In regards to Australian gun control laws in 1996, Senator David Leyonhjelm stated, “The criminals still have guns. There’s a very vigorous black market for guns, so it’s not made the slightest bit of difference” (Leyonhjelm par.2). He commented on this issue when the U.S. wanted to follow their similar way of gun control. Since school shootings and massive shootings have been more frequent, gun control has been a serious issue to be discussed. With the proposed restrictions, it would infringe on citizens right of self-defense and sense of safety, it will not prevent all shootings, and background checks on citizens purchasing guns may not show anything out of the ordinary. Self-defense is a major part of human instinct. With the proposed gun control restrictions, it will begin to infringe on citizens right of self-defense. According to Nelson Lund, a professor at George Mason University School of Law, “The right to self-defense …show more content…
“Senator Harry Reid’s 2013 proposed background check legislation would have allowed the government to keep databases of gun purchases indefinitely, creating a ‘worry that you’re going to see searches of the databases and an expansion for purposes that were intended when the information was collected” (American Civil Liberties). The quote describes how that once the information of gun purchases is gathered, it is worrisome that the government will look for other information they weren’t looking for in the first place. If this was enforced, Americans would have no privacy; many would be outraged with the new law. While advocates of the background checks will bring up that “California already has taken several steps beyond minimum gun-control requirements set by federal law. For one, it requires more buyers to go through a background check before purchasing a firearm” (Dan Gross, CNN). However, some gun purchases do not go through licensed dealers, bypassing that important
The issue of Gun Control has been on the minds of humans for hundreds of years. How do we protect ourselves and our loved ones? How do we keep such a dangerous weapon out of the hands of the wrong person? Inside the Second Amendment we are granted the right to Bear Arms. Having that amendment gives each person the ability to carry a weapon if they choose, so how can we control who should or shouldn’t carry?
Gun control has remained a debated issue in the United States of America for several years. Every time a horrible event involving gun violence happens, the debate about gun control starts up again. In the article, "Refuting Anti-Gun Control Arguments", John Sager tries to prove that anti-gun control activists seem blinded by untruthful information. The arguments set forth by anti-gun control citizens holds more truth to how humans behave with gun usage than the arguments set forth by gun control supporters. Stricter laws and licensing of guns will not successfully save the lives of American citizens who have a constitutional right to own guns.
In the U.S. more than 30,000 people are killed by firearms each year, you can say that we need stricter gun laws. Who should we blame for all of the shootings in America? We should blame the people who pull the trigger, the people who sell the guns, and our government. Gun control is one of the biggest debates because everyone has their own strong opinions. If the U.S. had better gun control laws, then there wouldn't be any gun violence issues.
Gun violence has been a great desolation to our society, dating back to the 1300’s when the first use of a fire arm was recorded. The establishment of guns from the early to modern stages has had significant changes in our society. As Kristof mentioned in the article, “too many schools and colleges devastated by shootings, watch too many students get an education in grief.” His efforts are to persuade gun privileges to be more stringent. On behalf of Kristof’s outlook on the situation I support his view. In order to carry out this cause guns should require gun insurance, ban guns for domestic violence offenders and limit guns per
“Gun control advocates might think that the world would be a better place if those people and the ones you’re about to read about were dead and the people menacing them had gotten away with their crimes” (Hawkins). John Hawkins ridiculously states that gun control advocates have no sympathy and care for people innocently killed by murderers. This contradicts what many people believe when many truly think that the innocents and the victims should have remorse. John Hawkins strongly asserts his conviction on that gun saves lives in his article “10 stories that prove guns save lives,” which presents a background on political issues regarding the second amendment and provides ten anecdotal stories supporting his statement that gun saves lives.
Gun control has been a topic of conversation for a long time. With that comes the issue of gun violence that has taken over America, from concerts and movie theaters to schools and churches, mass shooting have taken many lives. Data has shown that 19 children are hospitalized every day from a gun related injury and 1,300 children are killed each year from gun injuries. And there are many people who are opposite sides of the firearm issue. Some people believe that it is their constitutional right to be able to own as many guns as they want while the opposite side of the spectrum believes that the second amendment should be erased from the constitution and make guns illegal. However, many people on both sides agree that kids need to be taught gun safety.
Currently, each store must conduct a background check that consists of asking of prior convictions and commitments to mental institutions from the potential buyer. If in the case that the buyer is deemed fit for purchase, they can likely walk out of the store with a gun, including a high-powered automatic rifle, the same day. However, if their application is flagged a more extensive background check is conducted, rightfully so. Nonetheless, rejections only occur in less than 1% of gun applications and more often than not uninformed and untrained citizens become gun owners if they apply (LePore 4). Even members of the “No Fly List,” a list for potential domestic terrorists, who aren’t allowed to board American flights, are often allowed to obtain a gun license without much thorough investigation to their background as long as they haven’t been labeled mentally disabled. Such is the case with the Orlando’s gay nightclub shooter last year, Omar Mateen. Mateen, was a suspected terrorist, who although was on the “No Fly List,” was still allowed to obtain a highly powered automatic weapon just days before his unprovoked massacre. By applying a more thorough required background process, gun stores face much less risk of selling to a potentially unstable person with ulterior motives than
In the argumentative article “Federal gun control laws could reduce deaths up to 90 percent, study says”, Jason Thomson, staff at Christian Science Monitor, argues that implementing gun control laws could cut gun-related deaths by nearly 90%. He develops the claim by first stating his claim and a vague description of the research he is referencing, Then, he goes into detail about the study supporting his claim and how they came to their conclusion. Then, towards the end of the article, he presents a counterclaim, stating that gun control could never cut America’s massacre rates by this much because of other factors which were not measured. The author’s purpose is to present evidence from a recent, credible study in order to reason that gun
Many of the current laws seem to be designed to take guns of out the hands of responsible gun owners, but do nothing to address the non law-abiding citizens. Both sides of the gun control argument need to work together to protect second amendment rights while protecting citizens of the country from needless gun violence. Teddy Roosevelt famously on the importance of gun control that “The great body of our citizens shoot less as times goes on. We should encourage rifle practice among schoolboys, and indeed among all classes, as well as in the military services by every means in our power. Thus, and not otherwise, may we be able to assist in preserving peace in the world” (Roosevelt 5). The United States have seen a trend of gun violence reductions
Today in the United States, one of the most hotly-debated political issues is gun control. On one side of the debate lies those who staunchly support the United States Constitution’s Second Amendment and fewer laws surrounding gun control. The other side bears those who support more restrictions in an effort to reduce gun violence even with the Second Amendment in place. Tragedies are committed in the United States with guns everyday. In 2014, nearly seventy percent of the 14,249 murders were committed with some sort of firearm (Criminal Justice Information Services Division). If more restrictions were implemented on firearms, the number of deaths could be lowered easily. More restrictions should be put on guns, including implementing universal
The issue of gun control as a political and social matter represents one of the most contentious divisions in the country today. Recent highly publicized shootings have brought the debate to the forefront of the public conscience. With over 300 million privately owned guns and 30,000 deaths involving firearms reported per year, both sides of the debate are firmly invested in upholding their cause (Rogers, 2012). The emotional nature of the issue is a lightning rod in political campaigns and the complexities of the issue have confounded law enforcement. Both gun rights and gun control lobbies have struggled to find any compromise that balances the rights of citizens with the need to end violence. The existing and proposed gun control in
The issue of gun control has been around since 1837 when the state of Georgia attempted to ban handguns but was deemed as unconstitutional by the Supreme Court (Longley par 38). Gun control is a political issue that has been carried with the United States throughout decades and is currently still a very heated topic that everyone has their own beliefs on. This issue distinctly divides United States citizens into two different categories, which are individuals that support gun control and then others that believe it is unconstitutional. Recently John Paul Stevens, an American Lawyer and Judge, argues that he has never seen such strong protesting, in favor of gun control, and that the second amendment must be repealed (Stevens par 1-3). When looking at Stevens’s argument he does present crucial
In the third Bush-Kerry debate, taken place in 2004, George W. Bush stated, “I believe law abiding citizens ought to be able to own a gun. I believe in background checks. The best way to protect our citizens from guns is to prosecute those who commit crimes with guns.” Simply put, people who follow the guns laws do not deserve to have these rights banned (www.OnTheIssues.org). Gun control is the act of trying to limit what type of gun is to be sold and who guns should be sold to. This debate of whether to have strict or open gun laws has been around since the start of the country. The Second Amendment is meant to protect the American citizen’s right to guns; although people today still argue over the definition. As a result in the decline
“The second amendment of The United States Bill of Rights is my concealed weapons permit, period.”- Ted Nugent. Saving lives one by one starts with limiting the purchase, sale, and use of guns in America. According to Alexander Lee, the political and social debate over the question of how much gun control is appropriate and it has been regularly discussed within the last decade. Shootings such as Sandy Hook, and Tucson shootings have raised the government’s awareness on guns and possible restrictions and regulations. Gun talks are discussed with the question, “Will controlling guns cut back on violent crime rates?” Although many guns are open to be sold to the public over 18, there are traditional gun laws that limit who can own them. These laws include sell restrictions to the mentally disabled, the age in which you can obtain a gun, background checks, and dishonorably discharged military personnel. Gun control laws could have a positive effect in America by reducing homicide rates, but at the same time, citizens still have the right to bear arms under the second amendment under the U.S constitution. Gun control laws do not mean the absolute confiscation of guns, but rather reduce the amount of power a gun and the amount of ammo that a gun can hold.
The first of these new proposals is the requirement of universal background checks for anyone who wants to purchase a firearm. This will hopefully close some loopholes in the National Instant Criminal Background Check System and prevent criminals and people with a history of mental illness from obtaining firearms (Remarks). As the background check system stands now, people who buy guns from gun shows and other unlicensed sellers do not have to complete a background check (Stopping). For the Columbine massacre on April 20th, 1999, the killers purchased their guns at a gun show from an unlicensed seller, so no background check was performed. On April 16th, 2007 was the shooting at Virginia Tech and this shooter obtained a gun from a licensed gun dealer which he should have been prohibited from buying. He was able to purchase this weapon because his records were never reported to the FBI’s gun background check system. Again in Tucson on January 8th, 2001, a killer acted with guns he should have been prohibited from buying because his records also were not in the database. These considerable loopholes in our current