Gun Control Policy Analysis

Gun control is an issue that is very public in our society and, therefore, it must be addressed. This is the first step of the policy making process. The issue of gun control causes many heated arguments and easily demands the attention of interests groups, such as the NRA (National Rifle Association). This is both a good thing and a bad thing. People who advocate for stricter laws concerning firearms often have sensible reasons and statistics to back up their reasoning while individuals in favor of more lenient laws concerning guns usually respond with a statement reaffirming their right to carry a gun as a citizen of the United States. Sonya Sotomayor said it best, “To succeed in this world, you have to be known to people” (2013, 218-219). …show more content…

This is key to having any policy passed and made law in our government. At this step the problems are discussed and debated over. This usually results in the formation of a bill. Once it has been debated and processed into a bill it can be brought before congress. The cons of this nonetheless are that this could take a very long time. Gun control is a controversial topic that many people have strong opinions on and it is this that will cause the issue to be debated over and over again until it comes to a majority. The benefits of this are that once most have come to an agreement, in the House of Representatives as well as in the Senate, the policy will benefit most and also will have been thoroughly reviewed before it can go any farther. The steps it takes to get through Congress means that both houses have to pass the bill. Then after the bill has been signed it can be sent to the president for him to either sign or reject the …show more content…

This is when policies are put into action by government agencies and given the goal to make the policy work. This takes the form of agencies writing regulations, setting rules, and signing agreements with other agencies to implement the new policy. Just like in the case of adopting a policy in this step it might fall apart. If the people in charge of implementing the new policy choose not to enforce it then everything it can fail. In relation to gun control this is especially important because of the controversy surrounding the issue, and the buttons that are pushed when the topic is brought up, the individuals in charge of implementing the policy can simply let it fall to the wayside. An upside to this, however, is that some people feel very strongly over this issue, people with previous experiences and ideas regarding gun control, and may push through this barrier so that the policy will be put in place. It is important to understand that, “Taken as a whole, these various components (laws, regulations, executive orders, agency actions, and so on) form the government’s policy” (Barbour and Wright,