According to Gerney, Parsons, and Posner (2013), in the wake of mass shootings and other types of gun-related disasters, an increase in interest among the public, community leaders, and elected officials occurs, with regards to identifying effective means through which to minimize the possibility for recurrence of such incidences. Some of the reactions at such times include the enactment of more strict gun control laws to limit the accessibly of firearms to individuals with the criminal intent of committing a gun-related crime.
In Connecticut, gun laws were strengthened following the mass shooting of 6 adults and 20 children in their school in December 2012. Similarly, Colorado strengthened its gun control laws following the 1999 mass shooting that occurred at Columbine High School. Before the shootings, there was a loophole in the law that allowed the sale of guns at gun shows without any background check. This loophole was effectively sealed when Colorado voters approved a measure that would mandate compulsory background checks for gun purchases, even at gun shows.
Following the mass shooting of 20 children and 6 adults at Sandy Hook Elementary, many states have moved to tighten their gun laws, especially to restrict the illegitimate use of firearms, as well as the possession of firearms by high-risk populations that include persons with mental health issues, children, felons, and substance abusers. Some of the states that have tightened their gun control laws following the highly publicized Sandy Hook mass shooting and other similar incidences in the past include:
1. New York
2. California
3. Colorado
The following are the states that ranked as having the strongest gun control laws. It is evident that these states with the str...
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...d based on a maximum of 100 percent. High scores indicated tougher gun control laws in the state while lower scores indicated lower firearm control laws in the country. Out of this survey, 42 states had a less than 20 percent score of the study’s criteria, with the average being 9 percent. These findings reflect results from a research report used in the present study, which is based on the geographic region of the states and the extent to which it determines whether they implement permissive or tough firearm control laws (Open Society Institute, 2002). In this study, Hawaii and Massachusetts ranked as the states with the least permissive firearm laws with scores of 71 and 76, respectively. States with moderate gun control laws included California with 53 points, Connecticut with 50 points, Maryland with 43, New Jersey with 35, Illinois with 35, and New York with 27.
A growing number of publicized tragedies caused by gun violence have caused a great stir in the American community. Recently, President Barack Obama has made proposals to tighten the regulation of and the restrictions on the possession of weapons in America to lessen these tragedies. Should the legislative branch decide in favor of his proposals, all American citizens who do or wish to own the type of weapons in question or who use current loopholes in existing policy would be directly affected. His proposals, which are to “require background checks for all gun sales, strengthen the background check system for gun sales, pass a new, stronger ban on assault weapons, limit ammunition magazines to 10 rounds, finish the job of getting armor-piercing bullets off the streets, give law enforcement additional tools to prevent and prosecute gun crime, end the freeze on gun violence research, make our schools safer with new resource officers and counselors, better emergency response plans, and more nurturing school climates, [and] ensure quality coverage of mental health treatment, particularly for young people,” have been cause for a large amount of recent debate (whitehouse.gov).
John R. Lott, Jr., PhD, author of More Guns, Less Crime: Understanding Crime and Gun Control Laws, stated, "States with the largest increases in gun ownership also have the largest drops in violent crimes... The effect on 'shall-issue ' [concealed gun] laws on these crimes [where two or more people were killed] has been dramatic. When states passed these laws, the number of multiple-victim shootings declined by 84 percent. Deaths from these shootings plummeted on average by 90 percent and injuries by 82
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.
In Colorado where twelve people where killed legislature has combated this with tougher background checks and limiting all magazines soled to a ten round capacity limit.according to politics/policy after Colorado enforc...
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
Taking into account of the recent shooting sprees, the gun control debate has started again. However, people have contemplated: “Why does America need gun laws” and “Why are so many states disagreeing about the restrictions that need to be put in place for civilians looking to purchase firearms.” The reasoning for such contemplation is that the fluxuating strictness of gun laws have led to several incidences within states that have strict gun laws due to the fact that the perpetrators of these incidences have purchased their firearms either from black markets, or states where the severity of gun control is at minimal levels.
...e laws helped to keep people safe and strengthen gun laws. As these laws help to keep guns out of the hands of danger and to help in solving gun crimes, many of the states with the strictest gun laws also have the lowest gun death rates. Since numerous states allowed strong new laws in 2013, some states received a higher grade than in past rankings such as Connecticut after the Newton incident. In the newest Brady Campaign ratings, New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut scored an A-, the highest and best score, and also made the top ten in lowest gun death rate out of all states.
“A handgun ban is not realistically enforceable. Confiscating guns would require house-to-house searches and alienate the very individuals whose compliance is essential to the success of any regulation. If gun ownership were prohibited, organized crime would step in to provide the firearms that will continue to be procured with criminal intent” (Done Kates). Over the past decade, the media has reported an increase in the severity of violent crimes as individuals have killed and hurt many others, including kids. Since 2006, there have been over 200 mass murders in the United States.
Izadi, Elahe. "The Gun Control Targets: States Where Laws Have Passed." Www.nationaljournal.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 08 Apr. 2014.
The shootings that have happened in the schools throughout the Unites States over the past few months have created a great divide among Americans on what we should do as a nation to prevent further shootings from happening. Many people believe that imposing new laws on purchasing weapons by requiring background checks, holding adults responsible for the actions of their children and requiring gun locks on weapons to prevent children will stop these massacres in our school from happening. There are many issues that need to be looked at in order to decide which laws are necessary.
“Gun control or carry permits won't stop mass murder” authored by James Alan Fox argues that stricter regulations on the sales of firearms may decrease violence but will not affect the purchase of firearms through the black market and therefore will not be an effective solution to mass shootings. Fox states that creating more restrictive measures for obtaining firearms will only deter a person to find an easier way to obtain said firearm. Criminals will most likely get firearms illegally, and therefore restrictions may prove to have little to no use. The article mentions the 2012 shootings that happened at the movie theatre in Aurora, Colorado. Questions about firearm restrictions were raised due to this event. Furthermore, this article discusses
Gun ownership is a hot topic in this country. The United States has almost always been a country know for its’ lenient gun laws. “Gun Ownership is a civil liberty protected by the Second Amendment of The Constitution” (Roth 1). The Constitution says that we can “bear arms”, which in turn, makes it very complicated to make a simple change/addition of words. States can choose to make restrictions to state laws as long as it follows the amendments and the U.S. Constitution. For example, states can take different paths when it comes to the death penalty as long as it is constitutional. “Illinois is one of only two states—the other is Wisconsin—that does not allow some sort of concealed carry by its’ residents” (Brownfield). 48 other states allow concealed we...
Mass shootings have become a common occurrence in the United States society and have brought our society's safety debate to the attention of American politics. Both sides of the debate agree that we need more safety precautions but neither side can officially agree on what is to be done. What can we do about the raging number of mass shootings? There is no definite solution for mass shootings but there are precautions the United States can take to try to overcome the overwhelming number of mass shootings occurring. Gun Control is a major topic in the debate of how we can keep our society safer but how is what remains a mystery but we can start with altering the second amendment, and having stronger gun laws and background checks.