...Restricting Gun Control in the United States For many decades gun control and ownership has been a major issue in the United States. Gun control and ownership needs to be restricted in order to maintain order and save lives throughout the world, but especially in the United States. Restricting firearms, especially for civilians minimizes gun trafficking and enforces gun safety. The restriction of guns needs to be federally regulated, not state regulated in order to be effective. There have been several laws set in place to assist with regulating firearms. The two most prominent federal laws are the National Firearms Act of 1934 and the Gun Control Act of 1968. The National Firearms Act put in place a registration system for firearms which included identifying the firearm, date of registration, and the address and identification of the person entitled to possess the firearm. The Gun Control Act “prohibits mail-order sales and the interstate sales of firearms, prohibits transfers to minors, limits access to new assault weapons, and sets forth penalties and licensing requirements for manufacturers, importers, and dealers. This act was inspired by the assassination of President John F. Kennedy because he was killed by a mail order gun. Despite these regulations there is still a widespread need to increase gun regulations. There are numerous groups and lobbyists that would like to see a slack in firearm regulations. However, the most prevalent group is the National...
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...There are many rules concerning gun ownership in the country of India, but these rules and regulations are not that much different than the ones implemented in the United States. In India firearms are managed “by the Ministry of Home Affairs, Internal Security Division II, “all of the rules of gun ownership are governed by “metropolitan and special-task police forces”. The right to bear arms in India is not guaranteed by the laws in India. In India civilians are not allowed to own automatic weapons. In India owning a handgun is allowed with a license if it is for protection and for target shooting. This however was not always the case, in 1857, there was a mutiny against the British militia by the India government, this made the British army stand up and evaluate the regulations of gun ownership in India. Even in India, the thoughts of not allowing gun ownership to civilians that can pass a compete background check is not even considered. A great person was once quoted as saying “"If someone has a gun and is trying to kill you, it would be reasonable to shoot back with your own gun." -- The Dalai Lama, (May 15, 2001, The Seattle Times) speaking at the "Educating Heart Summit" in Portland, Oregon, when asked by a girl how to react when a shooter takes aim at a classmate”. There are many questions concerning gun ownership, these questions are generally addressed whether it is in the United States or whether it is in India. Some of the questions might be: “Will there...
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...activist heavily support the controlling of firearms while Gun rights activist oppose heavy regulation. Gun control activist argue arms limitation is the answer and believe...
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...are willing to break the law and risk going to prison for the rest of their lives to murder, yet they are expected to follow firearm laws? If a nationwide gun ban is enacted, criminals will not suddenly follow the law and reject the thought of buying a firearm on the black market. Banning all guns in the United States would be irrational because it would not lower crime or prevent firearm-related murders. Outlawing firearms punishes the law-abiding citizens by leaving them defenseless against criminals who obtain their firearms illegally. Michael and Susan Gonzales of Jacksonville, Florida learned first-hand the importance of protecting yourself with a registered and legal firearm. According to Gia Fenoglio’s article in the National Journal, in the early morning hours of August 2, 2000, two intruders masked in camouflage kicked their way into Michael and Susan’s home with guns drawn. One of the intruders opened fire and struck Michael in the shoulder. Susan hastily grabbed her husband’s twenty-two caliber pistol, cocked the hammer, and squeezed the trigger. She killed one of the intruders by hitting him in the neck and back. The remaining intruder narrowly escaped to his car and sped off. This is just one of many instances where firearms have helped to protect the innocent. In fact, this is one of the millions of instances each year where firearms save lives, according to Gary Kleck. Using his own commissioned phone surveys and number extrapolation, Kleck, a criminologist...
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...operating a firearm is one of the freedoms given to us, then why do we need to be restricted with gun control amongst our nation? One of the trending topics of conversation, which has been blowing up media sites recently, is the discussion of gun control. Gun control laws attempt to regulate the sale, acquisition, or ownership of firearms through registration and identification. Now if the right to bear arms is a freedom granted to us, then why is this a topic of discussion and debate, and should it be regulated or not? Many sources state that guns lead to violence and crime, and we would be much better off without them, while the opposition to this argument states that taking away the right to carry a gun is unconstitutional, and it’s the individuals behind the firearms committing the crimes and not the guns themselves. Either way, this topic has been in debate for a duration now, and it is one to be addressed to understand whether the regulation of firearms has an impact on our society through absolving crime. Crime appears to be the obvious reason that guns are regulated by law in most countries, including the United States. The question that pertains to this situation is whether or not heavy regulation of arms actually deters crime, and if it does, should the United States follow in the footsteps of that of other countries who disallow even any ownership of firearms, or if this freedom that is granted to us should be actually free? Currently, the United States regulation...
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...Amendment to the United States Constitution is a part of the Bill of Rights that guarantees the right of the people to keep and bear arms. This amendment, adopted on December 15, 1791 along with the rest of the Bill of Rights was created or several reasons. One is to ensure citizens’ rights to own a firearm. This topic has become one of the most controversial topics over the last century. It has led more debates over the rising violence in society today. For example, what role firearms play in violence, how to control the sale of weapons, and how to put an end to all violence involving guns. Guns are regulated by federal, and state, legislation. There is little, if any uniformity state versus state. The major regulatory issues are child access and prevention laws, concealed weapon carry laws, regulation on private sales to minors, regulating all secondary used market sales, ownership or purchase of ‘assault” type weapons, one handgun a month law, ban on Saturday Night Specials and others of this type, preemption, and waiting periods of ownership. The key question to control is when will it be enough. How many laws are they going to make before they ban gun sales to law-abiding citizens altogether. The Second Amendment was written for specific reasons. It was not written for them to come back and add all these provisions to it. These provisions keep coming out, when will the government stop and let the Amendment stand for what it was written for. Gun ownership from this amendment...
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...Stricter Gun Control Laws The United States has fallen victim of crimes that heavily involves firearms and ammunitions. As a result, firearm control in the United States of America has happened to be a disputable issue over recent years, particularly in light of the late occasions of the Sandy Hook Elementary school, Northern Arizona University, Texas Southern University, and other numerous shooting incidents in American institutions. Gun control policies consist of laws and regulations that prevent citizens from owning illegal firearms (Carroll, 86). Also, the policies and regulations presented in the Gun Control Laws spreads it effects to the American citizens that manufacture, transport, possess, modify, and use any firearm. Some of the laws have very strict boundaries and limits on gun usage and possession. Some oppositions debate that the gun control policies do not provide protection to innocent civilians or the public. The pervasive gun ownership only increases the number of gun-related incidents in the United States of America. Opponents of the gun control law maintain an argument that the policies and regulations present in the gun control laws do not reduce crimes such as murder, suicide, and injuries that are related to illegal ownership of guns and ammunitions. Additionally, other oppositions argue that the regulations and policies in the gun control laws have a tendency to violate rights of individuals or citizens in the United States of America (Doeden, 96). According...
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...Gun Control Team Debate Paper BCOM/275 May 7, 2013 Gun Control Gun control is a hot topic in the United States with primarily two sides of the conversation advocating for either more control of guns or more freedom of guns. The current laws on gun control or gun rights are disagreed upon by these individuals essentially based on the interpretation of such gun control laws. Firearms and the effects of gun rights has many cases that call for the strictest form of gun control. Some of these instances involve elementary school shootings, shootings at theaters, and even shootings on military installations by military members. The 2nd Amendment in the constitution has long been the proof of rights for citizens to bear arms to defend themselves from tyranny. Gun rights supporters say firearms should be unrestricted as it allows for self-defense in the case of another individual holding a weapon. Gun control supporters state that less regulation on gun control does not allow the government to provide its role of security because of it. The statistics for gun ownership in America are interesting to look at. For example, in the United States the average gun ownership per 100 people is 88.8, the highest of all other countries. Both sides of the argument have valid points, however it is important to dive deeper into each argument to analyze the logic and statistics involved in each argument. Major Gun Control Arguments Every day there are a countless instances that show that...
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...Defender of the State, Not Enemy Smith & Wesson Smith & Wesson may be the most popular and is arguably the largest manufacturer of handguns in the United States. Established in 1852 and based out of Springfield, Massachusetts, Smith & Wesson’s firearms are standard issue to armed and police forces in the United States and Worldwide. The firearms manufacturer has been glamorized in movies such As Dirty Harry and their products have subsequently been utilized by sport shooters. As well as creating some of the most iconic names in firearms they are also responsible for developing many ammunition cartridges, many cartridges bear the company's name. Traded under SWHC on the NASDAQ, Smith and Wesson gained most of its notoriety and sales success with the invention of the .38 special, at one time used by most of the United Stats police forces (citation). Continuing into the 20th century, Smith and Wesson obtained success with the invention of the .357 magnum and the highly popular .44 magnum. In fact, Smith and Wesson’s accomplishments are so numerous that it would be difficult to study the history of the firearm without first studying the history of Smith and Wesson. With the inauguration of Democratic President Barack Obama and a current Democratic majority in the US Congress, Smith and Wesson is concerned over the inception of new laws and regulations governing their civilian consumer purchases. According to CBS news article...
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...Gun Control Gun control is a set of laws that regulate the sell, manufacturing, and possession of firearms by civilians. Most countries have very strict and restrictive laws regarding firearms. In fact, only 3 countries in the world give citizens the constitutional right to bear arms. Those being the U.S., Mexico, and Guatemala, but in Mexico and Guatemala the government makes it extremely hard to obtain a weapon legally. Depending on who you ask America has a serious gun control problem. But I don’t believe the U.S. has a serious gun problem. Guns don’t kill people, people do, and if they don’t have a gun they’ll just go find something else. “Those who are willing to break the laws against murder do not care about the regulation of firearms,...
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...people will have a hard time protecting themselves and will have fewer privileges hunting. Stricter gun laws may be a good idea but only if we had a low rate of crime and criminals wouldn’t be able to get their hands on any firearms (Pratt Web). If criminals were not so smart and there was no way criminal could be able to get a gun then the stricter gun laws would and could possibly work. Connecticut...
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...Amendment to the United States Constitution or as most people call it the Second Amendment, has been a point of dispute throughout the American history. Despite all the controversy, the Second Amendment is still defended by a lot of American citizens and politicians. We, as European citizens, ask ourselves why. Therefore it’s time to really get to know the Second Amendment to the United States Constitution. When the Constitution was signed on September 17, 1787, federalists claimed the new government would only have limited powers. For the critics of the new government, known as the anti-federalists, this wasn’t enough. What they addressed was the fact that the original constitution lacked something to protect the liberties of each individual. One of the things they pleaded for was the right to keep and bear arms....
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...Running head: FIREARMS IN AMERICA Firearms in America Joyce W. Davis Oklahoma Wesleyan University Abstract The prevalence of guns in the United States and the frequency with which they are commit crimes has made gun control a much discussed and contentious issue. There are an estimated 200 to 250 million firearms in America, and of these, about a third are handguns. According to health researcher, Etienne Krug the homicide rate in the United States is six times higher than that of other developed nations. Though it varies from year to year, according to the FBI, in general guns are in about 70 percent of homicides. In 2000, for example, 52 percent of homicides were committed with handguns, and 19 percent were committed with other guns. The simple fact is that murder and other crimes committed with firearms occur more frequently, where gun control laws are least stringent. Firearms in America There is probably never a time in America history when guns were less popular in the culture. People fed up. Half the households in America are armed. Thirty-eight thousand Americas die from gunshots every year. A recent survey Yankelovich Partners found that 70 percent of Americans favor stricter gun-control laws. Yet, even in the face of lifelong anti-handgun convictions, more women than ever seem to be taking up guns. The Gainesville murder, the Los Angeles riots, the Florida Tourist killings, the California kidnapping and murder of 12-year-old Polly Klaas—every time...
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...Gun Control 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 advocates 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 control 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. Recent battles have taken place in the courts, revolving around differing interpretations of the much-debated Second Amendment. On April 20, 1999, two students at...
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...restrictions on sales. Following the Sandy Hook shooting in Newtown, Connecticut in December 2012, The Obama Administration initiated legislation to restrict gun sales. Coincidentally, U.S. firearm sales surged to record levels and ammunition shortages occurred. This article examines the gun control issue in the U.S. in light of the events of 2013, demonstrating the paradox which gun-control advocates face. The authors provide background information on the gun-control debate including the social cost of gun-violence and the U.S. political battle over the issue. Keywords: U.S. Gun-Control Paradox; Gun-Control Debate; Congressional Gun-Control Initiatives INTRODUCTION T his study examines the response of US firearm and ammunition consumers to the Obama Administration’s 2013 initiative to pass new gun control legislation. After staying-clear of guncontrol during his first term, President Obama initiated a dialog proposing the need for new gun control legislation after the Sandy Hook Elementary tragedy in December 2012 (McWhinnie 2013). What followed was a sharp increase in gun sales and a run on ammunition which lead to stock-outs, shortages and rationing (Kesling 2012, Plumer 2012) NICS (National Instant Criminal Background Check System) checks, which are seen as a proxy for firearm sales, increased nearly 60% during the first 6 months of 2013. Ammunition sales spiked during the same period of time, leading to stock-outs and rationing. Record sales and...
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