Within the last couple of months, gun control and gun control laws has been seen all over the news and all over social media. I decided that topic would be perfect for this essay While scrolling through Facebook, I came upon this meme and I knew right away it was the right meme for this paper. Within the last couple of months, we have had about two major mass shootings and they have had a huge impact over the nation. Society is wondering why the government is not doing much and why we are not seeing any changes with these laws. Most people are saying that we need to have stricter gun laws, but would that really change anything?
Last year, then-Republican candidate Carly Fiorina claimed that states with strict gun laws had “the highest gun crime rate in the nation” (Robertson, 2015). The following month, President Barack Obama stated that states with stricter gun laws “tend to have the fewest gun deaths” (Robertson, 2015). The West might have been won with a Smith & Wesson, but in our modern society guns are the subject of much debate. While some groups push for fewer guns and more gun control, others insist that increased gun control leads to increased crime. Both sides cite statistics in support of their views, yet experts who have reviewed the same data have concluded that the data is inconclusive. The contenders on both sides don’t ever address the other factors that contribute to crime, such as poverty, racial tensions, a strained and overworked police force, and the deterioration of family social structure. As a nation, we need to move beyond the never-ending debate over gun control. We need to work out a compromise that will help law enforcement put a stop to these terrible mass shootings while preserving Second Amendment rights.
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
In Australia and America, gun control laws are very different, therefore, the populations of the two countries have different mindsets regarding gun control and violence. America’s gun control laws are based on history while Australia is more open to changing their laws. Because America’s gun control laws are stated in the Bill of Rights, the government is more reluctant to change them. Therefore, gun violence is more prevalent in the United States due to the higher prevalence of guns in general. However, Australia has altered its gun control laws as a result of a mass shooting and has not had any ever since.
Since then the number of privately owned guns by civilians in 2005 is estimated to be 3,050,000, this number is constantly increasing and just 2,653,000 of these guns are registered and legal (Alpers & Rossetti, 2016). This is telling that there is an estimated 400,00 illegal and unregistered guns circling around Australia. Although the current guns in Australia are different types and are generally safer than the gun in 1996, this is due to the restrictions of handguns, rapid fire, semi-automatic and automatic
In about every nation, gun control has always been an issue of controversy. Gun control laws are quite different from country to country, each possessing different requirements, specifications, and ordinances, so on and so on. What will be examined are the specified gun control laws in three international countries, ranging from Canada, Australia, and Japan, as well as a comparison and contrast of the the similarities and unique differences toward American gun control laws and those in other countries, and finally, the effects of having loose gun control laws. Unlike America, these countries possess stricter laws regarding gun control.
Guns in the U.S has been a problem for many years now. So much so that America is what comes to mind when people think about guns. America is the most known nation in the world when it comes to firearms, with citizens owning about an astonishing 270 million of the world’s 875 million firearms(Marshall). That is thirty percent on the world registered firearms. The reason why Americans own so may guns comes down to the second Amendment, which claims, “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 grants the citizens from America the right to own and buy firearms. Since this amendment is vague, it comes down to
After each new shooting, Australia had contradicted it with a new law and or regulation in order to lessen the likeability of it happening again. The law was presented in 1996 after, “...the most serious of all shooting incidents occurred in Port Arthur, where a shooter used two semi-automatic weapons to kill 35 people.” (The Gun Debate) They later also restricted the ownership of especially dangerous weapons, the government instituted a national gun buyback program where they acquired 650,000 guns. The tightened gun control has, “been highly effective, citing declining gun death rates and the absence of gun-related mass killings in Australia since 1996.” (EFR) It is evident that gun reform has worked efficiently for these countries, so what’s the harm in trying
The studies and research on gun control has opened up many ideas on how weak the current laws really are. Crime rates consist of high numbers. “Since 1982, there have been at least 62 mass shootings across the country, with the killings unfolding in 30 states from Massachusetts to Hawaii”
Gun violence in America is prevalent as the rate of deaths rise. Stricter gun control laws should be made and enforced to lower those rates and create a safer country. The Gun Violence Archive reports that overall, the total number of gun related incidents has reached 36,719 in 2015 and that there have been 244 mass shootings so far. The death toll has reached 9,210 and 18,817 victims were injured by guns. Other countries with stricter gun control laws have reported less crimes and deaths dealing with guns, and America should follow suit. In Australia, after massacre in 1996, stricter gun control laws were passed and since then, there have been less gun related crimes. According to a study made by Andrew Leigh of Australian National University
Gun control is the set of laws or policies that regulate the sale, manufacture, transfer, possession, modification, and/or use of firearms by civilians. Are the United States’ current laws for gun control effective? Is the U.S. in need of reform or enactment of new laws? Alarming statistics indicate that the status quo is ineffective. Gun control laws in the US should be stricter and uniform since there are an unusually high quantity of gun-related incidents in the U.S.. Additionally, countries that have more rigorous gun control are shown to have drastically lower gun-related death rates. Through stricter gun control, we may protect the country and its future generations from people who should not be able to obtain firearms.
In the space separating 1982 and 2012 the U.S. had approximately sixty-two mass shootings. Just because of this statement gun control should be fortified in order to reduce crime rate. Gun control laws in the U.S. are too facile. An example of this is that you can walk into a Walmart with money and an I.D. and walk out with a handgun. There are restrictions to gun ownership but they are not enforced. Usually the opposing crowd who do not want to bolster gun control use the Second Amendment as an excuse to not agree with the idea that emphasizing gun control will help the U.S. in many ways. Gun control in the U.S. should and needs to be
Gun-control has been a controversy between Americans over the years and it has gotten to a point where it seems to divide Americans severely. It has been a controversy on whether or not the U.S. should establish tougher gun-control laws rather than preserve our current gun laws. The U.S. should establish tougher gun-control laws in order to put a stop to gun violence.
Since Howard’s reforms have been put in place a mass shooting has still not occurred in Australia to this day. The fact that before the reforms were put in place in 1996, thirteen mass shootings had occurred since 1979, the gun control reforms made Australia a safer and more secure country (Donohue, 2015). The reforms that were put in place made sure that guns typically used in massacres were banned and around 700000 guns were confiscated and dismantled, which were given up by the population cooperatively. The new reforms also implemented that people needed a valid reason to now own a legal gun, which had to be approved by the police and then could finally, be purchased from a licensed arms dealer. Owning a gun for self-defence was and still
As the population increases its stocks on firearms, a significant number of citizens are at risk of being harmed. According to statistics, “In 2000, almost 30,000 persons died from firearm injuries in the United States more than the number of deaths from, alcohol abuse, or drug abuse… [in spite of] almost 20,000 laws and regulations regulating gun usage to some degree” (Kwon and Baack). Though several individuals are in fear of losing guns as weapons for protection, a greater number of laws will continue to be useful in maintaining the security of citizens upon significant new laws addressing gun control. Although the existence of guns is necessary to protect the constitutional right to bear arms, gun control laws are beneficial in helping to reduce violence, decrease the homicide rate, and prevent accidents from around the globe. New gun control laws should be enforced to ensure the safety of the entire population, and most importantly to prevent any gun violence as necessary to help save the lives of the innocent.