According to the The Atlantic website, efforts to promote gun control are renewed after tragedies occur; they then quickly vanish. As stated, “We don 't yet know if today 's tragedy in Connecticut will spark a national debate over gun control, or whether, like many massacres before it, it will fade quietly without leaving its mark on a single law” (Thompson). Derek Thompson cites a study by Ezra Klein reporting about ninety five people in favor of background checks being revised. The chart to the left shows that there are multiple gun control policies; ranking the highest are background checks. Many potential policies are taken into account when deciding which policy would have an ongoing positive outcome. Currently, one of the most difficult …show more content…
A background check is generally a further investigation on one 's criminal and financial records. Background check requirements vary depending on their purpose. Specifically, the National Instant Criminal Background Check System is a United States system 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 …show more content…
Efforts to promote gun control date back to the 1960s. For instance, The Gun Control Act of 1968 attempted to keep firearms away from people not of age, and holding a criminal background. Even though these laws exist, people wanting to harm still find ways of legally obtaining firearms. Sick people will go out of their ways to get what they want; the only thing we could do is make it harder for them to obtain weapons by making background checks more complex. I personally believe that it is President Barack Obama 's job to address these issues and bring about reforms for he is the highest official of this national. Furthermore, according to Infoplease, Obama is trying to address gun control: “...His plan includes universal background checks for gun sales, the reinstatement and strengthening of the assault weapons ban, limiting ammunition magazines to a 10-round capacity, and other measures” (Gettings). Things need to be done to reduce the number of tragedies. As stated, “Close to 33,000 Americans were victims of gun-related deaths in 2011 and an average of 268 citizens are shot every day” (Daily Record Staff).The chart on the right shows that only a few states have current laws designed to protect citizens. One could infer that the death rate in the United States is awfully high. Specifically, California 's current gun control legislation is said to be one of the best. Many bills have passed in an
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 use of criminal record databases by employers has greatly increased since the 1990s when the information first became relevant (Appelbaum, 2015). The biggest rise in background searches began after the terrorist attacks in New York City on September 11, 2001. Mr. Uggen, a criminologist at the University of Minnesota, states that there is a problem with criminal background checks considering most employers have no idea what they should be looking for. With every business owner having different concerns about potential applicants, “we haven’t really figured out what a disqualifying offense should be for particular activities (Appelbaum,
In the area of Background Investigations the FBI manages checks on anyone who applies for positions with the Department of Energy, Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the Department of Justice, and the FBI its self. When conducting these investigations on applicants the FBI will interview past neighbors, and coworkers of those who apply. Also they will check their criminal records and credit history. Doing so ...
The background check system can help to reduce crime and violence with the help of the NICS. This system is in charge or having criminal, mentally ill, or drug abusers names. Their names should appear on the database when they want to purchase a gun, and it has to be shared with the FBI. However since the Virginia Tech massacre they realized that the background check system is missing a lot of records and was not succeeding. Because of this congress passed the NICS Improvement Amendments Act to help with the cost of gathering and submitting information from agencies and states to the FBI, to create a more accurate database and make it faster for new information to be loaded in the NICS. According to Christine Watkins, “Every day 34 Americans are murdered with guns, and most of them are possessed illegally” (Watkins 1).
The U.S. should not have gun control laws. The Second Amendment to the Constitution states that, “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.” This amendment has been around since 1791, and there has been gun control almost as long as it has been around. The National Rifle Association is an advocate of the Second Amendment and an opponent of those who propose restrictions on guns. Even Presidents Reagan and Bush were members, and Nixon, Eisenhower, and Kennedy were also members.
Gun control is a very delicate issue with many different sides and viewpoints. On one side you have those that feel gun control is a necessary item for safety. Others feel it is unjust to take away a person's right to have firearms. Those people also feel that gun control won't help stop crime either. Anyway you look at it, guns have become one of the main causes of death in the United States. Firearms are first among young black men. This makes gun control an issue that must be taken care of. Gun control will not help, for it is the people that should be punished not everyone else.
Gun violence in the United States is higher than ever, and criminals with guns will “…kill as many as 1000 people each day” (Alpers&Wilson). Taking this into perspective, it is only right to fight fire with fire or, in this case, use a gun to protect yourself and those around you. Gun control does not only decrease the ability for protection, it also decreases our rights as U.S citizens. The constitution clearly states that we are given the right to bear arms, meaning we may carry fire arms. Even if we have stricter laws for guns, it will not stop killers from shooting innocent people. These men and women causing damage to the lives of numerous individuals do not care if there is a law banning guns, because all they truly want to do is hurt others. The pain citizens endure every day from losing a family member, friend, or even just a colleague is repulsive. These permanent deaths continue to make people fearful and it causes damage in their lives; unless something is done. Most people agree that action needs to be taken to stop this inhumane cruelty, but the question is; what can be done? Americans need protection, rights, and power to break this inexcusable gun violence circling America. Gun restrictions for trustworthy and reliable gun owners have not been proven to weaken gun violence in the United States; therefore, gun control should be limited because it is only hurting America, not helping it.
President Barack Obama says we have an “obligation” to try anything that could save one child, but many people find this statement to be ridiculous. Gun control is thought of as a government policy or regulations to control or limit the sale and use of firearms. In the U.S. constitution, the 2nd Amendment states that 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. Inside America today, gun control is a major issue, especially in the political arena. People debate on the daily that not all things in society make it a safer place to live. The best intentions of America’s lawmakers often do not achieve the desired outcome; therefore, the nation is somewhat split on the idea of gun control. Some advocate there is too much government, while others feel there is not enough. Gun control may or may not help society as intended; just as giving up your constitutional rights no more ensures a safer environment nor does the gun advocate who follows laws promoting progressive gun safety.
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...
In 1982, a survey of male inmates from eleven different penitentiaries, stated that sixty-nine percent of the prisoners knew another criminal that had been scared off, wounded, or decided not to commit a crime because they thought the victim had a gun (Agresti and Smith). As The United States heads to the end of 2013, current gun control debates are striking the nation, leaving everyone to develop their own positions on which side of the debate they want to be on. Gun control is defined as efforts to regulate or control sales of guns; however, most of what we hear from other people is that Obama wants to take away every gun in the nation. That’s not entirely true. Obama’s proposal to Congress is a law that would increase background check protocols, ban assault weapons, high-capacity ammunition, and armor-piercing bullets. The proposal also provides more funding for additional police officers on the streets, first response training, mental health programs, and school emergency plans.
The fight against gun control will forever be a process for the next few years. Pete Shields states that it will be roughly be about seven to ten years to get total control of handguns in the United States and to get them all registered. No matter how much the advocates of gun control gets, it will never be enough. With gun control, everyone will continue to ignore the law and continue trading guns illegally, or getting a gun in their hand illegally. It does not make sense to start a gun control because the result of that will be mostly everyone in the United States who own a gun will be criminals.
So why is gun control such a hot debate? Perhaps to answer this question it would be important to look at some key statistics concerning handguns in our society. In this nation, where nearly half of all US households own at least one gun, nearly 30,000 people die from a gunshot each year (Dahl). From this alone it is no wonder gun control is such an important issue, however as bad as this may seem, the number of firearm related incidents have decreased over the years. In the early 1990’s the number of people killed or wounded by firearms soared. Since 1993 however the US has seen a steady drop in deaths due to firearm (The Lancet). Fatal firearms accidents have declined as well, nearly 40 percent in the last decade, and are now at the lowest levels ever recorded (Poe). So why the sudden drop? Antigun advocates would like to attribute this to an increase in gun control laws while pro gun advocates point to a decrease in unemployment rates along with other social factors.
They believe that if background checks were required for private sales, which they describe as “firearms sold at gun shows, through classified newspaper ads, the Internet, and between individuals virtually anywhere” then the “Gun Show Loophole” would be eliminated (Coalition to Stop Gun Violence). As evidenced by the call for an increase in gun control after mass shootings, people believe that with stricter gun control, we would have less incidences of gun violence. Gun control advocates argue that if we have stricter gun control, then we will have a safer country, with fewer shootings. According to a study done by the University of Wisconsin and Bowling Green State University between 2005-2007, the number of police officers who “were convicted of firearms violations” was convicted “at a.0002% annual rate” (Fund).
Gun control is an awfully big issue in the United States today. Many people in America don’t agree with the gun control laws that they have today. Gun control laws only take guns and freedom away from law-abiding citizens. Many citizens have their own reasons for owning a gun. Why would the government want to make it harder for people to own a gun? People that own guns aren’t very likely to be attacked by criminals. Owning a handgun is one of the best ways of protection when used correctly. The second amendment states “the right to bear arms”; does this grant everyone the right to own a gun? Gun control laws have not been proven to do anything for citizens. Gun control laws just make it harder for the good guy average Joe to own a gun. Gun control laws are not a good idea, and are taking part in the loss of our freedom that was given to us.
"It 's a combination of analyzing the physical and behavioral evidence, reconstructing a crime from the beginning to the end and coming up with the most scientific determination possible with the information available." - (The Profiler by Pat Brown)