Introduction:
Gun control is a hot-button issue that boils over whenever acts of gun violence occur, such as the recent tragedy in Paris. Citizens, lawmakers, and gun lobbyists have been debating the issue of gun control for more than a century, and there has yet to be a definitive answer. Advocates of gun control don’t believe that state and federal gun control acts do enough, and gun rights advocates believe that the laws go too far. Opponents of gun control laws argue that Americans have the right to bear arms that it’s their right. They say that gun control laws would help individuals defend themselves and their property lawfully, as well as supporting the rights of hunters, sports shooters, and recreational gunmen. While the advocates
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But state laws vary considerably (form, level of restriction, content), and are independent of existing federal firearms laws, although they are sometimes broader or more limited in scope than the federal laws depending on the state. The differences of state laws can range from having to obtain a license or not, being previously registered with a law enforcement agency, concealed versus open carry, the restriction on semi-automatic firearms (assault weapons), the amount of magazines that can hold more than a certain number of rounds, additional restrictions on machine guns, rifles, and shotguns, and the “stand your ground” law which provides a legal basis for individuals to use deadly force in self-defence in certain …show more content…
No permit is required to purchase rifles, shotguns, or handguns. South Carolina also has legal protection of the use of deadly force against intruders into one's home, business, or car. It is unlawful to carry a firearm onto private or public school property or into any publicly owned building without permission. Open carry is not allowed, but no permit is required to carry a loaded handgun in the console or glove compartment of a car. South Carolina also has the “alter-ego” clause regarding the defense of others. In other words, the person intervening is deemed to “stand in the shoes” of the person on who he is intervening for. If that individual may defend himself, then the intervening party is also protected by that right. The difficulty for enacting stricter gun control laws, stems from every U.S. citizen demanding they have the right to keep and bear arms is protected by the Second Amendment to the United States
As a result of several recent mass shootings, gun control has become a popular topic. Gun control refers to the laws, background checks, and more protections against mentally ill individuals purchasing firearms. Some of the population believes that gun control should be strengthened, while the others are against it. There have been many situations in which firearms were used to harm innocent people, but gun control is not the solution to the problem we face as a nation.
In America guns have been a part of the country’s society since it’s birth. Throughout history the citizens of the US have used firearms to protect the nation, protect their families, hunt for food and engage in sporting activities. The issue of Guns and gun control is complex. Weighing the rights and liberties of the individual against the welfare and safety of the public has always been a precarious balancing act. In the United States, gun control is one of these tumultuous issues that has both sides firmly entrenched in their positions. Those parties in favor of gun ownership and the freedom to use and keep arms, rely on the fact that the provision for such rights is enshrined in their constitution. In this climate of growing violence, rife with turmoil and crime, gun advocates feel more than ever that their position is justified. As citizens of the “Land of the Free” possessing a gun is a fundamental right, and may even be a necessity... Anti- gun lobbyists point to the same growing violence and gun related crimes in an effort to call on the government to take action. By enacting more laws and stricter control, these people not in favor of guns feel society would be better safer.
In Louisiana, gun ownership is one of the most valued rights because many see it as the only means for self-defense. Though it is a right, if crime rate increases due to gun violence, should self-defense hamper with the enforcement of gun-control laws? Currently, gun related crime is at “18.9 [...] deaths for every 100,000 people [...]” (“States With The Most Gun Violence: 24/7 Wall St.”). This statistic places Louisiana in one of the top spots for gun related crime, thus reminding us that gun-control is necessary. Gun-control measures can include restricting weapons such as the AK-47; a gun designed for battle-like encounters. Why would ordinary citizens need AK-47's anyway?
Opposing sides have for years fought over the laws that govern firearms. For the purposes of this paper "Gun Control" is defined as policies enacted by the government that limit the legal rights of gun owners to own, carry, or use firearms, with the intent of reducing gun crimes such as murder, armed robbery, aggravated rape, and the like. So defined, gun control understandably brings favorable responses from some, and angry objections from others. The gun control debate is generally publicized because of the efforts of the Pro-Gun Lobby or the Anti-Gun Lobby.
This essay will discuss the pros and cons of gun control. Some U.S. States have already adopted some of these gun control laws. I will be talking about the 2nd amendment, public safety, home safety, and do gun control laws really control guns. I hope after you have read this you will be more educated, and can pick your side of the gun control debate. So keep reading and find out more about the gun control laws that the federal and some state governments want to enforce on U.S. Citizens.
Is it any coincidence that the states with the loosest gun laws in America tend to contribute to the highest amount of national gun deaths and injuries? This is one of the main questions we should be asking when deciding what is best for our country and its citizens. Although gun control has been an ongoing issue, certain events like the Virginia Tech, Sandy Hook, and the Aurora, Colorado mass shootings have increased our attention to this topic. Although I believe that Americans possess the right to own a firearm, I believe there should be detailed screening and control systems to keep guns out of the wrong hands, to prevent more gun violence from happening in the future.
Due to recent shootings in four cities gun control legislation has become a big issue throughout the United States. Government officials have presented legislation for gun control to help reduce mass shootings; however, even with these suggestions for strict gun control twelve states have already passed laws that offer fewer limitations for gun possession. After the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in 2012, Connecticut passed a law to ban gun sales that hold large amounts of ammunition. According to McLeod “in Newtown, Connecticut, the families of ten out of twenty children killed in a December 2012 massacre at the Sandy Hook Elementary School have sued a North Carolina-based gun manufacturer, alleging Remington Outdoor Co.’s Bushmaster
Imagine being forced to crawl and hide with gunshots near your ears. Imagine seeing people shot to death in front of you. Believe it or not, scenes like these occur on a daily basis in America. In the first 320 days of this year there were 325 mass shootings in the nation, defined as where there were more than four victims at each shooting. (Mass Shooting Tracker). This egregious level of violence is unacceptable in a developed country and major reform in gun legislation to improve the tragic state of public safety in the United States today. Although critics of expanded gun legislation incorrectly argue that easier access to guns increases safety and that gun laws are unconstitutional, it is imperative that America adopts stronger gun control legislation because heightened regulations reduce crime rates and have successfully improved public safety in other developed countries. In a country like the United States, no one
People against gun control feel that it is a violation of the Constitution to control the sale and distribution and the registration of guns and gun owners (Band, The Editorial 2) . But it is necessary for there to be certain limits on the way that firearms are handled in this country because of the homicide rate involving guns, and because of the violence created by criminals using guns. If gun control legislation were to go through; there would be a significant decline in gun related crimes and fatalities (Sowell 2). Gun control should be control in this society, and laws should be enforced. Gun violence, protection, and safety and fall into this category. The laws should protect people’s safety and also people’s self-defense. I do believe that gun control has a big impact on society because of: gun violence, gun laws, and people’s protection (Sowell
An estimated 30,000 people are killed each year by guns in the United States alone according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (Gun Control, Funk & Wagnall’s). Though there have been some restrictions and laws placed, both the conservative and liberal sides are not pleased with either the lack of action or the fact that there has been too much action that has taken place. “About 38% of U.S. households and 26% of individuals owned at least one gun, with about half of the individuals having 4 or more guns, according to a 2004 survey by the Harvard School of Public Health (Gun Control, Funk & Wagnall’s).” Both sides turn to the one document centered on the argument for evidence to support their side: the Second Amendment.
America is the most well armed nation in the world, with American citizens owning about 270 million of the world’s 875 million firearms (Marshall). Indeed, this is more than a quarter of the world’s registered firearms. The reason why Americans own so many guns is because of the Second Amendment, which states, “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.” (Rauch) This amendment guarantees U.S. citizens the right to have firearms. Since this amendment is relatively vague, it is up for interpretation, and is often used by gun advocates to argue for lenient gun laws. Hence, gun control is a frequently discussed controversial topic in American politics.
Since the development of firearms, human life has been threatened more than from the use of any other weaponry. Crimes related to firearms like mass killing, assault and homicide are increasing at a tremendous rate. Keeping the safety of their citizens in mind, many nations have formulated gun control laws as a major part of their legislation. Just like other nations, the United States has also passed out the Second Amendment law declaring ‘right of the people to keep and bear Arms’ (Worsnop). Gun control laws illustrated by the second amendment make drastic changes in gun-related issues. Not only does it restrict the usage of highly dangerous
The United States has become a Nation in which anyone can own a firearm. The Second Amendment, which constitutes the right for an individual to bear arms, has become controversial among the American people. Advocates have struggled to come up with a solution to the ongoing debate of how to reduce gun violence and how not to infringe on the Second Amendment Americans are guaranteed by their Constitution the right to bear arms with good reason; laws seeking to control guns have been ineffective to the point where every citizen in every state should have the right to carry a concealed weapon.
S. 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.” (Amendment II) People believe that the amendment talks about the right to own arms and that there should be no limitations but limitations are needed for the safety of the people. In the beginning of the second amendment, there is a part that said about a well regulated therefore to have the right of owning a gun there should be limits on what and how people should use guns. Restrictions do not take any right away it just gives the option to be protected if a person desires but in a safer environment. Laws over the year has shown a lot of gaps and fault that will be used by people who want to commit a mass shooting also over the years, laws have not been able to stop criminal activity and it seems to be getting worse, the recent mass shootings all over the U.S bring the question about laws and if they are working. According to Officer Amanda Santa Cruz “The current laws use in Colorado let a person acquire a gun by only passing a background check but there has to be no felony or domestic violence in the records, and the person has to be 21 years or older to own a gun. A person may not purchase magazines with more than 15 bullets and only Denver bans the use of assault rifles. A person does not need a permit or license to own a gun home only if they want to open carry. People have to keep in
Central in the arguments against gun control is its ability to restrict any citizen of the United States the right to own guns which is protected under the constitution. Specifically, due recognition is made to its connection to the 2nd Amendment wherein it seeks to protect the individual liberties of people. This facet also applies to gun ownership regardless of the original objective and intention. “The second amendment from the Bill of Rights grants private citizens the right to bear arms. Thus, people who stand firmly against gun control insist that no legislation, technically, should have the right to take away a citizen’s guns without first repealing the amendment in question” (Groberman 1). A good approach to consider in highlighting this part comes from depriving the citizen of his basic right on the basis of specific presumption that it would be used for violence or crim...