The Brady Campaign And The Nra Essay

The Brady Handgun Violence Protection Act, in short: The Brady Act, was United States legislation that was passed by Congress in 1993. The Brady Act required a five-day waiting period and criminal background check, performed by state and local law enforcement, for the purchase of a handgun. The Brady Act was instituted to curtail handgun violence and decrease the probability of a handgun ending up in a criminal’s hands. The legislation was heavily pushed by Senator James Brady and his wife, Sarah Brady, after Sen. Brady was seriously injured by a gunshot wound during the attempted assassination of President Ronald Reagan in 1981.

By the year 2003, it is expected that firearms will cause the most injury-related deaths in the United States, surpassing even automobile accidents. Poll after poll have revealed that most Americans favor stricter gun control laws. Five recent suburban school shootings have demonstrated that when guns and kids mix, tragedy results. Yet gun control legislation remains at a standstill.

When the state of Virginia enacted its one-gun-a-month law, specifically targeted at reducing the amount of gun trafficking, there was a significant drop in the number of out of state crime guns traced back to Virginia dealers. In twelve states where child access prevention laws were put in place and in effect for over a year, unintentional firearm deaths fell by 23 percent among children under the age of 15. Following Maryland’s adoption of a ban on “gun junk” firearm homicides dropped by 8.6 percent, a total of 40 lives saved. Finally, after the passage of the Brady Law in 1994, which required background checks to be issued prior to purchasing a firearm, aggravated assaults with a weapon dropped by 35 percent and a total of five hundred thousand people with a criminal record were legally prevented from obtaining a gun (Gun Control, 2013). According to gun control proponents, these few examples are more than enough evidence to show that sensible gun laws can and do work and that if more laws like them were put in place the results would be astonishing. In addition to sensible gun laws being put in place, gun control proponents strongly believe that closing loopholes is a key component that can reduce crime and make society safer. Gun control proponents like to point out that although some gun regulations are

The misinformation presented by the largest anti-gun group in the U.S., the Brady Campaign to

A majority of the American people feel that gun control laws will help reduce crime rates because the waiting period would allow time for a person’s temper to cool down. They also feel that gun control will prevent repeat offenders because when a person tries to purchase a handgun, he will have to fill out a lengthy questionnaire. The questionnaire will include questions about the buyer’s past, for example, if they have a criminal record or a record of any mental illness. If there is a criminal record in that person’s history, he will not be able to make the purchase. Restricting handgun ownership would also reduce crime, because guns are used most often in robberies and murders (Mayer 28). They are very easily concealed under a coat, or even in the waistband of pants.

December 15, 1791, the day America’s Bill of Rights was ratified, was the day the initial infrastructure for our country’s basic rights were established. Since then, firearms have been a highly deliberated topic. Even today, the debate over whether we, as a country, should institute stricter gun laws continues to be an ongoing conversation throughout social media, the press, and within our governing bodies. But, since the approval of the Bill of Rights, gun laws have continued to be restricted in order to protect the lives of citizens who reside in America. The initial catalyst for more rigid gun laws was the horrific assassination attempt of Ronald Reagan, which also brought injury upon James Brady who, due to this incident, later became an advocate for gun laws. Ronald Reagan’s potential rendezvous with bloodshed brought about the initiation of Brady’s law as a safeguard to prevent another incident of this kind from besieging our country.

The effects of gun control laws have been highly effective but they don?t stop people from trying to get a firearm. The Brady Handgun Control Act made it more difficult to purchase and own a gun. Pro-gun affiliates see gun control laws as a way for the government to dictate the people. The real question is, Who should own a gun and what restrictions should they have to be able to keep it?

One of the most famous anti-gun organizations is the Brady Campaign, established in 1974, which has played a major role in the control of guns. Their main goal is to make it more difficult for convicted felons, the mentally unstable, and other such people to obtain guns (“About Us: History of the Brady Campaign”). They presented the Brady Act, passed in 1993, which would “impose a waiting period of up to five days for the purchase of a handgun, and subjects purchasers to a background check” (“Brady Act”). Since the imposition of this act, over one hundred million background checks have been conducted, and more than seven hundred thousand attempted purchases have been denied (“National Instant Criminal Background Check System”). Another major group is the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence, or the CSGV. Their mission statement is “The Coalition to Stop Gun Violence seeks to secure freedom from gun violence through research, strategic engagement and effective policy advocacy.” They are composed of forty-seven national organizations, including religious and social justice organizations, child welfare advocates, and public health professionals.

The Brady Campaign supports this policy because the whole purpose of their organization is to put an end to gun violence across the nation. Being affected by gun violence, all members of the Brady organization want to educate the public about the dangers, hazards and possible prevention. This policy adds to the support of the Brady Campaign since they are ending the ability to sell and purchase personal hand guns electronically where they can possibly get into the wrong persons

Presently, the law has been revised so that the background check is instantly completed by gun dealers through a national computer system and there is no longer a waiting period.

After the incident, James Brady devoted his life to the fight for gun control. (Johnson, 2014) In 1993 the Brady Handgun Violence and Prevention Act bill passed. The law requires background checks on firearms purchases from federally licensed dealers in the United States, and imposed a five- day waiting on purchases. (Johnson, 2014) Some have argued that the Brady law has no impact of the gun control issues and the Brady Bill seems to have been a failure. In 2012 after the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre government officials and Congress revisit the impact of gun control that Brady Law has. (Johnson, 2014) Yet, other believe that Brady Law had a lasting impact on gun

      Approximately 2.5 million times a year guns are used in self defense. There is about 62,200 victims of violent crimes one percent of them use guns as self defense and another 20,000 are use guns to protect property. Around fifteen million gun owners participate in sporting events. In 1993, 18.5 million gun owners attended sporting events(“Gun Control”).

Throughout the past several decades gun control has been put under scrutiny by the media and the general public. While the first major piece of gun control legislation was passed in 1911 in New York, it was not until the 1960’s that the gun control movement was truly galvanized(“Gun Control Reform”).This occurred because of a series of major political assassinations that led to the Gun Control Act being signed into law in 1968(“Gun Control Reform”). To this day the gun control movement lives on and many Americans believe that harsher gun control laws should be put into effect. These supposed gun laws range anywhere from a nationwide ban of assault weapons to a complete ban of guns. Supporters of gun control argue that taking away guns from

Let me make one small vote for the NRA. They're good citizens. They call their Congressmen. They write. They vote. They contribute. And they get what they want over time.(qtd. in nra.org) The NRA is indeed all of these things, with programs to benefit a variety of Americans, sponsorship of one of Americas oldest sports, and as an organization that will stand up for its political beliefs regarding the Second Amendment. (www.nra.org)

The nation’s oldest and largest civil rights organization is under attack, but why? That’s what is going on right now with the NRA and the issues that they are defending. Ever since the NRA was founded, it has been doing things to help out the people of this country and to shape the country itself. There are so many controversies that are going on today in politics that are the center of the NRA’s philosophy. The NRA does a lot for the people of this country by impacting the lives of millions of Americans, through its many organizations. Not to mention, the NRA is a non-profit organization and would not be able to make this impact without the help of others. The NRA’s biggest stance is the Second Amendment. It is their primary focus to do