Gun Laws in the United States

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Access to guns in the United States (US) is too easy and the laws governing access should be strengthened. Current US gun laws are very permissive, which has led to excessive gun-related violence and deaths. Guns are one of the leading causes of violence in the US at the moment, and access to guns (legally and illegally) is very easy. Currently, there are ~211 million firearms in circulation and 70 million are handguns. (1) Today, there is at least one gun in fifty-percent of households in the United States. In 24 states, any person who is 18 years of age or older can go into a gun store, fill out a form, wait a couple of weeks and then go home with a gun. In 33 states, gun owners are not restricted from selling guns to anyone at gun shows. At gun shows the gun buyer is not required to submit a federal background check and gun show dealers are not required to be licensed to sell guns at shows. Critics call this the “gun show loophole” allowing gun owners to buy and sell guns as if they were selling from their home without the need for more strict background checks and waiting periods before acquiring the gun. Supporters of buying guns without background checks do not believe this is a “loophole” because they believe guns will just be obtained illegally anyway.(2) Currently with easy access to guns, gun violence occurs all too commonly on our streets, in our schools and workplaces. A child or teen is killed or injured by guns every 30 minutes. (3) Young children and teens have become insensitive to this gun culture, and in many neighborhoods, children expect to die violently, probably by being shot. Despite living in the world's richest, strongest, freest nation, children often do not have the freedom to believe one day they will ... ... middle of paper ... ... a gun several days later. There should be more limits placed on special interest group lobbying efforts, such as the NRA, and allow the citizens of our nation to influence their representative to strengthen our gun laws. In addition, our mental health system needs to be addressed so that we can keep guns out of the hands of the mentally ill, while providing them with needed mental health services. If guns are not a problem, then why are there so many guns per person and why is the United States considered the most violent nation in the industrialized world (15). Our 2nd amendment might guarantee our right to own a gun, but there is nothing that says we can't choose to legislate access to, and the number and types of guns people are allowed to own. I believe specific laws should be passed requiring gun owners to be licensed in the same way car drivers are licensed.

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