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Public policy gun control
Gun control and its effects
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The issue of stricter gun control laws is an on-going battle that continues to be debated at both the local and federal levels. Regardless of one’s viewpoint on the matter, this subject makes for a very passionate debate on both sides. At question is whether or not stricter laws and regulations help reduce the number of gun-related crimes. Obviously, the answers vary greatly depending on the strongly held viewpoint of the responders. Often, horrible gun-related crimes are committed by people who do not value human life, which translates to mental issues. In these type cases, it makes no difference how many laws are on the books because if a mentally deranged person is determined to secure a gun to carry out his or her plan, a gun is what he or she will get. When individuals determine to use a weapon to commit a crime they will find a way to secure the weapon, whether legally or illegally. It brings to mind the adage, “Where there’s a will there’s a way.” Therefore, implementing stricter gun laws and reducing the number of gun permits issued would, for the most part, negatively affect the good, law-abiding citizens. It is this group that could fall prey to the criminal who is going to possess and use a weapon regardless what he or she has to do to get it. In situations where a good citizen becomes the intended or unintended victim and is standing face to face with an individual with criminal intent, a gun would pose much more of a deterrent than trying to rationalize with the criminal. The Second Amendment of the United States Constitution says. "…the right of the people to keep and bear Arms shall not be infringed upon," and this amendment has been upheld by the highest court many times. In 2008, the Supreme Court ru... ... middle of paper ... ...13. Web. 17 Apr. 2014. Cruz, Jennifer. "Harvard Study Concludes That Gun Control Does Not Prevent Murders, Other Violent Crime." Guns.com. N.p., 30 Aug. 2013. Web. 15 Apr. 2014. Gettings, John, and Cathrine McNiff. "Federal Gun Control Legislation - Timeline." Infoplease. Infoplease, 2014. Web. 27 Mar. 2014. "Gun Control And Gun Rights." US News. U.S.News & World Report, 2014. Web. 27 Mar. 2014. "Gun Control Facts." Just Facts. N.p., 13 Feb. 2013. Web. 17 Apr. 2014. "Gun Laws." Findlaw. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Mar. 2014. Locher, Wes. "County Hosts Active Shooter Training." The Star [Port St Joe] 20 Mar. 2014: 1+. Print. "Timeline of Worldwide School and Mass Shootings." Infoplease. Infoplease, n.d. Web. 27 Mar. 2014. "Why Own a Gun? Protection Is Now Top Reason." Pew Research Center for the People and the Press RSS. Pew Research, 12 Mar. 2013. Web. 27 Mar. 2014.
Fields, Gary. "New Washington Gun Rules Shift Constitutional Debate." Wall Street Journal. 17 May. 2010: A. 1. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 22 Apr. 2014.
“Gun Control Reform.” Issues & Controversies. Facts On File New Services, 28 Feb. 2011.Web Oct. 2013.
The Second Amendment of the U.S. Constitution states "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.
Some people believe that extremely tight gun control laws will eliminate crime, but gun control laws only prevent the 'good guys' from obtaining firearms. Criminals will always have ways of getting weapons, whether it be from the black market, cross borders, or illegal street sales. New gun control laws will not stop them. Since the shootings of Columbine High School, Virginia Tech, and Sandy Hook, the frequency of mass shootings has increased greatly. Gun control is not effective as it has not been shown to actually reduce the number of gun-related crimes. Instead of considering a ban of private firearm possession, and violating individual ownership rights, it may be more practical to consider the option of partially restricting firearm access.
The Second Amendment to the Constitution(Second Amendment) of the United States of America(USA) is one of the most controversial. The Second Amendment specifically grants that, "the right of the people to keep and bear Arms shall not be infringed"
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.
Ring, Ray. “Guns R Us.” High Country News (Paonia, Co) Vol. 39, No. 14 Aug. 6 2007:10-17. Sirs Issues Researcher. Web. 6 Oct. 2015.
“U.S. Gun Facts, Figures, and the Law.” Gun Policy. Gun Policy. 2. Jun. 2014. Web. 6 June 2015.
Moorhouse, J.C. and Brent Wanner. “Does Gun Control Reduce Crime or Does Crime Increase Gun Control?” Cato Journal, 26(1), (2006): 103-124. ProQuest. Web. 30 Nov. 2015.
The second amendment states “A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.” The Founding Fathers included this in the Bill of Rights because they feared the Federal Government might oppress the population if the people did not have the means to defend themselves as a nation or individuals.
Guns and crime seem to fit together like peanut butter and jelly, but is that really the case? There are two ways to look at gun control, but one realization that needs to be made and that’s that guns are powerful. Guns can either be used for defending and protecting people or they can be used to harm and kill people. People have different views on whether guns are being used for protection or being used to harm and kill others. The majority of people that think guns are being used for safety and defense oppose gun control laws. On the other hand the majority of people who think guns are being used to heartlessly slaughtered people are for stricter gun control laws. People opposed to gun control thinking it will be taking away some of their rights; whereas, those in favor of gun control thinking it will help protect people.
“It’s not gun control we need, it’s sin control” (Si Robertson). The government can’t control what people do with their firearms or who has them in their possession. Gun control does not decrease crime. With or without guns people will still find ways to harm others and even with a gun ban people will still find away to either make or buy a gun illegally. With a gun control law in place there is no good way for citizens to protect themselves. Even though some may say it that it will stop some of the crime, there are many reasons that prove that gun control doesn't decrease crime.
Crime rate in the United States has been at an all-time high in the past few years. According to the Mass Shooting Tracker, there have been 372 mass shootings in the US in 2015, killing 475 people and wounding 1,870. According to the gun violence archive, 13,286 people were killed in the US by firearms in 2015, and 26,819 people were injured. As you can see, 2015 was a big year with gun violence in the United States and since then nothing has changed, to this day we are still seeing these statistics for death by guns in the United States. Instead of the government focusing on gun control laws, I believe that they should look at different alternatives. Some of these alternatives could be to register citizens with aggressive mental disabilities and emotional instabilities and increase research for effective treatments and cures because in most of these cases the shooters have been found to have a mental disability. We can also abolish gun-free zones apart from schools, banks, mass transit hubs, hospitals, and government buildings so that concealed carry is legal in these zones. The government can enforce stricter punishments for crimes committed with a deadly weapon and more laws protecting citizens who are forced to use a firearm in self-defense. So, in the case of a civilian using
Ultimately, it is a person’s choice to use firearms to commit violent crimes. So criminals should be controlled, not the guns which they share with millions of law-abiding citizens. Gun control supporters claim that gun control lowers crime rate. We as people need to take a stand and fight for our Second Amendment and the right to bear arms. Gun control advocates need to realize that passing laws that honest gun owners will not obey is a self-defeating strategy. Gun owners are not about to surrender their liberties or their right to bear arms. The Federal Govement of the United States should not be able to take away the right of law-abiding citizens to own a gun.
McClurg, Andrew J. Gun Control and Gun Rights: A Reader and Guide. New York: New York UP, 2002. Print.