Wait a second!
More handpicked essays just for you.
More handpicked essays just for you.
Essay on california gun laws
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Recommended: Essay on california gun laws
The state has one of the pioneering bans on the possession of semi-automatic rifles enacted in 1989. More restrictive measures have been added after that. Unlike many other states, California does not have provisions that guarantee private persons the right to possess, purchase, or carry firearms. This has led to many challenges of the provisions in federal courts, especially since the Supreme Court determined that the provision in the Second Amendment is applicable across all states (McDonald, 2010). The state places a ban on specifically named weapons including the UZI and AK 47, as well as a ban on weapons based on their characteristics that make them assault weapons. Such characteristics include: flash suppressor, flare launcher, grenade launcher, thumbhole stock, forward pistol grip, conspicuously protruding pistol grip located under the action of the weapon, telescoping or folding stock, threaded barrel, second hand grip, capacity to accept ten or more rounds, among other specifications (California Firearms Laws, 2007). All automatic firearms, rifles, and short-barreled guns are prohibited. With regards to concealed weapons, California is regarded as a “may issue,” ranging from no issue, especially in urban regions, and shall issue in rural areas (California Firearms Laws, 2007). The state does not recognize permits to carry concealed weapons from other states. To purchase a handgun, one must obtain a Handgun Safety Certificate that is issued after passing the written test. All handguns transferred in California must be certified by the state, while private sales must be through a licensed handgun dealer. A ten-day waiting period is required for any handgun purchase (California Firearms Laws, 2007). Colorado Background check... ... middle of paper ... ...rry. Prohibited areas include hospitals, law enforcement buildings, schools, a place where alcohol is sold and consumed, airports, state parks, and places that are federally prohibited. With regards to public opinion, the ban on open carrying is presently being challenged in courts. Public opinion has also been recently shaped by the recent case involving the shooting and killing of an African-American teenager, Trayvon Martin, by a neighborhood monitor, George Zimmerman, who was acquitted. Public opinion is that Florida’s gun laws are excessively permissive, allowing individuals to carry firearms to their workplaces (F. S. 790.251), transporting them in public transportation, storing them inside motor vehicles, and has no mandatory registration for firearms. There are no state statutes that limit the possession of high capacity magazines or assault weapons. Georgia
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:
In Louisiana, gun ownership is one of the most valued rights because many see it as the only means for self-defense. Though it is a right, if crime rate increases due to gun violence, should self-defense hamper with the enforcement of gun-control laws? Currently, gun related crime is at “18.9 [...] deaths for every 100,000 people [...]” (“States With The Most Gun Violence: 24/7 Wall St.”). This statistic places Louisiana in one of the top spots for gun related crime, thus reminding us that gun-control is necessary. Gun-control measures can include restricting weapons such as the AK-47; a gun designed for battle-like encounters. Why would ordinary citizens need AK-47's anyway?
This article briefly discusses the current rights of mainland American citizens and their rights to bear arms. Although it’s an amendment for a citizen of the United States to bear arms, most people today probably won’t ever need to or have to. With that being said, gun control in the U.S. is still a problem year in and year out. I believe that yes, we do have a problem with gun control within the United States. My first thoughts on this issue raised in the article are that the Supreme Court should continue to ban weapons within the District of Columbia.
Assault weapon control is becoming an unavoidable topic in the United States. According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation more than nine hundred people have died from mass shootings in the past seven years and an assault rifle was used in twelve of the forty-three mass shootings in the past four years. The U.S. Department of Defense has long defined assault rifles as fully automatic rifles used for military purposes. The National Firearm Act of 1934 prohibited fully automatic weapons in the United States. The 1994 Assault Weapon Ban prohibited semi and fully automatic weapons and any weapon with military style characteristics. California Senator, Dianne Feinstein, is leading the charge in the American government to pass a bill that will limit the capacity of ammunition in a magazine and ban assault weapons that are too dangerous for public use. It is time for the American government to act swiftly and acknowledge the dangers assault rifles pose.
They are afraid the wrong type of people will legally own a gun, and then commit a crime, and it happens. “In 2007 the South Florida Sun-Sentinelreviewed a list of concealed gun permit holders in Florida and found that 1,400 had pleaded guilty or no contest to a felony, 216 had outstanding warrants, and 128 had active domestic violence injunctions” (“Right to Carry a Concealed Handgun” 4). It is a good statistic of how the wrong people can still obtain legal guns. However, that was back in 2007. Illinois is the last state to approve the Conceal and Carry act. The benefit of that is Illinois has witnessed all other states and their gives and takes on this law; this has helped create Illinois own Concealed Carry Law. Observing all other states, Illinois has created a careful application in order to obtain your concealed carry license (“CCL).In the Illinois Bar Journal, Caitlyn G. McEvoyl explains the rights and restrictions of the Conceal and Carry Law. The first step is to obtain a FOID card, which is the id to legally buy a firearm. It is harder to receive a FOID card than it is to apply for the CCL. Such restrictions like mentally or physically impaired, addicted to narcotics, or mentally ill can discontinue your application. Afterwards one must have sixteen hours of training with an approved instructor; this involves: caring and safety of a
“Carrying a concealed handgun in public is permitted in all 50 states as of 2013. Some states have “unrestricted carry” and do not require permits” (ProCon.org 1). Law abiding citizens can apply for a “concealed carry permit” if they have no record of mental illness and no criminal record. The permit allows them to carry handguns not only at home, but almost everywhere they go. More women are buying handguns than ever before and going through the training to get a license to carry(The Economist 1). Before, you had to prove you had a need to get such a permit. In 1989 the National Rifle Association (NRA) started a nationwide campaign to get laws passed that made it legal for law abiding citizens to carry a concealed handgun. Their argument was that criminals who knew that their victims were armed would be less likely to attack (New York Times 1).
The “waiting period” method of gun control is basically a two-step process. The first step in the procedure is that the person wanting a gun goes to the gun shop to buy a gun. Then, he/she must wait one to two weeks while the government performs a small background check for past criminal activities, disorderly conduct, or lack of mental/emotional stability. During this time, if the purchaser of the gun wanted the gun for a “quick crime” it is hoped that they will not still want to cause bodily harm after a few weeks of waiting around. Another dumb law is that is in effect in California is that if you want to carry a concealed handgun, “you have to prove that you have some special reason to carry”(Rauch 731).
Firearms are classified into three broad types handguns, rifles, and shotguns. Rifles and shotguns are both considered “long guns.” A semi-automatic weapon fires one bullet each time the user pules the trigger, it will also eject the empty shell after its fired, and will automatically load another round into the gun. A automatic will fire multiple bullets as long as u hold the trigger down. Gun control has been a topic in government law making for years, although here recently gun control has been pushed for harder than ever. The major incident that started the fuss was the Sandy Hook school shooting in which they blame guns for a troubled young man killing six adults and twenty children. According to politics/policy a news paper article “Republicans have shot down any attempts to enact new Federal gun control laws and restrictions. Yet lawmakers have had some success in a handful of states such as Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, and New York have toughened back ground check rules or banned large capacity clips or weapons.”
In the past couple of years, gun control has been a debatable topic throughout the United States, especially with the rising occurrences of mass shootings. Citizens all around are asking if firearms are necessarily a helpful tool that we need, or are they dangerous killing machines that people and news say. Today, a majority of the population respects the right to own and carry a firearm on a daily basis. Some states are changing the law from concealed carry to open carry. This means that instead of a licensed citizen hiding their firearm underneath their clothing. They would now be showing the firearm visible to everyone around them while out in public. Having the law to open-carry in every state would be beneficial not only to the owner but
The government has passed many laws regarding the ownership and use of firearms. Currently the federal law states the following: The use of any firearm in a violent or drug trafficking crime is punishable by law. A person who wishes to purchase a firearm must be 18 years of age to purchase a rifle or shot gun and a person must be 21 years of age to purchase a hand gun. Regarding travel, notwithstanding any state or local law, a person shall be entitled to transport a firearm from any place where they may lawfully possess and transport such firearm if the firearm is unloaded and in the trunk.
a few days to a couple of weeks to get a permit to carry a handgun. However, in
California does not have enough gun laws, they need more restrictions! Guns have been around our country for a long period of time. Serving its purpose in the battles United States of America has fought in. Thanks to the Bill of Rights and the Second Amendment it gave United States citizens to own and practice the right to bear arms. In other words James Madison gave people the right to protect themselves then and ourselves now from any militia or these days our self-defense. Unfortunately our right to bear arms has begun to be infringed upon not long after the Second Amendment. Throughout the years most restrictions and new laws to purchase and own a gun were reasonable, given the certain circumstances, such as passing a test showing as the
However, this is not the case, California has some of the strictest control laws in the United States. In California, in order to purchase a firearm, you must first fill out a Dealer’s Record of Sale (DROS) (State of California Department of Justice). Along with the DROS you must provide the person you are purchasing a firearm from a Firearm Safety Certificate, this is a “true/false and multiple choice test” that is “administered by Instructors certified by the Department of Justice”, in order to pass this test you must receive a score of at least 75% which is equivalent to “23 correct answer out of 30 questions” (State of California Department of Justice). You then must wait 10 days before your firearm is released to you (State of California Department of Justice). According to the State of California, Department of Justice, you do not need to register your firearm, unless it is an assault weapon. Although you do not need to register your firearms you must submit a Firearm Ownership Report Application (State of California Department of
Did you know the second amendment states that you have a right to own and use arms for protection? Kentucky passed a law in 1813 that prohibits the carrying of concealed weapons. In May 1987, Florida passed a “shall-issue” law that became a model for other states. There are 11 states that have the “may-issue” law which allows permits. On July 8, 2011, Wisconsin became the 49th state to allow concealed carry.
As of 2013, all 50 states allow concealed carry of handguns (Concealed Carry Reciprocity Maps), although a few states don’t require a permit and the standards for licensing vary greatly from state to state. In the U.S. most states are “Shall Issue” states. This means they will grant anybody a permit that meets certain guidelines such as being 21 or older and not having any felony convictions, a history of mental illness or domestic abuse. A handful of other states are “May Issue” states. In these other states, such as Maryland, a permit will only be issued if you can prove you need it. This can be a large obstacle and these states will usually only issue permits to people in the public eye, wealthy individuals that are well-connected or business owners frequently transporting large sums of cash (Concealed Carry Reciprocity Maps). Although the requirements and standards are different wherever you may live, one thing holds true- concealed carry permit holders are rapidly growing. The market for handgun training, concealed carry courses and smaller, more concealable handguns have opened up. When concealed carry was first gaining popularity there were two very different schools of thought. Some thought that violent crime would decrease, as criminals would fear the everyday person that just may happen to be armed. Others thought that having people carrying around concealed handguns in public would lead to an increase in violent crime with people losing their temper and shooting each other. When analyzing the data and crime trends, it is clear that with this influx of concealed carry permit holders there has not been a corresponding increase in violent crime.