Gun Control Pros and Cons Essay Example

ownership controlled. These statistics reflect an almost neutral view. In 1993, 34% of the population wanted the gun rights protected. On the other hand, 57% wanted gun ownership protected. These statistics show massive support for gun ownership. Some factors have been attributed to the change in perspectives of Americans on the issue of gun ownership. There are political, social, and political factors attributable to this change in trends. Social factors include changes in levels of crime, demography, and living standards for Americans. On the other hand, political influences include policies of the exercise of personal duty for all Americans according to the current State or Local governments. On the other hand, economic factors include changing the cost of life, unemployment rate, and cost of commodities (Ferro & Information Plus, 2001).

Graph comparing the number of citizens in support of gun control and those against it. Courtesy of Pew Research Centre
The cost to State and Federal governments has also been an influencing factor on the issue of gun control. Opponents of gun control argue that the move is a wasteful decision that has already cost the nation more than enough resources. According to past research, the cost of gun control in the USA is more than $13 million for the past five years. According to ProCon.org (2016), the government has spent this wholesome amount through projects such as the Brady Centre (2010), 2011 Coalition to Stop Gun Violence, NRA's 2013 budget, The Violence Policy Centre (2012), The Brady Campaign (2012), and The Sandy Hook Promise (2013). These projects spent these resources in creating awareness and campaigning for the move to control gun ownership.

Opponents of gun control argue

that controlling gun ownership is not a practical solution to crime and gun-related violence. Instead, this group argues that the police are mandated with the responsibility of reducing crime (Lott, 2013). The opponents of gun control also associate gun crimes with weak ownership policies, meaning that the current law does not ensure that only the qualified individuals get the authority to own a gun. Due to this weak and poorly coordinated gun authorization, more criminals continue to own more guns. According to these opponents, the solution to America's crime solely lies in the law enforcement and not to the policy implementers. Therefore, limiting gun ownership rights would not be a workable solution and, hence, there is no need to control gun ownership (Wuest, 2010).

Proponents of gun control majorly comprise human activists, non-governmental organizations, and religious groups. The proponents support a move by America's legal system to weaken gun ownership rights as interpreted by the country's policy enforcers. According to this group, the idea the creators of the Second Amendment had was not full ownership rights but rather controlled liberties. Regarding this, what America's forefathers agreed on the need for a government controlled by the Public as opposed to a dictatorial regime (DeConde, 2003). Hence, these early lawmakers were creating a country where the people had equal rights, and they held the responsibility of protecting the country and their property from both local and foreign enemies. Proponents of gun control argue that American law enforcers misinterpreted the gun ownership liberties to mean that all people had irreversible exclusive rights on the issue of gun ownership. Hence, the proponents argue that the American constitution protects criminal gun

owners. Hence, they propose increased control of gun ownership, seeing this as the definitive solutions to gun-related crimes in the USA (Kleck & Patterson, 2005).

Other proponents of gun control argue on the impact of the move in reducing risk to the society, particularly the households with guns. The Centre for Disease Control (CDC) conducted one such campaign where it promoted a change in gun ownership rights because they increased risk in the home. According to CDC's reported posted in the New England Journal of Medicine conclude that guns kept in the homesteads increased the risk of homicide by household members (Spitzer, 2015). According to these study findings, the households that had guns were more likely to have at least one member with a gun-related criminal record. Therefore, CDC's study supported a move to limit the guns held by citizens in a move to control indulgence in crime. CDC's findings and proposal attracted criticism from organizations such as The National Rifle Association (NRA), a civil-rights movement promoting and encouraging rifle shooting for scientific and sportsmanship basis (Ferro & Information Plus, 2001).

Legal calls to create gun control laws have in the past been instigated by rising crime rate or gun-related deaths. One of the most significant policy changes in the gun ownership laws is the 1968 Gun Control Act. President Lyndon B. Johnson signed this act into law following the former assassinations of President J.F Kennedy (1963), Malcolm X (1965), Robert F. Kennedy (1968), and Martin Luther King Jr (1968). The Gun Control Act (GCA) regulated interstate gun trade, with a goal of restricting future interstate trades that led to the movement of guns used in criminal

activity. Regarding this, GCA attempted to increase the ability of the State and Federal governments to increasing ability to monitor guns in the particular states(Lott, 2013).

Later laws on gun control include the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act of 1993. The Act required that gun buyers were to wait for up to five days to facilitate background checks. This law was seen as a positive means to limit the possibilities of gun violence. The assumption was derived from the fact that gun buyers with criminal intentions often had past criminal records. The law would also control impulsive homicide cases where the perpetrators bought a gun for revenge or suicide use. Regarding this, the Act aimed to control crimes that were facilitated by the ability to purchase a gun for immediate use.

Various laws have been implemented aimed at increasing the liberty of Americans to exercise the right to own a gun for personal use. A major influence on the current laws on gun ownership rights is the 1986 Firearms Owners Protection Act (FOPA). FOPA lifted some of the restrictions placed on gun traders in earlier Clauses. Specifically, FOPA allowed gun holders to use their licences and trade freely (DeConde, 2003). FOPA also limited the number of inspections on Gun selling institutions such as inspection by The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (Hudgens, 2016). FOPA also prevented the government from keeping a database of gun dealer records, and ammunition sales. Later in 2005, President George W. Bush enacted the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act and Child Safety Lock Act that was aimed at protecting the gun manufacturers from being sued by family members or victims

of gun-related violence (Spitzer, 2015).

Conclusion

The issue of gun control has stirred various debates between proponents and opponents of the issue. Proponents of gun control have provided their justification for their support of a move to limit gun ownership as a means of reducing guns in the possession of the general public. On the other hand, opponents of gun control campaign for more freedoms on gun ownership whereby Americans will be allowed to exercise their full rights as provided by the second amendment. This group dismisses that there is a link between gun ownership rights and crime, stating that crime is a result of incompetence by law enforcers.

References

1. DeConde, A. (2003). Gun violence in America: The struggle for control. Boston, Mass: Northeastern Univ. Press.
2. Ferro, J., & Information Plus (2001). Gun control: Restricting rights or protecting people?. Wylie, TX: Information Plus.
3. Hudgens, R. (2016). RULES AND REGULATIONS OF SAFETY FIRE COMMISSIONER CHAPTER. Office of Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner. Retrieved 10 June 2016, from https://www.oci.ga.gov/Externalresources/Documents/FireMarshal%20-%20Rules%20and%20Regulations/120-3-3%20State%20Minimum%20Fire%20Safety%20Standards%20-%20prior%20to%2009-10-2003.pdf
4. Kleck, G. & Patterson, E. (1993). The impact of gun control and gun ownership levels on violence rates. Journal Of Quantitative Criminology, 9(3), 249-287. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/bf01064462
5. Ludwig, J. & Lott, J. (1999). More Guns, Less Crime: Understanding Crime and Gun Control Laws. Contemporary Sociology, 28(4), 466. http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/2655341
6. Pew Research Center | Nonpartisan, non-advocacy public opinion polling and demographic research. (2016). Pewresearch.org. Retrieved 9 June 2016, from http://www.pewresearch.org/
7. ProCon.Org (2016). Background of the Issue; “Should More Gun Control Laws be Enacted?”. Retrieved from; http://gun-control.procon.org/view.resource.php?resourceID=006436
8. Spitzer, R. J. (2015). Politics of gun control. Routledge.
9. Wuest, M. E. (2010). The great American gun control debate (not!). Bloomington, IN: Authorhouse.