Gun Control in America Introduction It is impossible for one as an America citizen not to weigh in on the recently reignited gun control debate. As a matter of fact and of necessity, at the very least, this particular debate concerns and encompasses social, moral, and legal issues of fundamental significance to the American way of life. The reigniting of the gun debate in America is perhaps personified by the 2012 theater mass shooting in Aurora, Colorado, whereby as Krouse (2012) states, at least a dozen people were shot to death, while a further fifty eight were wounded, seven of them critically. Working from this basis, it is, therefore, stringently impossible that the controversy surrounding the gun debate will be extinguished any time soon. According to Kopel (1988), the gun debate provides a platform for pertinent questions that encompass the understanding of gun ownership in relation to crime and the ordinary citizen. Therefore, as Ghatak (2002) affords, the debate is simply centered on how laws aimed at restricting gun access, legally, morally and socially impact the ordinary American citizen. This research paper proposes and, in effect, argues that while indeed laws need to be made that limit access to guns by ordinary citizens, this should not be done at the expense of constitutional rights provided in the Second Amendment. The Current State of Affairs The current state of affairs as it relates to the gun control debate encompasses the following questions: How
The ongoing debate over whether gun control works or not is a controversial topic in the United States of America. As each year passes, an increasing number of citizens demand more regulation in gun ownership. One side of the argument is that gun control has failed to have a major impact on gun violence and exclaim that these regulations and laws infringe upon their 2nd amendment rights as American citizens. The other side claims that the existing regulations are not enough to stop gun violence and even some people calling for the repealment of the second amendment. The side of the argument that will be supported in this paper will be that the regulations on guns are not effective and in some cases infringe on the 2nd
Over the last years gun control has become a very widely debated topic. The city, county and state lawmakers seem to be having different stands about the public having easy access to guns. Adam Small states, “After centuries of relative obscurity, the Second Amendment has become the center of an intense academic and legal battle during the last twenty years” (1213). The supporters of gun control and its opponents both claim to have the best interest of this country’s citizens .However, there are private citizens who believe that there should be laws to limit the number of people who own a gun. Even though the United States has enacted laws for regulating firearms, the recent shootings at Aurora movie theatre and Sandy
Guns are one of the most controversial and debated-upon topics in America today. In the Constitution, Americans are given “the right to bear arms,” and many Americans are proud of and believe strongly in that right. Though, that right has been constantly misused. Homicides by gun are at a higher rate in the United States than any other country in the world, mass shootings are at an all time high (many of which have occurred in the past two years alone), and terrorism has been at an all-time high. So, naturally, it is a topic that needs to be discussed. In the articles Change Your Gun Laws, America (1), author Fareed Zakaria provides the readers with some harrowing statistics on guns and insight over how the U.S. laws on guns need to be managed.
"Gun Control." Opposing Viewpoints Online Collection. Detroit: Gale, 2016. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 30 Apr. 2016.
Gun rights and gun control are always hot items during any political discussion, whether it is between peers or politicians. One of the many great advantages to being an American is the ability to choose for one's own self what to believe in, another advantage, in my opinion, is the right of the people to keep and bear arms. It is my intention over the next several pages to make you aware of my point of view on the issue of gun rights. I will bring up arguments for gun rights and against gun control, citing all sources used. Some topics to be discussed are the Second Amendment, media influence on weapons violence, and the effects of crime rates in areas that allow open or concealed carry. I would like to preface with some safety notes,
The gun law controversy has been a public debate for the past few decades. With the current state of the nation, it is not uncommon to see mass shooting occur in schools, churches, and in public. The most recent current events would illustrate the use of these weapons can cause massive death rates: the church in Texas being attacked by an individual with a domestic abuse history, the country concert event in Las Vegas, even the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting and the death of children who could not defend themselves. As onlookers watch these events unfold, ideas of creating more laws to regulate guns arise and a national push for legislation to act is engaged. Countering this movement are those who would oppose more laws as the fear that rights would be trampled, and personal safety removed. The answer to this heated debate of strict gun control laws is not to take them away; they are put into place with the intent to govern the safety of our society.
Today in the United States, there are about 88.8 guns per 100 people; that ratio is equivalent to about 270 million guns, which is the highest amount in the world (Gun-control). In today’s era, it has been a hot topic on whether or not America should have stricter gun laws. Gun control is the regulation of selling, owning, and the use of guns (Merrriam- webster). I believe that we should have more regulated gun control laws because I don’t think an American citizen should have the right to just walk into a store and be able to purchase an assault rifle because no one needs to have an assault rifle or a high-end gun if it is just being used for self-defense. The article “Gun Control Isn’t the Answer,” by Nick Gillespie, has many
When a mass shooting or other act of terrorism occurs the first thing thought is: who is the person who did it? Are they white? Are they Islamic? After the basic questions are established there is next to no more talk or news coverage about the person who committed the crime. The only concern is the politics behind it. The media is more concerned about what the president has to say about the overall shooting, not about why this person had a gun or what caused this said person to committee the horrible crime. As the article Why mass shootings don't change the politics of gun control, in 1 Trump quote claims; “The reality is that for most conservatives and most gun owners, these mass shootings don't move the needle on gun control because,
Gun control has a history dating back to 1791, when the Second Amendment of the Constitution was ratified. However, more recently, the debate over gun control has escalated into a much more public issue to which many citizens can relate. After all, stories about incidents involving guns appear frequently today in newspapers and on television or the radio. One could say that the debate started with the passage of the Gun Control Act of 1968, which banned ownership of guns by certain groups of people and regulated the sale of guns. Since then, two main groups have gradually appeared: people who oppose strict federal
set the mood for you for this true story. Christmas Eve at the Crowell household mother
In America guns have been a part of the country’s society since it’s birth. Throughout history the citizens of the US have used firearms to protect the nation, protect their families, to hunt for food and to engage in sporting activities. The issue of Guns and gun control takes on a proportion of extreme magnitude. Weighing the rights and liberties of the individual against the welfare and safety of the public has always been a precarious balancing act. In the United States, gun control is one of these tumultuous issues that has both sides firmly entrenched in their positions. Those parties in favor of gun ownership and the freedom to use and keep arms, rely on the fact that the provision for such rights is enshrined in their constitution.
The article that I analyzed, through the BBC, tells about how United States gun control policies will not be changed following the mass shooting in Las Vegas just a few weeks ago. Over 50 people lost their lives when a gunman opened fire on a concert from a high rise hotel nearby. The shooter had no criminal history, but in his hotel room, he contained over 20 firearms, almost all assault weapons, but all had been purchased legally in the United States. The author of this article believes that there will be no change in gun control policies following this mass shooting for one main reason: Republican majority throughout state legislatures, and their power to “Gerrymander” the redistricting process. The author tells that
Some of the last news that has appeared on the news has been mass shooting. Which has triggered questions about gun laws again. A gun control group founded by former U.S. Rep. Gabby Gifford called for the shutdown of websites selling machines and parts that allow buyers to create a homemade, untraceable weapon. I feel that there is no urgency to trying to create stricter laws towards gun violence.
Many of the nation's issues are the result of the same ethical diversities that attract one to our nation, known as the “land of the free.” Our government leaders and elected officials must take into account these ethical diversities when attempting to address and correct problems that affect one's ability to live peacefully and equally in the United States. There are many issues facing the United States Supreme Court in which the current legislation and political resolves are insufficient; among these issues is simply, gun control. Gun rights advocates fancy that gun control laws go too far. Having said that, supporters of gun control don't believe the government is doing enough to better regulate the distribution of firearms. It is
Gun control is a topic that has been discussed for many years now. Increasingly so with all of the mass gun violence that has been occurring recently such as the Orlando and San Bernardino shootings in 2015 and 16. Some view gun control as a crime issue and others view it as a rights issue. Either way, there are people that want more gun control and people that want less gun control. On both sides of the issue, opinions range from moderate to extreme. Should we put more restrictions on firearms, or should we have open carry and allow for anybody to have a firearm? These are a few questions that come up when gun control is brought into a conversation. Firearms are purchased for recreation, self-defense, and even just to exercise constitutional rights. However, firearms are often labeled as the reason that gun violence is occurring. Society benefits from firearms in the hands of responsible citizens. Attempts to keep firearms away from these citizens do more harm than good.