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Gun Control

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Gun Control Hypothesis Paper
By Christopher Fields
Intro to Sociology
Prof. Hennington

Outline
Hypothesis/ opening statement
My opinions
Love-hate relationship
Crime rates
Democrat Opinion
Republican Opinion
Evidence 1
Evidence 2
Evidence 3
Closing statement
References

After recent school shootings in America, the American people are starting to wonder when is the government going to stricken the gun control laws. After recent studies I will tell you which party republican or democrat is for the stricken the laws and which of them is not. Personally, I feel like you should be judged by your actions. If your criminal background portrays you as violent you should not be allowed to have a gun. On the other hand, if your have never shown any act of violence you should be allowed to have a gun. Crimes such as fraud, drug possession, and other mediocre crimes should not count. Everyone deserves the right to protect themselves, their family or even a stranger. If gun control laws are stricken gun violence will decrease.
I’m going to prove this by using the Social Conflict approach which is a macro-oriented paradigm in sociology that views society as an arena of inequality that generates conflict and social change. Guns have a love-hate relationship with society some people fear guns and some people feel safe around guns. Most people fear guns because people think that they are going to get shot and killed for no reason. While others use guns for safety which is understandable nobody wants to be in a predicament where they cannot defend themselves. Then you have people who use guns just for violence mostly because they envy someone or their cards are not playing out right in life.
In the US the gun-related homicides have dropped 39% from 1993 to 2011. Also doing this time non-fatal gun crimes have dropped an amazing 69%. A study done by the Department of Justice conducted on state prison inmates show that 40% percent of them receive the guns from an illegal source, 37% receive them from friends or family members, 10% from a retail or pawn shop an 2% purchased the guns from the gun show or flea market. (Bell, L. May 2013) The Democratic Party believes everyone should not be allowed to carry a weapon. They believe there should be rules, regulations and documentation in order to qualify to have a gun in your possession. They think people who have criminal records or mental illnesses should not be allowed to purchase a gun. Although these people may not be violent, the democratic party see them as a threat. Violence is defined as an extreme form of aggression. There are three crimes I feel should disqualify a person from purchasing a gun; assault, rape, or murder.(Republicanviews.org December 2013).In 1993 the Democratic Party pass into law the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act which instituted federal background checks on firearm purchaser in the US. Also in 1994 the Democratic passed the Assault Weapon Ban which outlawed 19 military graded weapons. (Brady Law | ATF. (n.d.). www.atf.gov)
The Republican Party believes everyone should be able to carry weapons to a certain extent. But they are a strong advocate for gun-rights and receive most of their campaign contribution from the National Rifle Association. Some Republican leader’s supports gun control measure only when is it politically achievable. 1998 the congress passed and the President signed into law the Undetectable Firearms Act of 1988 which prohibits people from carrying any weapon that cannot be detected by metal detector or X-ray. The law has originally passed as a ten year provision but has been extended twice during the past 25yrs. (Republicanviews.org December 2013)
April 20, 1999 two male students who attended Columbine high in Littleton Colorado walked into school with semiautomatic rifles, pistols and some explosives and began shooting. There were a total of 15 death with 2 of them were the attackers. The officials that showed up to the school found two propane tank bombs that if detonated the death toll would have been higher. On this day 12 students and 1 teacher die that day which sparked a national debate about gun violence which also led to many of the school investing in private security and metal detectors. (Encyclopedia Britannica. (2013, September 3).
Almost 8 years later on April 16, 2007 a male student who attended Virginia Tech University in Blacksburg, Virginia. Equipped with a 9mm handgun and a 22 caliber handgun begins his rampage first killing a female student and a male resident assistant in the campus dorm. Then eventually barricading himself in the classroom building going from class to class shooting students and teachers before taking his own life. That day 32 students and teachers were gunned down. Two days later ABC news receive a package from the shooter with photos of him and the guns also a video on why he did it. (History.com This Day in History — 4/16/2007. (2007, April 16).
December 14, 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary in Newton Connecticut a 20 year old male whom mother worked at the school took his mother car to the school and began shooting two classroom full of children before taking his own life. That day 26 people were lost and 20 of them were children who will never get to live there life. (NewsTimes. (2012, December 14).
If gun control laws are stricken gun violence will decrease. People say that the shooters or murders have always been the way they are but that is hard to believe you are not born bad, there is something or someone that pushed you to that breaking point. But no one really know why some people act the way they do or why they just snap and start killing people but if the gun control laws were to be stricken then I do believe the gun violence will continue to decrease.

References
28 dead including 20 children, gunman in Newtown shooting - NewsTimes. (2012, December 14). Retrieved from http://www.newstimes.com/news/article/27-dead-including-20-children-gunman-in-Newtown-4118505.php#page-1
Bell, L. (2013, May 14). Disarming Realities: As Gun Sales Soar, Gun Crimes Plummet - Forbes. Retrieved from http://www.forbes.com/sites/larrybell/2013/05/14/disarming-realities-as-gun-sales-soar-gun-crimes-plummet/
Brady Law | ATF. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.atf.gov/content/firearms/firearms-industry/brady-law
Columbine High School shootings (massacre, Littleton, Colorado, United States) -- Encyclopedia Britannica. (2013, September 3). Retrieved from http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/1528263/Columbine-High-School-shootings
Congress lets assault weapons ban expire - politics | NBC News. (2004, September 13). Retrieved from http://www.nbcnews.com/id/5946127/ns/politics/t/congress-lets-assault-weapons-ban-expire/#.VH8RhDHF9Fx
Massacre at Virginia Tech leaves 32 dead — History.com This Day in History — 4/16/2007. (2007, April 16). Retrieved from http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/massacre-at-virginia-tech-leaves-32-dead
Republican Views on Gun Control | Republican Views. (2013, December 27). Retrieved from http://www.republicanviews.org/republican-views-on-gun-control/

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