The purpose of this memo is to ask you for your continuing support for H.R.1217-Public Safety and Second Amendment Rights Protection Act of 2015 (also known as the National Commission on Mass Violence Act of 2015). H.R. 1217 design is to support the second amendment rights while providing a responsible and consistent background checking process prior to purchasing of a firearm. It also prohibits the sale of firearms to those listed in the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS). In 2010 there were 14 million who people submitted background checks to purchase or transfer possession of a firearm resulting in 153,000 being blocked or prohibited from making a firearm purchase. Only 40% of firearm transactions occur through a licensed dealer hence an estimated 6.6 million firearm purchases’ occur through a private sale, a gun show, or the internet with no questions asked. Based upon these findings, there is a need for consistent and universal background checking for all firearm sales and transfers, thus aiding in reducing the number of firearms to persons that are at risk to harm themselves or others (Weinberger et al., 2015). The time is now to act for according to the Pew Research Center (2015) 85% of Americans support having private gun sales and gun shows subject to background checks. Gun Violence is a public health issue within the United States causing more than 32,000 people to die each year, which means approximately 88 deaths a day are because of
Once there has been an established group of gun right limitation supporters, there will be a stronger case to prove to the congress that this pending issue is an important one and affects everyone’s well-being. In efforts of trying to solve the major issue of gun violence, I plan on getting the message of the insufficiency of security when purchasing guns out by “call[ing] [...] representative[s] in Congress and demand[ing] action on measures like background checks at 202-224-3121” (Kaufman 3). The congress men and women will also understand for the same reasons the parents and adults will understand that tightening the gun security checks will decrease the chance of someone getting his or her hands on such a fatal weapon. With the group of supporters and the congress men and women understanding and relating to the need to be free from danger, the congress should realize that reevaluating the gun laws and updating the rules to have and purchase firearms is a step in the right direction of working toward solving gun
“To ensure that all individuals who should be prohibited from buying a firearm are listed in the national instant criminal background check system and require a background check for every firearm sale.” I am writing to you as a constituent member and citizen-voter, and I am urging you to support H.R.3411: Fix Gun Checks Act of 2015.
In the year 2016 alone, there have been 145 mass shootings around the United States, while there have been only 173 days in the years so far. In order to prevent these atrocities from occurring so frequently gun ownership should be regulated by both the federal and state governments through a background check for all sales of firearms. The National Instant Criminal Background Check System has prevented more than two million convicted felons and other prohibited purchasers from buying guns. The law also has a deterrent effect since the prohibited purchasers are less likely to try to buy guns when they know comprehensive background check requirements are in place. However, currently the federal law requires criminal background checks only for guns sold through licensed firearm dealers, which counts for only sixty percent of the total gun sales. The U.S. Congress needs to regulate the obtainment of guns with a background check for all sales of firearms in order to protect the lives of citizens in this country while not violating the Second Amendment and the rights of the state.
As a public health crisis, the government is not only justified in taking action to curb the problem, but they should also feel obligated. Over 10,000 Americans die due to gun violence each year, and tens of thousands more are injured (Brady Campaign, 2017). Aside from protecting its citizens and their lives, gun violence also creates an economic burden on the United States. Researchers estimate that the annual cost of gun violence is $235 billion, which gives policymakers an economic incentive to reduce that externality
In the United States results in thousands of deaths and thousands more injuries annually. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in 2013, firearms (excluding BB and pellet guns) were used in 84,258 nonfatal injuries (26.65 per 100,000 U.S. citizens) and 11,208 deaths by homicide (3.5 per 100,000), 21,175 by suicide with a firearm, 505 deaths due to accidental discharge of a firearm, and 281 deaths due to firearms-use with "undetermined intent" for a total of 33,169 deaths related to firearms (excluding firearm deaths due to legal intervention). 1.3% of all deaths in the country were related to firearms.
Many in the United States support passing stricter gun laws, and overwhelming support for expanding background checks, especially for private sales and Gun Shows. According to Leah Barrett’s article for the US News and World Report, “The Case for Universal Background Checks”, 92 percent of Americans nationwide believe that background checks should be expanded
Guns are clearly a major problem in the United States today. In an article on whitehouse.gov, the author, Tanya Somander, remarks that gun violence today has killed almost 4 million people in the last decade alone (Somander).
In 1996 (the most recent year for which data are available), 34,040 people died from gunfire in the United States. Of these deaths, approximately 54 percent resulted from suicide, 41 percent resulted from homicide, and 3 percent were unintentional. Firearm injuries are the eighth leading cause of death in the United States. In addition, for every fatal shooting, there are roughly three nonfatal shootings. Gun-related crime peaked in the late 1980 's and early 1990 's. Since that time, the United States has made steady improvement in reducing gun-related violence. Gun-related homicides have declined by 33 percent since 1993, including a 35-percent drop in handgun homicides. Meanwhile, from 1992 to 1996, murder rates declined by 20 percent, aggravated assaults by 12 percent, and the
The attempted assassination of former President Ronald Reagan was a horrifying day for many people that were attending his speech; sadly James Brady was at the wrong place on the wrong day. Reagan was not severely injured but Brady certainly was, Brady ended up in critical condition! After recovering from the gunshot, Brady became a serious advocate for an anti-weapon organization, which is why there is currently an organization named after him. The lack of gun control is the main leading effects from gun violence, whether you are at school or sleeping at night, there is someone getting killed or hurt from some type of firearm. Guns tend to be used mainly for harming someone, whether it is self-defense or purposely. Plus gun trafficking has been increasing due to the lack of gun control. Gun violence is pretty much everywhere, and the Brady Campaign statistics show that “On average 31 Americans are murdered with guns every day and 151 are treated for a gun assault in an emergency room” (1). Although the statistics are made from an anti-weapons group, which might be a little bias, the statistics are still accurate enough to get the point across. The only way any of this happened was due to amount of weapons that are in America, it would be less likely for someone to cause a shooting if there were not as many weapons being produced. More and more weapons are being made by the second, due to the continuation of this, people will continue to be hurt because the common saying is
“Most gun owners buy their guns legally and use them safely, whether for self-defense, hunting, or sport shooting. Yet too often, irresponsible and dangerous individuals have been able to easily get their hands on firearms, we must strengthen our efforts to keep guns from falling into the wrong hands” (whitehouse.gov, President Obama). He believes the absolute most essential thing we can do to stop firearm brutality and mass shootings, similar to the one in Newtown, Connecticut, is to ensure the individuals who commit acts of violence cannot access guns. Although that statement is very vague, there are some steps that can be made in order to decrease the occurring of these types of events. The National Instant Criminal Background Check System or the NICS, established in 1998 by the Brady Law, is a background check system that determines if a gun should be sold to a specific person. “NICS is used by Federal Firearms Licensees (FFLs) to instantly determine whether a prospective buyer is eligible to buy firearms” (fbi.gov). The NICS has a guarantee that weapons will not be sold to those who are banned from purchasing them, including criminals. In the course of the most recent 18 years NICS has kept more than “1.5 million” (fbi.gov) weapons out of the wrong hands. President Obama believes we have to reinforce the framework that requires each firearm purchaser to have a background check.
It is no secret that a firearm can be a very deadly weapon. According to the article titled “Gun Violence by the Numbers,” nearly 93 Americans are killed every day by gun violence. This number is totally unacceptable. Unfortunately, reducing this number to zero is about as possible as time traveling, but there are many steps that can be taken to bring down the deaths by gun, especially in highly populated areas. The best way to reduce the deaths by gun violence is to decrease gun restriction laws, increasing policing and decrease police pressure by the public and media.
This has been a very controversial issue in America, especially with the gun-related fatalities raising quickly. In comparison to other countries, America is at the top of the list for gun-related deaths and for a good reason: America has a very loose reign on gun control to the point where almost anyone can get a gun. It is becoming increasingly easy to obtain a gun as there are few laws restricting someone from purchasing one. The main argument opposing gun control is that the Constitution grants all citizens the right to bear arms, but on the other hand the Constitution also has the responsibility to keep its citizens safe, and should increase gun control in order to fulfill this responsibility. Altogether this topic would be very fascinating to research because I am very interested in the effects of gun control, and what it would take to increase gun control in order to protect American
There are many challenges that law enforcement agencies faces when it comes to enforcing public safety at the same time protect the rights of individuals. This paper will focus on several key topics involving the relationship between public safety and individual rights. The first topic is the statutory authority and responsibilities of government officials, security personnel, and private citizens. The next topic involves the practices or laws relating to search, seizures, and surveillance by police, corrections, private citizens, and security personnel. This paper will also compare the laws relating to the use of
Look at other countries with their gun related deaths. In the UK, the total deaths by firearms is about 147 per year in the UK and 33, 600 in the USA. The deaths counts by firearm in the
Over 32,000 people die in the United States every year due to firearms (Weinberger 515). Our