Should the Federal Government Enforce Stricter Gun Control?

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Gun control has been one of the most argumentative and controversial issues in America today. The media is constantly making the public aware of all the altercations regarding firearms and the enforcement of laws controlling firearms. When we see these issues on television we become accustomed to the fact that gun control is a political debate but it is also an ethical debate. Our founding fathers had very explicit beliefs in the right to own weapons and ensured that it was written in the U.S. Constitution. As we enforce “guns laws” and policies, we must not violate these rights that were given to us but continue with the beliefs this country was founded on. At the same time, it is our responsibility to take measures in the risk to safety and security by ensuring these firearms are used responsibly. The balance between our Second Amendment rights and how to guarantee the right of safety is where the long history of political and ethical debate begins.
It is not in doubt that the USA has the highest number of guns per the population with some estimates of the number of both legal and illegal guns being that there is one gun for each person. Media freedom has contributed to the information spread especially on mass shootings that have been happening and this has created a notion that it has the highest gun related crimes in the world which is not the case. As we hear more and more about mass shootings, huge passionate debates regarding gun control escalate have come up and this has split the population in several camps. There are many people who believe that stricter gun control would prevent future violent crimes or mass shootings. On the other hand, others feel it would not affect the crime rate but only leave us unable to d...

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Witkin, Gordon. “A Very Different Gun Culture.” U.S. News & World Report 121.17 (1996): 44. Business Source Complete. 7 Mar. 2014.
Zimring, Franklin. “Firearms and Federal Law: The Gun Control Act of 1968.” Journal of Legal Studies 4.133 (1975): 1-66. 1 Feb. 2014.
“#3: Gun Control Has Reduced The Crime Rates In Other Countries.” GunOwners.org. (2008). 7 Mar. 2014.
‘‘Gun Control Facts: Existing Gun Laws Would Reduce Crime, but These Are Not Enforced’’ http://www.policymic.com/articles/22802/gun-control-facts-existing-gun-laws-would-reduce-crime-but-these-are-not-enforced January 14, 2013.

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