Gun Control In Modern America

In today’s society, there is plenty to talk about. Whether it be about the President, the weather change, there is always something to talk about. One of the major issues that has been talked about for an extended period of time is gun control and the issues that follow it. There are two specific articles that were chosen today; one of which from the Chicago Sun Times website, and the other from the New York Times.

The rise in cases of gun violence and related incidences of assault has drawn the public to the issue of guns and gun control. Such has been evident within the spheres of politics especially with the last election period seeing the incumbent president Donald Trump suggesting on stringent gun control laws. However, despite the acknowledgment of the need to have better gun laws, much ground and consensus has never reached. Such, to an extent, contributed to the current lack of political goodwill within the country to have the necessary legislations enacted to facilitate the same on the controls (Grandy 23). Of the guns under question are the assault rifles. Like the military weapons, assault rifles have a destructive potential to causing

Weapons have been a big problem to the United States for many years now. People have access to many weapons just as easy as the US Military does. The people of the US can both go to a gun store and buy a weapon at the age of sixteen, or they can make a deal with anyone in the streets of the US. Because of the accessibility to weapons, Americans can cause collateral damage in the neighborhood they live in. They can also commit robbery, or go anywhere and start shooting.

America has the highest amount of gun related deaths each year in the world. “In Germany 381, in France 255, in Canada 165 in the United Kingdom 68, in Australia 65, in Japan 39 and in the United States, 11,127” (Moore Michael, 51:15-51:48). Since the United States has the highest number of deaths, it is important to have gun-control laws that restrict people from owning dangerous firearms like machine guns. Gun-control laws should support both sides of the debate. Of course, both sides will not be completely happy with the laws created, but America should have a balance. In 2008, a poll was taken stating: “Adult poll respondents’ views on the meaning of the Second Amendment; An individual’s right to bear arms: Republican 51% and Democrats 41%” (The History of the Right to Bear Arms). Today, the United States is more divided on gun-control than it has ever been. The Second 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”(Milestones in Federal Gun Control Legislation). Unless the Second Amendment is changed, we cannot take the right from others to own guns. However, the government should regulate the types of gun Americans can own and who can own a gun because times have changed and American’s mental health system is broken.

Gun Control in the United States has gone out of control. The United States should enforce laws to not allow any guns in a house hold in order to reduce violence and crime in the country. Reducing the rate of crime in the United States, controlling big weapons, taxing ammunition, and gun collection can help make this happen. Gun Control can make this country a safer environment to live in.

On March 24, 1998, firing from the woods overlooking their school, 13-year-old Andrew Golden and 11-year-old Mitchell Johnson shot and killed four middle school students and a teacher and injured ten other students in Jonesboro, Arkansas. The two boys had a semiautomatic M-1 carbine with a large ammunition magazine, two other rifles, seven handguns and more than 500 rounds of ammunition which they took from the home of one of the boy?s grandfather, who had a large arsenal of weapons left unsecured. Officers arrested the two boys as they ran through the wooded area near the school, and they were convicted on five counts of capital murder and ten counts of first-degree battery in September 1998.

America has the highest amount of gun related deaths each year in the world. “In Germany 381, in France 255, in Canada 165 in the United Kingdom 68, in Australia 65, in Japan 39 and in the United States, 11,127” (Moore Michael, 51:15-51:48). Since the United States has the highest number of deaths, it is important to have gun-control laws that restrict people from owning dangerous firearms like machine guns. Gun-control laws should support both sides of the debate. Of course, both sides will not be completely happy with the laws created, but America should have a balance. In 2008, a poll was taken stating: “Adult poll respondents’ views on the meaning of the Second Amendment; An individual’s right to bear arms: Republican 51% and Democrats 41%” (The History of the Right to Bear Arms). Today, the United States is more divided on gun-control than it has ever been. The Second 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”(Milestones in Federal Gun Control Legislation). Unless the Second Amendment is changed, we cannot take the right from others to own guns. However, the government should regulate the types of gun Americans can own and who can own a gun because times have changed and American’s mental health system is broken.

According to a World Health Organization study done in 2010, the Unites States of America has the fourth highest firearm homicide rate in the world after Afghanistan, Iraq and the Congo. More recently, a study done in 2013 by the Center for Disease Control found out that there were a total of 33,169 deaths with the use of firearms and more than half were a result of suicide. These statistics have sparked an extensive amount of modern debates on whether we as an American democracy need to amend the second amendment and regulate the purchase of as well as the right to individually bear arms. Two people who analyze this debate very differently but effectively are Zack Beauchamp who wrote “Rethinking the Right to Bear Arm”, and Nelson Lund who

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 not been effective in the history of the United States. Even with laws that restrict gun ownership, it will not deter or prevent criminals from obtaining weapons or crimes from happening. Statistics can back up both sides of the gun control argument, but in reality simply having stricter gun laws does not stop crimes. Even with stringent gun laws criminals will find ways around them legally or illegally.

Gun control has been a debated, revisited and revised issue for more than a century in the United States. Recently, after several mass shootings in the United States, gun violence issues are; yet again, renewed and in the forefront for the United States. This paper will consist of insight on gun violence in the United States and the newly imposed gun control policies by President Obama; along with, the arguments for and against the new policies and what roles both the formal and informal actors have played in the resolve of this; once again, disturbing issue.

Did know that there are approximately 4.5 million firearms sold in the United States each year, and and estimated 2 million second hand firearms are sold each year? According to the IANSA (International Action Network on Small Arms of the United Nations), in the United States there are more than ten thousand gun homicides annually (IANSA). These statistics should shock every American. Gun control is the reason for these gross statistics. The strict laws on guns cases a lot of violent crimes, therefore the laws should be changed so that they are easier to buy, own, and protect oneself.

There are those who believe that the NRA has too much political pull in Washington. One such case Representative Peter Smith (R-NH) chose to sponsor a bill that would ban assault weapons. This was after telling the NRA that he opposed gun control. The following election the NRA targeted him and he lost his election race. The NRA has an uncanny ability to feed on the fears of the U.S. citizens.

“Law-abiding citizens use guns to defend themselves against criminals as many as 2.5 million times every year -- or about 6,850 times a day. [1] This means that each year, firearms are used more than 80 times more often to protect the lives of honest citizens than to take lives. [2]” (Fact Sheet) Some people in the U.S. believe guns are dangerous and no one should have a gun so the solution should be to have a gun ban law be past. But in reality that would not work because without guns in the hands of good people chaos would happen in the U.S. Having gun control laws made from the government, such as taking guns from current owners will not work in reducing crime relating in gun violence because criminals will always have a way to get guns whether it is black markets, across borders or illegal street sale.

The legality of having guns and possessing firearms in the United States of America is well engraved within the Second Amendment of the nation’s constitution. However, the issue of gun regulation has remained a central topic in America’s public. Some people advocate for a total ban on gun possession, while others are totally against this idea. The shooting incident in Las Vegas weeks ago has raised controversial debates in the United States of America. In fact, the White House is concerned on the stand that President Trump will take on the issue of stricter gun laws. One of the cities that has gained the attention of both the legislators on this topic is Chicago. For its reputation for its low rate of gang arrests, lax punishments for gun law violations, and comparatively weak laws in accordance with surrounding states, it is justifiable to say that Chicago’s daily shootings are a clear indicator that strict state gun laws don’t work.