The Brady Act
The Brady Law was passed in February of 1994 in the name of James Brady, who was President Reagan's press secretary who was severely wounded by a bullet in the assassination attempt of Reagan in 1981. Since the enactment of the Brady Law, violent crimes committed with firearms have greatly reduced. In fact, from 1985 all the way up through 1993 the use of guns in crime was at an all time high. It was until the Brady Act was passed that the use of firearms in crimes decreased. Today the Brady Act continues to keep firearms out of the hands of criminals.
The Brady Handgun Violence Act of 1994 is a federal law requiring that all prospective purchasers of firearms be approved through what is known as "an instant background check." The instant background check is performed by licensed gun dealers using a telephone or a computer through the National Instant Criminal Background Check System, which is also referred to as (NICS). Also not to mention, federally licensed firearms importers, manufacturers, and dealers must comply with permanent Brady before the transfer of any firearm to a non-licensed individual occurs. (www.atf.treas.gov/firearms/bradylaw/)
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and firearms (ATF) regulates that accordingly with the Brady Act, a licensed dealer may sell a firearm if and only if the buyer has a valid government issued form of picture identification. The form of identification must contain the purchaser's name, full address including the state of residence, age, gender, and race. In many cases second forms of identification are asked for.
NICS is not operated and ran by the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms. It is run by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). All NICS ...
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... individual as wanted by law enforcement agencies for escaping from a prison in Georgia. (www.bradycampaign.org/facts/gunlaws/brady.asp)
The Brady Law has done nothing but help America since 1994. Since the enactment of the Brady Law, violent crimes committed with firearms have greatly reduced. It has also kept firearms out of the hands of many criminals, and will continue to do so.
Bibliography:
Bibliography
Brady Campaign. Facts and Information. 28 Apr. 2002. http:/www.bradycampaign.org/facts/gunlaws/brady.asp
Brady Law. Information from the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms. 28 Apr. 2002. http:/www.atf.treas.gov/firearms/bradylaw/
CNN News. Articles. 25 Apr. 2002. http:/cnn.com/US/9608/26/gun.facts.check/
Research Library. Articles. 26 Apr. 2002. http:/www.nraila.org/media/misc/prevention.htm
Right now, the U.S. has a National Instant Background Check System; however, it contains many flaws. This system is meant to act as a filter to stop the wrong people from having guns. In 2007, the Bipartisan legislation was passed to strengthen this system. It relies on data supplied by the states, but the data is often incomplete and inadequate (Merino 104). Unlicensed gun sellers have also created a dangerous loophole. The law makes an exception for gun sellers who aren’t federally licensed gun dealers. These sellers sell guns informally through venues such as gun shows, and are not required to run background checks. This is a dangerous loophole where people who should not have guns can get them (“Gun”). Senator Frank R. Lautenberg once stated, commenting on the gun sh...
The final version of the Brady Act requires mandatory background checks on individuals before a firearm purchase can be made from a federally licensed dealer, manufacturer, or importer, unless there is an exception. Section 992 (g) of the Brady Bill prohibits certain persons from shipping or transporting any firearm in interstate or foreign commerce, or receiving any firearm which has been shipped or transported in interstate or foreign commerce, or possessing any firearm in or affecting commerce. These prohibitions apply to any person who:
Since the inception of the Brady Act, over 118 million applications for firearm transfers or permits were subject to background checks. About 2.1 million applications, or 1.8%, were denied.
prospective buyers to make sure that guns are not sold to convicted felons or to
Even though the NICS is more updated, the trafficking of guns cannot be stopped. Only people who admit they are in the business of selling guns are required to have a license, keep...
It is only there to make our lawmaking bodies and those of us who are too naive to see the truth feel better. Do you really think that the Brady Law keeps handguns out of the hands of criminals?
Enforcing an assault weapons ban can reduce the all-too-familiar occurrences of mass shooting and massacres. When Adam Lanza shot 26 people in Sandy Hook Elementary School..police say he largely relied upon a Bushmaster AR-15 "assault-type weapon," a semiautomatic rifle that could rapidly fire multiple high-velocity rounds. He was also equipped with magazines that held 30 bullets each (Plumer). As a chart from Princeton's Sam Wang shows, the number of people killed in mass shootings did go down in the years the [1994 Assault Weapons Ban] was in effect...and the number of mass shootings per year has doubled since the ban expired (Plumer). This statistic clearly shows the effectiveness of the ban passed by Congress and signed by former president Bill Clinton as part of the V...
‘Useless laws weaken necessary laws.’ --- Charles de Secondat, Baron de Montesquieu (1689-1775) Importantly, gun ownership doesn’t create a violent society, but lenient gun control does. Nevertheless, bans do not make something disappear, rather harder to control! Therefore a strict, uniform federal gun control system is far more essential so as to ensure no collateral effects of any gun uses!
...ns in the United States: Firearms, Armed Violence and Gun Law." Guns in the United States: Firearms, Armed Violence and Gun Law. N.p., n.d. Web. 08 May 2014.
In short, everyone in the United States would have to report to a local law enforcement agency all information pertaining to any firearms they own. This information would include the make, model, serial number, and quantity of firearms owned by each individual. According to the Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence, such measures would “Make it more difficult for criminals, juveniles, or other prohibited purchasers to obtain guns.” ("Registration of Firearms Policy Summary." Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Dec. 2015. .)These criteria seem noble and on the correct track to ending gun violence. But, history has shown that it has had a tendency to lead to the exact opposite. Eastern Europe, 1944, as World War Two was drawing to a close a power struggle had begun. A systematic communist takeover consisting of puppet governments of Soviet influence began. One of the first things to happen in many of the now soviet satellite states, was the systematic registration and confiscation of firearms from private owners. In East Germany, private gun ownership was outlawed. In Bulgaria, communist forces immediately
Hence, gun control is a frequently discussed controversial topic in American politics. Although the Second Amendment prevents the federal government from completely banning guns in America, limited restrictions are allowed on the distribution and possession of firearms. Certain groups of people such as criminals, the mentally unstable, and soldiers dishonorably discharged from the military are prohibited from possessing or interacting with firearms (Flynn). These restrictions are enforced by background checks in some states, on both a state and federal level. However, gun laws vary from state to state and are often not thorough enough; the background checks are flawed due to lack of information and misinformation, and guns can easily end up in the hands of criminals and malevolent individuals.
It has been estimated that out of every one hundred Americans approximately 88 own a gun, and an estimated eleven thousands deaths involving a fire arm occurred in 2013. A recent study by Harvard Medical school and school of public health show that states with stricter gun control laws work in reducing gun related homicides and suicides. So here is where we ask the question if gun control laws are unconstitutional. Or are they put into action and enforced for our own safety. It has been proven to make change and to make it a safer place to live if gun control laws are passed. Over time we have encountered many laws that made it hard for people to possess guns, such as The national Fire Arms Act of 1938 which only allowed fully automatic weapons to be...
Jacobs, James B., and Kimberly A. Potter. "Keeping Guns out of the ‘Wrong’ Hands: The Brady Law and the Limits of Regulation." The Journal of Criminal Law & Criminology 86.1 (1995): 93-120. Print.
...ocent, honest people who now need guns to protect themselves from the illegal guns in the hands of a criminal. The Justice Department conducted a survey of inmates in 1997 and it showed that “80% had obtained guns from family, friends, or an illegal source” (Gold, 112).
...nforcement and criminal imprisonment had more of an effect on crime then any gun control law. Gun education and hunter’s education also improved. Focusing efforts on the root of the problem has yielded results and lowered crime. Crime rate has steadily lowered as more guns entered the private market.