Gun Violence: The Brady Campaign

A shooting here; a shooting there; an every day occurrence heard in the newspapers and on the news channels on television. New media are reporting a shooting somewhere. Whether the shootings are accidental or intentional; they are happening across the United States. Nevertheless, in today’s society, gun violence is sparking debate and controversy on how to control gun violence. Throughout the country, thousands of laws and regulations have been created to aid in the control of guns. Through much study, the gun laws and regulations in place have very little effect on the number of gun related injuries and deaths. More needs to be done to establish an effective way to control gun violence.

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.

The United States is one of the few countries were the right to bear arms is protected by the constitution. Unfortunately, it is also one of the most violent with incidents involving guns this year reaching an estimated 36,212 and an approximate 9,050 deaths (“Gun Violence Archive”). There are an estimated 310 million firearms in households across American, these are only estimates because current gun laws do not require them to be registered or tracked. A more staggering estimate is that most of the guns owned by private citizens are semi-automatic guns, the same type of gun used in almost all mass shootings. While these privately owned guns are legally purchased, many times, they land in the hands of criminals, and owners never report them stolen. Mass shootings and gun crimes are not the only issues with gun violence the one never talked about is suicide, more guns available equals more suicides. The United States is one of the easiest countries to own a gun legally or illegally, stricter gun control laws are necessary.

On January 17, 2017, “Surge in the Violence” was released by the Crime lab at the University of Chicago, which had combined a report on the statistics of homicides taken place in the year 2015 and 2016. The number of homicides taken place in the year of 2016 has soared by record high of 67 percent than the previous year. Chicago is one of the busiest and advanced cities in the world and getting such high numbers in the field of crime is a shame and leaves a bad impression on the rest of the world. The violence related to guns has also increased enormously and according to “Chicago Tribune”, 2,958 people have been shot dead by now this year. Though the data shows that the homicides by gun has decreased significantly but the number is still a problem. The gun violence now is a serious problem and the current situation demands strict gun laws.

Gun Violence is the most disturbing issue ever around the world. As indicated by Gun Policy.org, 75 percent of the world's, 875 million firearms are non military personnel controlled. All inclusive, millions are injured using weapons. Attack by firearms brought about 180,000 passings in 2013 up from 128,000 passings in 1990. There were moreover 47,000 in thought gun related passings in 2013("Gun Violence", 2017). Levels of firearm related violence ranges highly among geological regions, nations, and even sub broadly(2012).

The Brady Campaign was formed as an interest group to prevent gun violence. The movement's mission states that they want “a safer America for all of us that will lead to a dramatic reduction in gun deaths and injuries” (Brady). The campaign was formed in 1974 but under a different name. Dr. Mark Borinsky, victim of gun violence, founded The National Council to Control Handguns (NCCH). Then in 1980 the name changed to Handgun Control, Inc. The association's name was then changed again in 2001 to the name we know today. They renamed the campaign after Jim Brady, President Ronald Reagan former press secretary, who was shot and wounded in 1981 during an assassination attempt on the president.

The Brady Campaign does not provide sufficient evidence to support the success of the Brady Act. The Brady Campaign touts the claim that 2.8 million people have been denied access to purchase firearms as a direct result of the Brady Act, according to results from the FBI and NCIS. Unfortunately, no links are provided on their website to point viewers to the evidence of their claim. The Brady Campaign does not focus on

Moreover gun violence happens everyday in America. “On average 32 people are killed every day from gun violence (Brady Campaign, Key Gun Violence Statistics)”. By the year end the total number of

In 1968, the Gun Control Act was passed after the assassinations of major political figures such as President Kennedy and Dr. Martin Luther King. This Act expanded regulations on the sale and distributions of firearms, including banning the sales of guns to individuals with a criminal background. In 1993, The Brady Law was an amendment added to The Gun Control Act 1986. This particular law required manufacturers to wait five days before hand guns were allowed to be sold to a person. In the last two decades gun violence and mass shootings have led politicians to re-evaluate the legislature regarding the legal accessibility to firearms by the public, especially military style assault rifles. The goal of reforming gun control is to

Artifice; the chicanery committed everywhere yet perceived by so few. Unfortunately, easily deceived Americans have engendered a reality replete with this phony yet prevalent skill pinpointed in numerous aspects of today’s society. In his book Empire of Illusions, Chris Hedges argues that “the most essential skill . . . is artifice,” ranging from political theater to consumer culture. In Hedges’ quote, essentiality is best defined as unfortunate but necessary, as artifice causes undesirable effects on a person's conscience. Although the idea of artifice is exceptionally useful and even imperative in many political, economical, and cultural spheres, gun control politics are a prime exception. In present day America, the controversial topic

Statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show that 18,253 gun homicides happened in 1993, while 11,078 gun murders occurred in 2010.” (Fuller). Gabby Giffords, who was shot at a constituent meeting in 2011, started a gun control group called Americans for Responsible Solutions. In 2013 they raised nearly $12.5 million. A study published in the Southern Medical Journal found that “the presence of a gun in a home is twelve times more likely to lead to the death of a member of the household or a visitor than an intruder.”

Gun violence is violence committed with the use of a gun (firearm or small arm). It may or may not be considered criminal. Criminal gun violence includes homicide (except when and where ruled justifiable), assault with a deadly weapon, and suicide, or attempted suicide, depending on jurisdiction. Non-criminal gun violence may include accidental or unintentional injury or death. Included in this subject are statistics regarding military or Para-military activities, as well as the actions of civilians? Many guns are owned for legitimate reasons, and most are not misused.. Globally, millions are wounded through the use of guns. Levels of gun violence vary greatly among geographical regions, countries, and even sub nationally. The United States has the highest rate of gun related deaths per capita among developed countries, though it also has the

It is impossible not to open a newspaper, watch the television, or listen to the radio with out hearing about some type of gun violence. Perhaps the main reason for such high gun violence is that guns are so plentiful in the Unites States. In fact, there are sixty five million handguns in America ("The `facts' about Guns"). These guns contribute to an annual medical cost of fourteen billion dollars, which is spent solely on treating gun victims ("Handguns in America"). Not surprisingly, handguns are the cause of eighty percent of homicides, seventy percent of suicides, and almost every accidental shooting ("Youth and Violence"). Handgun violence is a problem that is easy for everyone to see. How to solve this predicament is another

First of all, we will analyze the situation of gun violence in the US. Then, we will put forward the problem related to gun

I picked the topic, gun violence. Gun violence has shocked this nation has a rollercoaster. Having guns in our society has also caused many deaths around the world over something senseless. Nevertheless, there is always a debate about gun control, but there is no current move about this topic. Gun violence happens daily because people can get various access to it without background test, drug screening etc. Eventually, it has to change. The second Amendment is another controversy because it dates back before our time. Many Americans believe that taking their guns away is taking away their freedom. Is gun ownership the cause of gun violence?