...Gun control in America Some gun control laws should stay the same because gun related deaths have dropped, it is our Second Amendment right, but some state laws should change to keep guns out of schools. Barrett (2013) discusses that gun violence is declining in the U.S. Figures from the United States Bureau of Justice and that gun related deaths have dropped 39% since 1993 (Truman, P.H.D & Planty, Ph.D., 2013). The author also states that handguns are mostly responsible gun related deaths and injuries, which raises questions on the emphasis of assault weapons of some gun control supporters. According to Barrett (2013), he states the government says nonfatal gun crime has dropped in the last twenty years by 69%. It is good that the rates have dropped that much. Singh (1998) focuses on an essay written by Jeremy Putley in January 1997, which criticized the American system of government and the assumed deficiencies of its constitution, highlighting gun control in the United States. The topics include the amount of Americans who have died from gun-related deaths yearly during the 1990s, identification of the two gun control measures which were padded by the Democratic 103rd United States Congress, and explanation of the gun crisis in the United States. The United States Bill of Rights (Madison) states, “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.” The Bill of Rights is...
Words: 1857 - Pages: 8
...“Despite tough gun laws, the city is plagued by shootings and illegal firearms.”-Ali Elkin As you may know Chicago has had a lot of gun related deaths this year, which includes gang related, self defense, cop killings or just random shootings. Yes Chicago does have strict gun laws but can you use this to make a case for gun control? Just by looking at Chicago’s tough gun laws and its high rates of gun violence I don’t think you need proof that the problem can’t be legislated away.New Jersey governor Chris Christie offered a similar argument with gun control .Christie stated that “In many of the places around the country where they have the toughest gun laws, they have the highest violent crime rates.And we focus on a tragedy like this.It’s...
Words: 569 - Pages: 3
...In the article “Are Mass Shooting Preventable? These Countries Have Tried” the authors Euan McKirdy and Paul Armstrong report that after experienced mass shootings, other countries have changed their gun laws to prevent mass shootings in the future. And the gun-related death rates drop significantly. After the Oregon mass shooting, U.S. President Barack Obama asked for gun law changes. Obama said that it’s not enough to just pray for the victims, it does not help us changing anything. We need to actually do something to make the society safer. The authors point out that in the United Kingdom, Finland, Norway and Australia, they all changed their gun laws after the massacre. For example, in 1996 the Australia Prime Minister John Howard, changed...
Words: 278 - Pages: 2
...Gun control is a controversial issue that continues to spark heated debates and calls for action. With over 48,800 firearm-related deaths reported in the United States in 2021, the need for effective measures to curb gun violence is more pressing than ever. This essay examines the escalating demand for increased gun control, exploring the complicated aspects of the debate and the importance of stricter regulations. The call for enhanced gun control gained momentum as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported a significant increase in the rate of gun deaths between 2016 and 2020, with a 15 percent rise in 2020 alone. Democratic lawmakers staged a sit-in on the House floor, recommending the reintroduction of bills on gun control,...
Words: 1134 - Pages: 5
...According to USA Today, in 1996 a mass shooting happened in Dunblane Primary School. And in 1999 a mass shooting happened in Columbine High School. Since 1996 there has not been another mass shooting in the UK, but there have been over 160 since 1999, according to USA Today. Some people think the U.S. should adopt the UK’s gun laws to decrease the amount of mass shootings, while others think revising the laws will not change anything. The U.S needs to adopt gun laws similar to the UK in order to stop mass shootings from happening. According to Business Insider, every state in the US is not the same when it comes to guns. Some states like Rhode Island and California have waiting periods to purchase guns. Some states like Nevada and Virginia have less regulation and purchasing a gun is a very speedy process. In most states in the US two background checks are conducted, state and federal. Since, Los Vegas shooter Stephen Paddock did not have a criminal record he was able to pass every background check, which allowed him to purchase 33 firearms, 13 of which were semi-automatic, and carry out the deadliest mass shooting in USA history. According to CBS News the minimum age you must be to purchase a semi-automatic...
Words: 1139 - Pages: 5
...Between October 1997 and may 1999 there were seven mass shooting in schools. Perhaps the most infamous of the seven occurred in Littleton, CO performed by Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold. They killed 13 individuals and wounded 24 at Columbine High School. (Kleck, Mass Shootings in Schools, The worst Possible Case for Gun Control) Some gun related patterns that are found because of these seven shootings are, 5 out of the 7 mass shootings had multiple guns. Because they had multiple guns they did not need guns with a large capacity of magazines to shoot many victims. Killers take their time; they deliberately fire at individual victims over a long period of time. Second, Theft is primarily how killers acquire their guns. Of these seven shootings,...
Words: 288 - Pages: 2
...Throughout the history of the United States, the issue on gun control has been an intense debate. Adam Lankford, a University of Alabama criminologist, conducted a survey in 2007 which unearthed an astonishing “ownership rate of 88.8 firearms per 100 people”. With over 3/4 of the United States population owning guns, most would think that the owners would treat their weapons with respect; however, the national average of gun-related deaths in 2009 was 10.2 deaths per 100,000 people (“Gun Control Issues, Public Health, and Safety”). Seeming like a small number to most, if the numbers are calculated using the countries prior population in 2009 of 308 million people, there would be about 31,416 deaths each year. Slowly swelling over the years,...
Words: 1094 - Pages: 5
...Gun control has been an ongoing issue in the United States for the past few years due to the increase of gun related deaths such as school and mass shootings. There have been debates on whether to eradicate firearms from Americans. These ideas were addressed by the United States government and gun control advocates who are for stricter gun control. On the other hand, people who oppose the policy feel that their 2nd amendment rights will be violated just because they are reoccurring school and mass shooting that are being committed by what are perceived as mentally unstable individuals. This essay will examine the perspectives of both sides son gun control and the mental state of the suspects of the attacks. First the perspective of gun control...
Words: 1096 - Pages: 5
...We all have heard the stories of gun violence. The Tucson, Arizona supermarket shooting, the Sandy Hook shooting, and the Colorado Movie Shooting. But are these the fault of not enough gun control? No, they are not. People believe that stricter gun control laws will stop shootings like these, but they will not. Gun control laws will limit our freedoms as Americans, access our private information, and the laws won’t work. Wayne LaPierre, an NRA top executive, puts it best: “The only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun, is a good guy with a gun.” The police may not always be there in enough time to stop a mass shooter, but a trained citizen can stop any shooter. Background checks do not work to stop bad people getting a gun, because they...
Words: 937 - Pages: 4
...Of the 2,596,993 total deaths in the US in 2013, 1.3% were related to firearms. Many children have injured themselves or others with a gun. The United States has 88.8 guns per 100 people, or about 270,000,000 guns. This is the highest total per capita number in the world. 22% of Americans own one or more guns, 35% of whom are men and 12% are women. Some believe that there should be stronger gun control while others believe that it’s their right to bear arms under the second amendment of the US Constitution. To bring gun violence under control there should be stronger gun regulations to limit access and possession of guns by ordinary Americans. Stronger gun control will remove guns from the hands of people with mental...
Words: 678 - Pages: 3
...Gun Control Gun Control in the United States is a topic that many people are discussing on the news or in private. The mass shootings at the Aurora movie theater that claimed the lives of 12 and injured 59-plus the recent mass shooting at the elementary school in Newton, Connecticut that claimed the life’s of 20 children and six adults. These shootings have stirred up the old debate about gun control and what the second amendment is and what it means to people. Politicians, including President Obama have claimed to create new laws that will reduce the gun violence in this country. Laws that include an assault weapons ban, background checks, in an attempt to keep guns out of the hands of people who may hurt someone or themselves. The opposition has claimed that some of these laws will violate their second amendment right to bear arms and are fighting against any new gun control measures. There are good potential outcomes of gun control and outcomes that might have a negative impact on citizens. A form of gun control that was law but failed to pass again is the ban on assault rifles. The ban on assault rifles will take those types of guns out of people who might do others harm. Most of the mass shooting that happened in 2012 didn’t involve assault rifles like the AR-15 but hand-guns. Along with the ban on assault rifles there will be tougher laws that will allow faster tracking of weapons. The new background checks and the electronic data of all sales of weapons and ammunition...
Words: 1992 - Pages: 8
...Gun Control Lead to safer environment and vital Economy Weiwei Zhu Xuedan Lu Overview United States has a long history of gun culture. Stemmed from its colonial history, America experienced revolutionary roots and frontier expansion. The Second Amendment states: "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." So far, America has the largest total number of guns in the world-- about 270,000,000 guns in the nation, and the highest per capita number -- 88.8 guns per 100 people, in the world. Statistics shows that 22% of Americans own one or more guns (35% of men and 12% of women). Gun control is regulation restricting or limiting the sale and...
Words: 1569 - Pages: 7
...Gun Control Matthew EN-1420 April 15, 2015 What an amazing country “land of the free and the brave” known as the United States of America. It is a known fact that people from all around the globe immigrate here for the opportunity and the freedom. This very freedom that makes so many want to be here should not be impinged on. There are some good regulations and laws in place to keep citizens safe, however, the U.S. should not be banning anymore gun types! Let us explore. Our freedoms are detailed in the constitution of amendments. The second amendment states, “the people have the right to keep and bear arms and these rights should not be infringed on” (Cornell University Law School, 2015). The law does allow room for some regulation, hence the U.S has banned machine guns or fully automatic weapons from civilians. Further regulation as in banning rifles and handguns would be a breaking our constitutional rights. The law school at Cornell University states, “The second amendment has most recently been interpreted to grant the right of gun ownership to individuals for purposes that include self-defense” (Cornell University Law School, 2015). The Supreme Court has also ruled in this favor. In a case in 2008 (D.C vs Heller) and in 2010 (McDonald vs Chicago) the Supreme Court firmly established the 2nd amendment is an individual right (Smith, 2014). The legal carry of guns has reduced crime and in some states has reduced the murder rate drastically. Most of us would agree...
Words: 1239 - Pages: 5
...Stricter Gun Control In The United States The Second Amendment permits Americans the right to bear arms. An estimated third of Americans own firearm or someone in their household owns a gun. Incidents involving the possession and ownership of firearms have resulted in heated debates in American society. Gun control is the most prominent issue. Stricter firearm regulation is crucial in order to lower violence in America. However, I understand that it would be an infringement on our second amendment rights of the people to absolutely abolish gun use for residents of the United States. The consequence and degree of a gun control regulation would have strong political implications because it would politically change the the Second Amendment....
Words: 987 - Pages: 4
...As I sat down to do some research on gun violence, I was searching the Fox News website for information on shootings and suddenly “Breaking News” popped up on my screen, that read “Active shooter at Ohio University”. It seems like mass shootings are becoming more common these days. I can't help but wonder what we can do about it. It turns out that the “shooter” actually used a car and knife to attack people, not a gun like the media stated at first. And do you know what stopped the attacker from killing innocent people? A gun. Guns aren’t the problem, mental health issues and the strict guns laws are a huge part of the problem. Guns can be a tool for safety and if more good guys had guns, we wouldn't have as many mass shootings, banning...
Words: 2153 - Pages: 9
