Banning Guns Is Not the Answer: Gun Control Is
Gun control is and has been a controversial issue for many years. Many American citizens believe that if gun control is strictly enforced it would quickly reduce the threat of crime. Some people believe that gun control is a plot to take away guns. Other People state they would not be able to hunt. Many citizens want to be able to protect their home or family. The Second amendment grants Americans the right to bear arms. Many people believe that with gun control it would be harder for dangerous people to get guns.
Gun control may lead to mutual agreement. As an American you have the right to bear arms. But not everyone should have the right to own a gun. In order to clearly understand why some gun control may be the answer it is important to understand the history of gun control. Many gun control activists believe that the solution is simple; ban all guns and there won’t be any crimes committed with guns. This solution seems to be simple and could quickly be implemented. There are a lot of people that know this would never work. Criminals appear to have the association to sleazy persons to get guns.
A criminal does not care if the crime he or she is committing is with an illegal weapon or not. The criminal is already committing a crime, having an illegal weapon is not going to encourage or discourage the action of the criminal. A majority of crimes committed with guns are committed with illegally bought firearms. If the law were to ban guns completely the only people that would not have guns are the laws abiding citizens who want to protect themselves. The U. S. Department of Justice reported in 1992 offenders armed with handguns committed a record 931,000 violent crimes. Handgun crimes accounted for about 13% of all violent crimes.
From 1987 to 1992 victims reported an annual average of about 341,000 incidents of firearm theft. Enforcing gun banishing is not going to have an effect on the crime rate, because it will not keep criminals from purchasing or stealing weapons. If guns are outlawed, only outlaws will have guns. Many people say the government is plotting to take away guns. That statement is a chant by extremist. Research found this was opinion only and bore no valid facts. Unfortunately these types of people do get attention. However, one must keep in mind that there are radicals on both sides of the picture. While on group states taking away our guns is a overnment plot, the other group believes these people are plotting to kill Americans. Until the middle of the 20th century, most constitutional scholars held a Collective Rights position. They believed that the Second Amendment only protects the collective right of the states to maintain armed militias. This is regarded as the liberal stance. Conservative scholars hold an Individual Rights position. They believe that the Second Amendment also grants an individual’s right to own guns as personal, private property, and that many restrictions on buying and carrying guns unconstitutionally impede individual rights.
The National Rifle Association (NRA)’s mission is the protection of the Second Amendment of the United States Bill of Rights. The NRA also promotes firearm ownership rights marksmanship, firearm safety, the protection of hunting, and self-defense in the United States. The NRA has many supporters (lawyers, politicians, actors …) that work to ensure people the right to be able to hunt and that Citizens will be able to protect their home and family. The NRA actively supports the second amendment. The Second amendment grants Americans the right to bear arms.
The Second Amendment reads: “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. ” There are many lawsuits that have been filed against the second amendment. Not many of the cases against the second amendment have been won. Many key acts have been produced. The history of gun control is important to understand. While many disagree with gun control it is obvious why there is some type of gun control needed. Listed are Acts that have been passed in respect to gun control: •In 1934 the “National Firearms Act” was passed.
This law imposed a tax on the sale of machine guns and short-barrel firearms. This law was initiated in reaction to public rage over gangster activity. The main reason for this act was to stop American gangsters who were members of a crime syndicate organizations dedicated to smuggling and bootlegging of liquor and other illegal activities during the Prohibition Era of the 1920s and 1930s. In 1938 the “Federal Firearms Act” required licensing of gun dealers. The assassinations of John F. and Robert Kennedy and Martin Luther King, Jr brought political focus on U. S. gun control laws. In 1968 the “Gun Control Act” expanded laws to include licensing and record-keeping; banned felons and the mentally ill from buying guns; and banned the mail order sale of guns. In 1993 Brady Bill implemented the creation of a system to complete background checks to help prohibit domestic violence. In 1972 “The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms” was created to oversee federal regulation of guns. 1986 the “Firearms Owners Protection Act” eased some gun sale restrictions, reflecting the growing influence of the NRA under President Reagan. In 1993 the “Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act requires gun dealers to run background checks on purchasers. This Act establishes a national database of prohibited gun owners. In 1994 the “Violent Crime Control Act” banned the sale of new assault weapons for ten years. The Act was sponsored by Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) and Rep. Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY), However, the Republican-led Congress allowed the law expire in 2004. In 2003 the “Tiahrt Amendment” protects gun dealers and manufacturers from certain lawsuits. In 2007 the National Instant Criminal Background Check System was initiated.
Congress was able to close loopholes in the national database after the mass shooting at Virginia Tech University. Banning guns is not the answer. As Americans, our forefathers created the second amendment for a reason. Times have not changed enough that we can completely feel safe in our homes. Many people believe that by banning guns it would be harder for dangerous people to get guns. But the fact is criminals will still be able to acquire guns. Banning of guns, as shown above by the U. S. Department of Justice, would not reduce crime. Hunters do have the right to hunt for food and pleasure. Americans do have the right to protect their home and family. As an American you have the right to bear arms. But not everyone should have the right to own a gun. Gun control, not banning of guns needs to be the answer.
Reference
- U. S. Department of Justice, http://www. ojp. usdoj. gov/bjs/guns. htm, accessed 29-11-2009.
- US Liberals, Pros and Cons, http://usliberals. about. com/od/patriotactcivilrights/i/ProConGunLaws. htm, 28-11-2009. National Rifle Association, http://home. nra. org/#/home, 29 11 2009.
