...Gun Control Kristy L. Harris English 102 University of Phoenix Mrs. Megan Jurs “Gun control means being able to hit your target. If I have a 'hot button' issue, this is definitely it. Don't even think about taking my guns. My rights are not negotiable, and I am totally unwilling to compromise when it comes to the Second Amendment” (Badnarik, 2014). Is Gun Control the management of firearms that will help reduce the criminals from using these weapons? The Gun Control Act of 1968 became the primary federal law regulating firearms. The citizens began feeling that this act was due to the violence and assassinations of President John F. Kennedy, Robert Kennedy and the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. As the country came to grips with the senseless tragedies of these notable people they could not help but think: does this effort really prohibit convicted felons, drug users and the mentally ill from buying guns? And just because this act raised the purchasing age to 21 years old, has it stopped the death of children from guns. In 1993, The Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act was created; to mandate the prevention of gun sales to people without a background check. And eighteen years after this act being created the Brady Law has had over 156 million background checks with rejection numbers soaring to nearly a million. When looking at these numbers, how does it compare to the tragedies some have faced? In 2007, 294 million firearms were in circulation in the U.S.: further...
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...crime. This has sparked the debate of whether gun control is necessary to diminish crime and many pro gun advocates, look at Switzerland as proof that it is false. To get into this heated debate, it is important to understand the term gun control. Gun control is defined as laws that control the selling, owning, and use of guns (Webster's Dictionary). Like in any debate there are always two very different stance on this topic. PRO Pro gun control advocates argue that having strict gun laws will decrease the nation's crime rate. They also point out that having tougher gun laws will save lives by avoiding any more public massacres. To the eyes of a gun control advocate, it seems like a no brainer. After all, the less guns on the street will result in less gun related deaths. In the United States, 33,636 people have died due to a firearm in 2013 (Alpers, Philip).That number accounts for murders, homicides and suicides across the country. Thousands of people that year lost their life due to a firearm incident and the number keeps growing each year. Many gun control advocates wonder why it is so difficult to implement stricter gun laws in the world's greatest democracy. The misinterpretation of the second amendment is what's holding back the U.S. Many people that are against gun control throw around the Second Amendment a whole lot. What many have failed to realize is that the Second Amendment protects the right of militias to own guns, not the individual. Let's take a look at what...
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...The Gun Debacle, How to Reduce Gun Violence Without Losing Your Rights Gregory Guyer ITT Technical Institute. "Laws that forbid the carrying of arms ... only disarm those who are neither inclined nor determined to commit crimes. Such laws make things worse for the assaulted and better for the assailants; they serve rather to encourage than prevent homicides, for an unarmed man may be attacked with greater confidence than an armed one." Are Thomas JeffersonThomas JeffersonThomas Jefferson thoughts about gun control during his era who he quoted from an article written by Cesare Bonesana, Marchese Beccaria “essay on crimes and punishments”. (1764) Such remarks from a prominent member of our founding fathers suggest that not only has this debate been going on for a long time but also how important to Americans it is. The second amendment to the Constitution of the United States of America says, “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.” This must have been thought important by our forefathers to have listed this one second, yet we are on the verge of losing yet another one of our rights as Americans in the name of safety. Will we really be safer, or is it simply a play of political control? According to the National Institute of Justice (2013), there are fewer gun related incidents nationwide than there were in the early 1990’s. Not only do we see fewer actual gun related...
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...Lewis 1 Joseph Lewis Melissa C. Niedermeyer Composition 1 February 12, 2013 GUN CONTROL: OR LACK THEREOF? IT JUST MAY BE TOO LATE. When I chose Gun Control or Lack Thereof, I was simply thinking of mass shootings like Aurora, Oak Creek, Newton, and let’s not forget Tucson. When we talk gun control it covers everyone and everything that has to do with, it also covers if anything can be done about it. Personally, I don’t think there is an answer. In the wake of these terrible events however, high ranking political figures, including the President of the U.S has determined that the gun laws in place need of amending. There are many high ranking officials sitting on both sides of this hot topic because Mr. Obama is proposing an amendment to our constitution along with laws that by the time this paper is written may be passed. Do you own a gun? I do. If a killer ran into the school, would security be able to help? Do they even carry weapons? I have owned three weapons, two automatic pistols and one rifle…. All of these guns were obtained illegally. This paper in essence pertains to not just to killers, but keeping illegal guns out of everyone’s hands. There are three main types of guns that are concentrated on when we about talk gun control. There are handguns, rifles, and shotguns. The two categories of guns that we will talk about in this paper are military style assault rifles and automatic handguns. Why? These are the weapons that criminals want...
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...Gun Control Anthony D. Torres COM 220 August 5th, 2012 Mary Trapasso Does gun control affect the way we live? Every year, in the United States, there are over thirty thousand deaths attributed to gun violence. Gun control and its laws are designed to save lives while ensuring a safer and more civilized society. Although these laws do nothing to prevent crimes; they are in place to ensure that those who violate them are punished and removed from society, thereby preventing future crimes. Supporters and opponents of gun control agree guns should be kept out of the hands of criminals. The ability for people to use a firearm while defending themselves from harm or possible death at the hands of a criminal is not debatable, it is a Constitutional Right. Gun control laws save lives and continue to have positive effects within our nation. The Second Amendment in the US Constitution grants law abiding citizens the right to own a gun for self-defense. The amendment states that “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” (Find Law, 2012). Even though it is a right to bear arms, the purchase of firearms has become more difficult and almost impossible for people with criminal backgrounds. Those with felony convictions, fugitives from justice, dishonorably discharged from the military, illegal aliens in the United States, convicted of domestic violence, and people who possess restraining...
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...Columbine. These crimes were done assault weapons, due to these crimes the proposal of an assault weapons ban is being brought up. This interests me as an active gun owner and activist. But with as much of an unbiased view I look for the answer. Should there be a ban on assault weapons? The most popular method for attempting to reduce violent crimes would be gun control. The idea for an assault weapons ban is on the rise. The recent proposal of an assault weapons ban is not the first within the U.S. Back in 1994 there was a federal assault weapon ban (Warrick). This ban was eventually repealed in 2004. This previous ban banned military style weapons with high volume magazines. With the thought of these bans brings up a question, is it constitutional for these bans. The second amendment gives U.S. citizens the right to bear arms. But with this right comes restrictions, it doesn’t mean that a citizen can waltz around with a firearm anywhere they please. Also there are restrictions on who can and cant own certain or any fire arms like felons and the mentally ill (Kelly). With the idea of gun control and assault weapons bans it’s to reduce the frequency of violent crimes committed with firearms. This comes from the idea that firearms are a more dangerous and lethal weapon compared to other possible weapons. But gun use and possession is a double edge sword, for one a user or someone with the possession of a firearm may attack others, but on the other hand the same person...
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...Mass Media: A platform to give strength to the weak or a loaded gun in the hands of humanity? “The media’s the most powerful entity on earth…because they control the minds of the masses” (Malcom X, 2012). Media has responsibilities and these responsibilities need to be clarified and upheld by society. Unfortunately, media today does not abide by moral standards, which in turn sends mixed messages to our society. Often times these messages are demoralizing, desensitizing, and false. Young people and adults alike are trying to navigate through their lives and through the world with a broken compass. The role media plays in issues such as self-worth, bullying, and suicide need to be addressed and revised. I will discuss media and its role and responsibility through the perspective of both a classical and contemporary ethical theory. The classical theory that will be discussed is virtue ethics, which is the study of the virtuous character of a person (Mosser, 2010, p.1.7). The contemporary theory that will be discussed is emotivism, which is basing one’s moral decisions on one’s feelings and emotions (Mosser, 2010, p.1.8). Concluding, I will discuss which theory is closer to my own personal view and why I chose that particular theory. While freedom of speech and personal connection are very important, age appropriate moral standards should be upheld in the media because media plays a significant role in suicide, bullying, and self-worth. According to Mosser...
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...Balance in the Administration of Justice and Security Integrative Paper University of Phoenix Balance in the Administration of Justice and Security Integrative Paper Justice and security are faced with concerns that affect in the daily processes. The concerns have to balance to guarantee no rights are violated. This paper will analyze the concerns regarding the legal environment in which the justice and security administrations function, the transformation in technology and mass communication and the influence on justice and security areas, the problems involving an individual’s rights as opposed to the needs of the justice system and security upholding order and public safety, how the growth of justice and security over the 21st Century best balances rights and freedoms with vigilance, and appropriate authority to safeguard the public in a free society with respect to constitutional assurances regarding individual rights. Issues Regarding Legal Environment Issues regarding the legal environment are abundant, especially when discovering how justice and security administrations function. To begin with, it is important to know who a security or legal administrator is. A security or legal administrator is an individual who fulfills an office management position or a non-attorney position and is liable for total routine operations. He or she is liable for safeguarding the distribution of services by overseeing his or her employees and recognizing and creating business prospects...
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...Internet Resources 1. Agresti, James D., and Reid K. Smith. "Gun Control Facts." 11 Feb. 2013 Web 18 Sept. 2014. http://www.justfacts.com/guncontrol.asp. This is a web document in which the authors cover pure statistics and facts. Graphs, tables, quotes, and statistics are all that this piece contains. This resource is useful since it was updated a little more than a year ago with the most recent data and continues to be updated as new stats and facts become available. It is also neutral in nature, giving just the facts and referencing both the affirmative and negative sides of the argument. 2. McEntee, Peg. “Utah Teacher Shoots Herself in Leg With Concealed Weapon.” Huffington Post 11 Sept. 2014 Web 18 Sept. 2014 http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/09/11/teacher-shoots-self-concealed-weapon_n_5807826.html?utm_hp_ref=gun-control The Huffington Post is a news site with an entire section dedicated to news surrounding gun control, both recent and past. This article is helpful because it outlines the concealed carry laws in Utah schools, a state which has closely modeled it’s laws after Colorado’s. This article is useful because it describes some of the negative effect that concealed carry on campus has for the person carrying as well as the student population/their parents if they find out about the firearm. 3. Students for Concealed Carry. “Common Arguments Against Campus Carry.” Concealed Campus 2011-2012 Web Sept. 18 2014 http://concealedcampus.org/common-arguments/ ...
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...rfJOURNAL 1: The Emerald Research Register for this journal is available at http://www.emeraldinsight.com/researchregister The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available at http://www.emeraldinsight.com/0957-8234.htm JEA 41,1 The ethics of zero tolerance Kevin Gorman Sylvania Northview High School, Sylvania Public Schools, Sylvania, Ohio, USA, and 24 Patrick Pauken Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, Ohio, USA Received May 2002 Revised September 2002 Accepted October 2002 Keywords Decision making, Ethics, Violence, Schools, Discipline, Legislation Abstract “Zero tolerance” has become the international “buzz word” of the secondary building administrator. As school violence has increased so have the legislative and regulatory policymaking mandates c a l l i n g for increased disciplinary consequences for inappropriate stud ent behavior. Ethical problem-solving and decision-making have taken a back seat to reactive discipline by school officials. Media publicity has forced proactive principals to become reactive impulsive decision-makers. In this article, Starratt’s three-part model for ethical school administration – encompassing the ethics of critique, justice, and care – is applied to a fictional scenario and the ethical dilemma that evolves. Recommendations for practice are offered in a proposed resolution of the dilemma within the context of a central conclusion: if the school administrator of the twenty- first century is to...
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...violent crime is fraught with difficulties, associated with limited data on gun ownership and use, firearms markets, and aggregation of crime data. Research studies into gun violence have primarily taken one of two approaches: case-control studies and social ecology. Gun ownership is usually determined through surveys, proxy variables, and sometimes with production and import figures. In statistical analysis of homicides and other types of crime, which are rare events, these data tend to have poison distributions, which also presents methodological challenges to researchers. (Just Facts, 2010) Americans own an estimated 270 million firearms, approximately 90 guns for every 100 people. In 2009, guns took the lives of 31,347 Americans in homicides, suicides and unintentional shootings. This is the equivalent of more than 85 deaths each day and more than three deaths each hour. 66,769 Americans were treated in hospital emergency departments for non-fatal gunshot wounds in 2009. Firearms were the third-leading cause of injury-related deaths nationwide in 2009, following poisoning and motor vehicle accidents. Between 1955 and 1975, the Vietnam War killed over 58,000 American soldiers – less than the number of civilians killed with guns in the U.S. in an average two-year period. In the first seven years of the U.S.-Iraq War, over 4,400 American soldiers were killed. Almost as many civilians are killed with guns in the U.S., however, every seven weeks. (Just Facts, 2010) Over the past...
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...adapted from a report by William Krouse, Congressional Research Service Updated October 3, 2002 Gun Control ________________________________________ SUMMARY Congress continues to debate the efficacy and constitutionality of federal regulation of firearms and ammunition. Various federal laws have been enacted since 1934 to promote such regulation. Gun control advocates argue that they curb access by criminals, juveniles, and other "high-risk" individuals. They contend that only federal measures can successfully reduce the availability of guns. Some seek broad policy changes such as near-prohibition of non-police handgun ownership or the registration of all firearm owners or firearms. They assert that there is no constitutional barrier to such measures and no significant social costs. Others advocate less comprehensive policies that they maintain would not impede ownership and legitimate firearm transfers. Opposition to federal controls is strong. Gun control opponents deny that federal policies keep firearms out of the hands of high-risk persons; rather, they argue, controls often create burdens for law-abiding citizens and infringe upon constitutional rights provided by the Second Amendment. Some argue further that widespread gun ownership is one of the best deterrents to crime as well as to potential tyranny, whether by gangs or by government. They may also criticize the notion of enhancing federal, as opposed to state, police powers. The two most significant federal...
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...Death penalty in America Death penalty debate has been a daily talk for quite some time now. This has been a very controversial that has engaged many organizations and countries in the debate. Some oppose this form of punishment based on moral and judicial grounds. These grounds include wrongful conviction base on DNA tests. Other grounds include wrongful conviction based on race. Those supporting death penalty argue that death penalty creates a feeling of safety since it instills fear in potential criminals. They also hold that those convicted despite their race actually did the crime they are convicted for. Some countries like Canada and New Zealand do not believe in the administration of death penalty as a means of punishment. Therefore, until today there is no agreed provision used by the judiciary to reach at a decision of such cases. United States, China and Japan among other countries believe that death penalty is a favorable sentence. United States has authorized death penalty in most federal governments, including the military. Some of the methods used in death penalty include the electric chair. Most of these procedures used in death penalty have been considered to be violating constitutional rights. Though fewer legislatures have been made to change these procedures, death penalty should be abolished. This is the position that is appropriate and offer should be supported. It is a racist tool of criminal punishment. Evidences explaining the reasons against this...
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...Juvenile Justice Enacted: Jan 1996 Revised: Juvenile justice systems include court, probation, parole, prevention and intervention programs and agencies responding to delinquent and other behaviors identified in juvenile statutes. The system may encompass delinquents, status offenders and victims of abuse and neglect. Juvenile justice system agencies are urged to develop policies, programs and practices reflecting the following principles: Juvenile justice systems must have the flexibility to meet the needs of the broad range of children and youth served, from the most violent youth to those children who are victims of abuse and neglect. The judicial process, treatment and authority vested must be responsive to the needs of children and youth and to protecting society. For many years studies have shown that child abuse and neglect are predictive of delinquent behavior and adult crime. Moreover, general societal attitudes of intolerance of differences and glorification of violence contribute to these same behaviors. These root causes must be addressed through appropriate intervention throughout the juvenile justice process as well as through changes at the community level. Therefore: 1. The juvenile justice system must offer a continuum of services which includes the appropriate resources to meet the needs of children and youth who are victims and/or offenders. Such a continuum should offer a range of services from prevention and early intervention to remedial and extended...
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...Arms Trafficking between the United States and Mexico: The Drug Trafficking Nexus Transnational Crime and Globalization By: Katrina T. Mason May 2, 2008 The United States is quite known for their proactive stances on the “War on Drugs”, “War on Terror”, and “War in Iraq”. Some view them as the international police and others view them as the international fiend, but it is in no doubt that the United States takes a very active stance in fighting what they believe is evil and wrong within the world. This is increasingly true for the evils that occur within its own borders such as the continued drug epidemic, domestic violence, child abuse, poverty, gangs, and prostitution (with the exception of Nevada). Unfortunately though, the United States’ stance on legal activities crossing from their own governance into neighboring states where the activity is illegal is not held with the same level of concern or dedication. A primary example of this double standard can be seen on the Mexican-United States border. This is not in reference to the debris from the giant wall being built on the Mexican border falling to the southern side, the young Americans fleeing across the borders to intoxicate themselves, or even the revolution of McDonalds springing up in towns throughout Mexico; but instead to the small arms and light weapons trafficking continually flowing down from the border states into Mexico causing alarming murder rates, economical...
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