Politics and Gun Control

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Recommended: History of gun control in the us

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.

-U. S. Constitution, "Amendment II"

Over 200 years ago, when the Founding Fathers drafted the Second Amendment, no one ever questioned the need for private gun ownership. The founders at that time had considered that private firearms were efficient to protecting personal liberty, both as a means of opposing foreign threats and also as a check against excessive government power. “The founders were passionately devoted to the idea that a self-sufficient armed citizenry is the best means of preserving liberty”. (Jost, 2008, pg. 893)

However, In the 1960s after the assassinations of President John F. Kennedy, Dr. Martin Luther King, and Senator Robert F. Kennedy, gun control became a major issue of public passion and controversy. Our nation's primary gun law is the 1968 Gun Control Act; it was passed in the assassinations of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr, and Senator Robert Kennedy. The act could have started shortly after November 22, 1963 when evidence in the assassination of President John F. Kennedy increased public awareness to the relative lack of control over the sale and possession of firearms in America. Indeed, until 1968, handguns, rifles, shotguns, and ammunition were commonly sold over-the-counter and through mail-order catalogs and magazines to just about any adult anywhere in the nation. The Gun Control Act of 1968 - "was enacted for the purpose of keeping firearms out of the hands of those not legally entitled to possess them because of age, criminal background, or incompetence." ( Jost, 2008, pg. 899)

In 1981, an assassination attempt was made on President Ronald R...

... middle of paper ...

...e ban on guns. Democrats that are from rural areas are not very enthusiastic in their support of gun control. “Some Democrats believe their support of the assault weapons ban cost them control of the House and Senate in 1994”. ( Krouse, 2002)

References

1) Jost, K. (2008, October 31). Gun rights debates. CQ Researcher, 18, 889-912. Retrieved from http://library.cqpress.com.ezaccess.libraries.psu.edu/cqresearcher/

2) Lott, J.R., Mustard, D.B. (1996). "Crime, deterrence, and right-to-carry concealed handguns." [On-line]. Available: http://www.law.uchicago.edu/Publications/Working/guncont.html

3) Krouse, William “ Almanac of Policy Issues” . Congressional Research Service. October 3rd, 2002.

www.policyalmanac.org/crime/guns.shtml.

4) Owens, Brittany “ Gun Control Vs Gun Rights” December 4, 2006.

Http://www.opensecrets.org/news/issues/guns/index.php

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