Gun Control Needs to be Under Control Guns are a large part of American culture, It says in the Second Amendment all have the right to bear arms. About a quarter (24%) of US citizens own a firearm (Clark). However, this gun culture creates negative effects on America. Mass and accidental shootings are a growing issue in the United States. In 2015, there was 355 mass shootings in the US recorded (Follman). Also, according to the FBI, from 2000 to 2012 there have been about 200,000 homicides with about two-thirds done with firearm (Weisser). Many tragedies involving guns has stemmed from lack of government gun control. Gun control has been a non-changing policy for the last decade. This issue is constantly ignored because of groups such
In most states to purchase a rifle or shotgun, the background check is simple and quick. They look for an past felonies or misdemeanors. Also a simple background check into any reported drug abuse or mental institutions. However, this whole process is done in a few minutes upon purchase of the gun. This process is done through the store, they call the FBI, which runs a background check on the person through the National Instant Criminal Background Check System, also known as NICS (Smith). This system is not complex enough and is almost always approved. Many firearms are purchased without any background check. President Barack Obama claimed in his speech after the mass shooting at an elementary school in Newtown, Conn., “as many as 40 percent of all gun purchases are conducted without a background have caused the injuries and deaths of many African-Americans and other minorities. For example, the shooting of the African American Michael Brown. Officer Darren Wilson fatal police shooting of Brown in Ferguson, Missouri sparked weeks of protests and became a polarizing event. Three months after the shooting a nationwide poll administered found that “Democrats were three times more likely than Republicans to say Wilson was at fault and deserved punishment (Sommers).” With many different views, a solution needs to be found to protect citizens and minorities from unjust bias and racism. With police shooting individuals and only there side of the events available, systems must be put into place for real evidence, such as
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:
used for deciding if desired firearm and explosive buyers are worthy of buying. Some people believe that the requirements behind this system are to easily determinable; others disagree. The process of this particular system is surprisingly somewhat easy. To begin with, if one wants to purchase a firearm, he/she must complete a Firearms Transaction Record. According to The Trace, the FBI looks for “Criminal and mental health history, dishonorable discharges, immigration status, whether someone is under indictment, and drug use” (Kohrman). When the background check begins, the three specific things that are looked at closely include: the National Crime Information Center, the Interstate Identification Index, and the National Instant Criminal System Index. The Federal Bureau of Investigation then has three days to accept or deny the requests. Background checks could prevent mass shootings if we invest in better systems to detect individuals with mental illnesses. Better systems could possibly be funded by taxpayers until crime rates are
Evidence: "background checks don’t necessarily stop serious criminals from getting firearms. Federal studies have shown that persons imprisoned for firearm crimes get firearms mostly through theft, the black market …"
Guns are not the trouble, people are. The United States is #1 in world gun ownership, and yet is only 28th in the world in gun murders per 100,000 people. The number of unintentional fatalities due to firearms declined by 58 percent between 1991 and 2011 Based on these facts, one can see the guns not the causes of gun violence. moreover, civilians who get permits take gun safety courses and have criminal background...
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.
One way gun control advocates have tried to reduce the number of guns being issued to citizens of the United States of America is to require background checks. Background checks are performed on some weapons but they want a full background check for felonies, mental issues, proper classes, safety precautions to name a few. Background checks would make sure that if you have any type of police record you will be given a second look and make sure that you are fit to own a gun. (Asa Best) If you have a record this does not mean that you will not be able to own a gun it may just mean that your ch...
Today in the United States many people argue over the fact of guns being legal or illegal. There are people using guns for personal safety and there are others who use them for crimes, as well as for other situations. Firearm deaths in the United States have slowly been decreasing from year to year with all these bills getting passed to promote a safer country than ever before. Guns are the main weapon for youth suicide, school shootings, and for committing murder. In 2010 there were 2,711 infants, child, and teenage firearm deaths. As in school shootings and in committing murder, studies show shooters often had multiple, non-automatic guns, shootings were planned, most youth tell before shooting, shooters have a history of being bullied or threatened, shooters have mental issues, and shooters have done suicidal gestures before (Gun Control with School Shootings). Although there are people who use guns for murdering, there are also those who oppose guns being used without the proper requirements. 85% of all respondents to the survey supporting requiring states to report people to national background-checks systems who are prohibited from owning gu...
”(Gopinak, 2007, p. 458 ). This demonstrates that United States is just not inclined to take any action on gun control which is leading to deaths of children and adults. Some individuals believe handguns are not needed in American 's society. Then those who oppose gun control argue guns are a necessity to: hunting in the wild, self-defense, and it is part of the American culture. Furthermore, gun violence is having a vast impact on loved ones; losing a family member can have enormous affect socially, physical and mentally.
Violence related to guns is a prominent issue in America. Guns are a means to an end; meaning guns have played a strong role in suicides, murders, and injuries. In the past decade there has been an average of 400-500 thousand incidents of firearms per year (Gun Violence). The number of injured people from firearm incidents in the United States per year for the past decade is 400-600 thousand people (Gun Violence). These statistics are absolutely shocking to anyone. The amount of violence and crime that comes from guns is enormous. It is imperative that proper gun control is put into place by means of background checks and proper training. It can almost be certain that the number of incidents of accidental discharges from children and the number of victims affected by gun crimes in general can be highly reduced.
In the wake of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and the increase of killing sprees involving firearms in the U.S. since the Columbine Massacre, the case against guns is emotionally charged and captivating. The use of these examples has been a powerful recruitment tool in the case against private gun ownership and the lobbying for stricter legislation governing the sale, and distribution of firearms within the U.S. and internationally. In addition to this, Pro-Control supporters most often use startling statistics in firearm-related deaths and homicides as contention that these incidents are reflections of an ongoing killing spree in the United States, whom remains among the top countries in the world for firearm related deaths, a...
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.
“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.” The right of all Americans to bear arms is a right the Founding Fathers held to equal importance as the Constitution itself. Gun control laws directly violate this right and therefore should not even be under consideration. Even if that issue is overlooked, gun control advocates state that in order to reduce firearm related violence, gun control laws must be implemented to remove the violence caused by firearms. Although this may seem reasonable, the consequences of such laws are ironically counterproductive; they exacerbate the problem instead of fixing it. Besides the fact that the American Constitution guarantees its citizens the right to bear arms, the idea of restricting gun ownership in order to reduce firearm-related violence would ultimately fail given the previous experiments of gun control in England and in numerous states.
Gun control can be defined as “the use of law to limit people's access to handguns, shotguns, rifles, and other firearms” ("Gun Control"). In other words, the government initiates a set of new regulations that gives the government the right to strip and monitor the firearms owned by the gun owners. The new demand for legislators to acknowledge and reform the gun laws present today because statistics show how guns has contribution to killings in America and the horrific tragedies. Every year in the U.S., an average of 100,000 people are shot, according to GunPolicy. Out of that 100,000 people shot, some of those victims consist of children, bystanders, fathers and mothers. The lethality of guns in 2011 firearms was responsible for 32,163 deaths in America (Alpers). Firearms have been used recklessly and claimed thousands of lives of Americans, increasing the death rate. If gun control was in effect and passed by legislators the deaths in America from firearms would not be so large. What also contributes to these facts is the ability to obtain guns for violent acts of crime which why the government need to suppressed and monitored firearms.
Guns have been a major problem for years upon years in the United States. Many people have concerned about gun control and they are protesting strongly against “bearing arms”. “The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention listed firearms as the #12 cause of all deaths between 1999 and 2013, representing 1.3% of total deaths. They were also the #1 method of death by homicide (66.6% of all homicides) and by suicide (52.2% of all suicides)” (qtd. in "Gun Control"). A gun is a big factor that threatens human life. People use it to commit suicide or commit crime, and in those situations it can cause death and serious injuries. The FBI says, “Firearms are used in roughly 7 in 10 killings” between 2013 and 2014 (qtd. In Simon and Sanchez). Considering the amount of gun death that involve in dire situations are more than in the cases that protect or help civilians.