Level 2A body armor. Almost all modern rifle ammunition will penetrate Level 2A body armor, regardless of whether it is fired from a pistol or rifle. Under this premise, the ATF would have precedence to ban any rifle ammunition. Indeed, ATF Director B. Todd Jones alluded to this potential move during a Senate Appropriations Hearing (Bedard, 2015). This ban would have the effect of making the cost of shooting prohibitively expensive for a large portion of the populace. To supporters of gun rights, this ban represented an attempt at opportunistic backdoor legislation designed to eliminate access to assault rifles after legislation had stalled in …show more content…
In 2006 and 2007, the Phoenix field office of the ATF perpetrated a pilot program ostensibly designed to track the flow of privately purchased guns to their endpoints in the hands of Mexican drug cartels. The ATF facilitated the weapons flow by directing gun shops in US border states to sell to individuals they suspected of being straw purchasers, that is, someone purchasing on the behalf of a prohibited third party. This program was expanded to Operation Fast and Furious from 2009 to 2011, delivering over two thousand weapons to the cartels and enabling the murders of hundreds of Mexican citizens and two US Border Patrol agents. The ATF failed to deliver on its promise to track the guns to their final destinations and the Obama administration subsequently used the rise in Mexican drug war violence as justification for expanded gun control measures in the US. International ties between the US and Mexico were also strained as a result (Kopel p.
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 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
Texas Governor Greg Abbott sought consensus on firearms in a second round of talks on preventing gun violence on campus on Wednesday and may look at “red flag laws” to keep guns out of the hands of people deemed by a judge to be danger to themselves or others.
Uzi’s, AK-47s, and other rifles were placed under strict review of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (B.A.T.F) to decide its hunting and sporting purposes. This came as a shocking change of opinion, as; the President had already announced his objection to the banning of the weapons. The rifle import ban permitted the continuation of selling and the production of the American AR-15 as well as the sale of both Israeli and Chinese semi-auto rifles that were already inside U.S. warehouses. At this time, the Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy William Bennet moved to enforce this rifle import ban throughout all government agencies. It was due to the rise of requests
In the U.S. more than 30,000 people are killed by firearms each year, you can say that we need stricter gun laws. Who should we blame for all of the shootings in America? We should blame the people who pull the trigger, the people who sell the guns, and our government. Gun control is one of the biggest debates because everyone has their own strong opinions. If the U.S. had better gun control laws, then there wouldn't be any gun violence issues.
Gun rights and gun control are always hot items during any political discussion, whether it is between peers or politicians. One of the many great advantages to being an American is the ability to choose for one's own self what to believe in, another advantage, in my opinion, is the right of the people to keep and bear arms. It is my intention over the next several pages to make you aware of my point of view on the issue of gun rights. I will bring up arguments for gun rights and against gun control, citing all sources used. Some topics to be discussed are the Second Amendment, media influence on weapons violence, and the effects of crime rates in areas that allow open or concealed carry. I would like to preface with some safety notes,
The gun law controversy has been a public debate for the past few decades. With the current state of the nation, it is not uncommon to see mass shooting occur in schools, churches, and in public. The most recent current events would illustrate the use of these weapons can cause massive death rates: the church in Texas being attacked by an individual with a domestic abuse history, the country concert event in Las Vegas, even the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting and the death of children who could not defend themselves. As onlookers watch these events unfold, ideas of creating more laws to regulate guns arise and a national push for legislation to act is engaged. Countering this movement are those who would oppose more laws as the fear that rights would be trampled, and personal safety removed. The answer to this heated debate of strict gun control laws is not to take them away; they are put into place with the intent to govern the safety of our society.
Many of the current laws seem to be designed to take guns of out the hands of responsible gun owners, but do nothing to address the non law-abiding citizens. Both sides of the gun control argument need to work together to protect second amendment rights while protecting citizens of the country from needless gun violence. Teddy Roosevelt famously on the importance of gun control that “The great body of our citizens shoot less as times goes on. We should encourage rifle practice among schoolboys, and indeed among all classes, as well as in the military services by every means in our power. Thus, and not otherwise, may we be able to assist in preserving peace in the world” (Roosevelt 5). The United States have seen a trend of gun violence reductions
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, to hunt for food and to engage in sporting activities. The issue of Guns and gun control takes on a proportion of extreme magnitude. 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.
The right to bear arms, the Second Amendment, allowing citizens of the United States to own & operate firearms. However, when this was written, most would agree that gun control was not as important as it is in today’s world. Gun control in the United States needs to be more heavily restricted, access to weapons is a factor in many things, from crime, to mass shootings. If there is a problem, there must be a solution to solve that problem; so if guns are a factor in so many problems, then why would the United States government eradicate them? Gun control is a logical concept to implement into a society where citizens are allowed to own, carry, and operate their own firearms.
Every law-abiding American citizen should have a choice to own a gun, and it should not matter if their reason is for protection, for sport or simply to collect. Gun control is a concern that needs to be one of “less talk and more action”; in addition, it needs to be an issue where both parts of the Congress join together to find a solution to the growing problem of gun violence in the United States. Furthermore, the American people need to demand action from their state’s senators and representatives, not just during a time of stress following a gun-related incident, but continue to press until a permanent resolution is found. Gun control is a controversial subject because there are many who still believe it is all about the government taking away all guns, however, “Gun control” is an umbrella term for several types of gun regulations. Gun control calls for “common sense measures” such as banning “military-style weapons” and “universal background checks” (Should More Gun, 2016). There are federal laws covering some aspects of gun control, but many contain loopholes (Perez-Pena, 2015). Most states have their own laws in place, however, there are no consistencies “at the state level” (Perez-Pena, 2015). In the late 1990’s, there were in fact, roughly 20,000 federal, state or local laws covering gun control; the bulk of these laws were local codes (Spitzer, 1998). In a survey conducted in February 2013, by the Pew Research Center, it was determined that “37% of adults
In regards to Australian gun control laws in 1996, Senator David Leyonhjelm stated, “The criminals still have guns. There’s a very vigorous black market for guns, so it’s not made the slightest bit of difference” (Leyonhjelm par.2). He commented on this issue when the U.S. wanted to follow their similar way of gun control. Since school shootings and massive shootings have been more frequent, gun control has been a serious issue to be discussed. With the proposed restrictions, it would infringe on citizens right of self-defense and sense of safety, it will not prevent all shootings, and background checks on citizens purchasing guns may not show anything out of the ordinary.
In a nation where 30,000 lives are lost each year to gun violence,i we face a problem unlike another other industrialized nation.ii There are many reasons why the gun problem in America is unique. America’s culture is heavily centered on guns both in media and in everyday life, especially in rural communities. We have relatively lax laws regulating firearms due to the vocal opposition of the gun industry, gun enthusiasts, and members of Congress supported by the gun lobby. The majority of Americans support gun reform laws, but political opposition, funded by the gun lobby results in little to no change in our laws.iii The amount of gun violence in our country is a complicated problem, but I believe it can be reduced by changing our
There are many points of view to this situation. Some people believe gun control is needed because it’s the guns fault for killing the people. Other’s believe it’s the person controlling the guns fault. Is gun control the answer to this problem or an answer not needed?
"The long, difficult history of gun control." Washington Post. 23 Dec. 2012: A8. eLibrary. Web.