The Pros And Cons Of Gun Control In The United States

There are always heated debates about laws and types of policies, but the Second Amendment seems to be the most controversial no matter what level of government you are at. There are usually people who are far left or far right but there could be some in the middle who could easily be pushed in a certain direction depending on the topic at hand. The Second Amendment has a very long history and has some major acts and restrictions placed in it. There is also the political force that is pulling in both directions depending on what you think about the issue. I will also give my opinion as to what I think a good position would be on guns and the different restrictions that are placed on them.

All types of weapons have been used over time by many

different people. The Second Amendment was put in place so that firearms could be kept and carried. The Second 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” (Bill of Rights). With that being said this was first written in 1791 as part of the Constitution and the Bill Of Rights. The main part I will focus on is the second half of the statement “the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed” (Bill of Rights). This was put in place to provide citizens to be able to protect themselves and have firearms while fighting the different wars.

Over time there are people that have begun to feel unsafe about not checking more into who is purchasing firearms, and they have begun to put more regulations in place.

There are many concerns about the types of weapons and what steps you need to obtain a weapon depending on the state you live in. The federal government has an overarching act that puts restrictions on many firearms. The NFA or National Firearms Act was put in place in 1934 by Congress as a form of a tax (ATF). All of these items are regulated by the ATF (Alcohol Tobacco Firearms) a branch of the government that has a large say is what is regulated in the firearms industry. There are eight items listed under the NFA, they are “1 a shotgun having a barrel or barrels of less than 18 inches in length; 2 a weapon made from a shotgun if such weapon as modified has an overall length of less than 26 inches or a barrel or barrels of less than 18 inches in length; 3 a rifle having a barrel or barrels of less than 16 inches in length; 4 a weapon made from a rifle if such weapon as modified has an overall length of less than 26 inches or a barrel or barrels of less than 16 inches in length; 5 any other weapon, as defined in subsection (e); 6 a machine gun; 7 any silencer; and 8 a destructive device”. Some of the items on the list can be a source of great concern for people who are uninformed. When you purchase any of these items there is a $200 tax that is paid so that you can get a stamp, and the waiting period is

around ten to twelve months. Some might say this is a good idea because it makes people wait longer before they are able to get their new gun parts but it is considered more of a nuisance to legal gun owners (NRA). Another problem that may arise before having to wait and being able to purchase a weapon on this list. For a gun that is full auto it is going to cost more to get one and it is also going to cost so much more to shoot it. Not everyone has the money to go out and shoot a gun full auto. For example there is a rare gun that is full auto and require a tax stamp. The original MP5 will cost somewhere between twenty five to thirty thousand dollars.

A law that was brought into great question was the Stand your Ground Law from 2012 with the Zimmerman case. According to Florida law it states that “A person who is attacked in his or her dwelling, residence, or vehicle has no duty to retreat and has the right to stand his or her ground and use or threaten to use force, including deadly force, if he or she uses or threatens to use force” (Florida). This means that you are able to protect yourself with the use of deadly force. When this law is applied the most likely tool being used will be a firearm. When you read the law it requires you to be in fear of your life in order to use deadly force.Some people see this as a problem and restricting firearms would cut down on the use of this law.

Some states have put in place their own much harsher restriction.

For example in MA there was a large amount of legislation passed restricting the ownership of firearms. Massachusetts is considered one of the states with the most strict gun laws. In 1998 there was the introduction of the licenses and the different restrictions that could be placed on a license (Woburn). For example there is a Class A license this gives you the right to own and carry a firearm concealed but the state can have restrictions on ability to carry and what you can own. This then leads into the approved list of what guns you can buy (mass.gov). There is a list of guns that you are unable to purchase in the state of MA because the Attorney General has had testing done with these guns and are found not be be safe for it’s residents to own.The most recent law was the ban on “assault weapons” by the attorney general. This means they you are no longer able to purchase a new AR-15 in the state of MA but you are able to transfer them between people in the state. Another major law that people feel isn't doing too much is the magazine restrictions on firearms. This means that when you load a gun the amount of bullets it can hold must be less than 10. This is the case in MA, CA, NY, D.C., CO, CT, Hi, MD, NJ all have this

restriction.

On the other side of that some states like Arizona have what is called constitutional carry where they believe the constitution is enough to allow people to own and carry a firearm. Arizona is a state with some of the least restrictive laws. When you live in a state like this if you wanted to go out and carry or buy a gun you would need a driver license for that state and be able to pass the mandatory federal background check. This background check is mandated by the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act (Brady Act) of 1993 (FBI). This is a form that you fill out and it is a check that looks for anything that would disqualify you from purchasing a gun (FBI). If you are able to pass it you can take the gun with you right then. You must fill out this form and pass the check every time you would like to purchase a gun.

There are always list out ranking state gun laws and state that seems to be in the middle of this is North Carolina (WRAL). They are not a strict as Massachusetts but they do have more restrictions than Arizona. In the NC there is no requirement to have a permit to purchase a gun. You do however need a permit to carry the gun on you . A restriction the state has put on it;s residence is that no one is allowed to own a machine gun, this would be an NFA item. The state has also placed restrictions on they types of bullet you can shoot. Teflon-coated bullets are not legal in NC (NRAILA). A teflon-coated bullet is mostly used in replacement of brass to that the barrel of the gun can stay cooler. The possible reason that it is illegal is because they are know for going through body armour (Caleb). In 1994 the NY Times ran a story calling for the banning of teflon coated bullets saying that they were killing cops (Lethal). There is a federal regulation of the core of the bullet not the outside coating. The state of North Carolina has middel of the road laws so you can see the mast consider the middle and the two extremes.

The Second Amendment is a very important issue that is taken too lightly and criticised by the public heavily. This amendment is very important for two reasons, it is important to the constitution and to American culture. This is the idea of “They Thought They Were Free” (Myer) where your rights are slowly chipped away at by the government and soon you won’t be allowed to own anything. When examining different parts of the Bill of Rights nothing is put into question more than the Second Amendment. For example if you see how the Bill Of Rights says the “right to bear arms” and the First Amendment says “freedom of speech”(Bill of Rights). There are very loose restrictions as to certain things you can and can't say to protect people but rights are not taken away like some states do with guns. This would be like saying you need a permit to stand out on the side walk and pass out information. The second part of why restricting guns is a problem in American culture due to the loss of business. In states with stricter laws there is a lower number of sale and a lower number of shops where guns can be sold (NSSF). As a whole in the US the gun industry is worth about $42.9 billion, and over two hundred and sixty three thousand jobs (NBC). This means that with restrictions like MA has, the industry isn’t as popular due to the hoops you have to go through in order to purchase a firearm. Now with the AR-15 being banned in the state the number of guns being sold will drop much more and the revenue at gun shops will also drop.