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The United States ' Current Laws For Gun Control

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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. Statistics …show more content…

If one wanted to purchase a handgun in Connecticut they would have to wait a long time; first there would be an eight-hour safety course, then they would have to pick up an application, which includes a background check and fingerprinting, at the police department (Rosen 1). Review of this application may take up to eight weeks (Rosen 1). Once one was cleared, the state would give them a temporary permit, which would be traded in at state police headquarters for a permanent one. Only then could the person go back to the gun shop to buy a gun (Rosen 1). However, if one were to go to Missouri, buying a handgun would be a lot quicker. Some buyers can walk into a store and instantly purchase a gun if they pass the FBI’s instant background check (Rosen 1). The gun laws are so different in each state, a discrepancy can be seen in the safety of each state too. Connecticut has stricter gun laws so they have fewer gun-caused deaths, while Missouri has more gun mishaps since they have looser gun control laws. For example, there are fifteen percent fewer gun suicides in Connecticut compared to sixteen percent more in Missouri (Rosen 1). However, limits placed on government authorities also determine the safety from guns in America. In the article, “Misfires of the Gun Control Debate” , it states that, “One hitch in our system is that police officers who find a gun at a crime scene can’t always look up

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