Gun Control In The United States

By Author: Anthony W Bills
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Gun Control in the United States
Introduction
The issue of gun and gun control is one of the hottest controversial debates in the United States. This has raised a lot of controversies and mixed arguments not only in the house of representation and the legislation, but it has also been a dilemmatic agenda to the American citizens as whole. This issues has been on focuses since 1934 when the federal enacted statute regarding controlling of firearms in the civilian citizens. The national firearm act of the 1934 and the gun control act of 1968 form the most vital statutes on gun management and gun control. On such heated debates, it is revealed from both sides that much work has to done to curb the issues of crime and to create a peaceful environment for the citizens. The whole debate issue is all about peace and security, as can depicted both from the formal government argument on the law enactment and amendment to the informal one conducted at the grassroots on the residential areas by the citizen. (Hogan, 1999)
For many years, the debate has dwelled on the restriction of the availing firearm to the public. ...
... This matter has raised many questions like those involving the required restrictions and by the constitutions, the connection about the crime control and gun control as well as the rates at which the gun control have on vices such as homicides, robbery and assaults. More perplexing questions which are pondered upon on the debate is the cases of whether such restrictions would bring to halt the violence on public figures, deranged individuals and terrors attackers. Besides the above considerations, there are even much more compelling issues which emanates right from our home dwelling through the street corners to the institutions in which our children are enrolled to gains knowledge. The numerous questions which are raised are thus screened to be of posing weight that can usually be transverses from one point to the other. But to the critical thinking on the making of the right choice about the matter only and entirely lies on the issues of security to the public and the self-defense. (Moore, 1994)
In many states and countries, security of the citizens is highly of great concern. This takes the government’s efforts to beep their forces every time with individuals qualified for the provision of security to the executives in the government as well as the public. However, there is no total adequate security in all states on the globe. This is evidenced by the fact that numerous lethal happenings are often witnessed in all part of the globe. Both armed and unarmed person fall victims of incidents related to security. This implies that the provision of security to people is much complicated issues with just certain a few cases proving only effective. What the leaders and government tries to invent are just preventive measures. This is quite correct as the adage says “prevention is better that cure”. Therefore, most states do take the full responsibility of dealing with issues of insecurity bearing in mind that total security is hard to provide and hence denial to weapons to the citizens acts as measure of minimizing the chance of insecurity. Certain enough, unarmed individuals can be easily managed in times of insecurity and therefore self -defense is allowed. However, in time of attacks, persons never remain cool to die the innocent death without taking action. This is where there is the self-defense work applies. Whether legal or illegal, many people always defend themselves from enemies’ attacks. The determinations of the legal and illegal self-defense methods are determined by the law. The laws setting are dependable on situation and therefore the legality and illegality are claims that can be affected in the constitutions. But the most important to all citizens from the government is the provision of the right and effective means of self- defense to its citizens. (Kates, 1984)

Statement
Guns and firearm crimes in the United States have been found to vary with the kind of law enactments and enforcement. The issues of gun control are therefore a need to be legislated in the rightful way and then be implemented by the authorities concerned with security issues in the states. As firearms and guns are weapons of high risk, loose law enactment and implementations put the lives of many citizens at risk. Although many people are opposed to the gun and firearms control strategies, I believe there is numerous reasons which support such an action. However, it is important to identify the correlation that exits between the gun- firearm laws and their effectiveness towards the efforts of preventing the various violence acts like the violent crimes, suicides and the accidental injuries. (Nisbet, 1990)
The pervious statistical data of research on gun and firearms in the United States have shown a declining trend for the last three decade. This means there has some improvement on the usage of gun and firearms intentionally of non-intentionally by the citizens. The ranking in figure of the causes of injury in the states has placed the injury levels of gun and firearms as second in the states. So, the decline improvement does not significantly mean that the gun incidents are at minimal and appreciable level of secure environment. For instances, the recent millennium data showed that a total of twenty eight plus lives were lost under various kinds of violence. It was determine that 57.9% of these were in connection to suicides, 37.7% were homicides while 2.7% were related to unintentional violence. The rest comprising of 1.7% was attached to the legal interventions with a few cases being undefined. Due to the above consequence and results of the firearms and gun usage, there is still highly quest for a peaceful living with fewer dangers of such weapons. The focus of this writing research in thus aimed at reviewing the major reasons which supports the gun control acts in the process of providing peaceful and less risky ground for the citizens. (Hogan, 1999)

Reasons for gun control
Americans have the right to bear weapons. This is a feature which has been there since the American civilization. Such a right though constitutionally described, many Americans are hopeful that the right to civilian citizens to carry or posses any military weapon is dangerous and harmful. The opponents of the similar reasoning are basically founded in the constitution. The strong basis of the gun and firearms possession by the Americans emanated from the time when the Americans made the second amendment of the constitution. While the previous constitutional laws prohibited the citizens from the rights to possess arms, the police department acted as the only legal body to preservation of the safety of the community. During this early period when the security issues were vested on the police force, fewer horrendous results were realized as related to firearms and gun as well as the overall crime violent. (Moore, 1994)
With second amendment of the constitution, there was an introduction of statements which acted and still acts as the major barrier to gun control. The statement reads that a well regulated militia being necessary to the security of Free State, the right of the people to keep and bear arms should not be infringed. The introduction of the statute and its implementation in the U.S is now viewed as the main source of all the calamities touching violent crimes in the states. This calls for stringent action to reducing spurring and scaring result of crimes. The gun control is then a mandatory focus that might change the crime connected to guns and firearms. The gun control task which focuses on the following reasons might see the crime committed greatly reduced. (Kates, 1984)

Safety for juvenile
The current position of the constitution does not restrict the youth and young individuals from the possession of handguns. This put the usage of firearms a free tool that can be misused by the innocent immature individuals. The transient mind of the young teens in the school level who are not aware of the operation of the machines that they possesses. Due to ignorance of the children on the risks abound on these harms weapons; many children have fallen victims of gun wounds. Some of them have caused injuries to themselves while others cause havoc on others. Crime and death statistical data usually used in various places shows that the homicide crimes committed yearly with handguns by students at the teen’s age do escalate each year when restrictions of guns are lees implemented. For instance, there was an increase up to 173% in the years between 1985 and 1983. (Gertz, 995)
Safety in school
Handguns are risky weapons like any other weapons used in the militia groups. Adolescents and teens are curious of testing and imitating whatever they do not know and what they believe can give them fame. When guns are used inappropriately in any position, a tragedy is often created leading to horror in those people around the scene. Gun possession in schools is reported as one of the most serious cause of fear for most students. In the current times, it is said that the youth violence in school comprises of 13% violent crime and 8% are murder cases. Another estimate establishes that those student gunplays are contributing greatly to violence acts. From the recent studies, this is estimated to range between 20 to 30 deaths in each school per annum. This tragedy happening affects the concentration of the students in classroom; and this results to poor performance of the students. The national education association reported in 1993 that hundred thousand students carry gun with them to school. This statistics implies that higher chances of committing off-scene were likely to occur. (Kates, 1984)
Safety at home
As the numbers of student in possession of handguns hikes, similarly, there are corresponding figures or even higher in the homes. It is approximated that more than 250 million civilian people are in possession of handguns, rifles and shotguns. One commonest weapon of these is the handgun whose main purpose was for self-defense. The years of 1960s and 1970s in the United States are eras which marked both periods of crimes increase and weapon acquisitions. Although the main reason of the purchase of the weapons by individuals was for personal and home defense, it turned out that the purpose of was quickly deviated and the weapons were widely misused. In the same sense of weapons possession at the recent times, there are enormous violations of the statutes governing the use of handgun and other weapons allowed for personal and home defense. Within the American families, three out of four school going children murder victim of children aged under 12 years forms 90 % of the young murder cases. Victims of those children affected are between 12 -17 forming 70% of the total youth killings. This percentage is said to be killed by adults and not their counter parts juveniles. It is quite vivid that most young people are vulnerable to their adults’ assault and victimization. This means that banning of guns from the civilian people as measure of gun control step would helps in mitigating the safety of youths at home. (Moore, 1994)
Medical costs
The major issue which can be reasonable factors about the gun control is the consequences associated with the medical costs. More than 150,000 persons are attended in hospital for treatment for gun-related issues. Eighty thousand of these figures are admitted to the in-patient treatments. While healthy care is vital to every citizens in the United States, they gun medical costs are alarming. Such cost accumulation amounts ranges between 1.4 billions dollars to 4 billion as direct cost. Furthermore, the indirect costs are either triplicates or quadruplicate of the direct costs. This results in form of earning as assurance cover, permanent disability compensations and other related costs. This affects the lives of both the tax payers and the victims as well as the economic status of the states. (Morrisey, 1992)
Conclusion
Gun control has been a controversial issue for many years in United States. The major controversies have risen due to individuals’ safety as the government has in many ways been unable to provide full protection of civilian citizen at different avenues. While the majority of gun possessions are possessed for the personal defense and home guard, the abiding to the rules and regulations to gun control protocols have been often violated by those in legal possession of the weapons. Due to the perils associated with weapon possession especially when it is in the wrong hands, it becomes vital to have gun control measures in place. (Kleck, 1997)
There are numerous reasons which are viable for imposing gun control measures. Some of these are directly connected to the utilization of guns in intentionally and non-intentional situations. One of the major and critical reason which can be depicted from the previous statistical data reports and research is that, children at various stages of growth are exposed to high risk of gun when there little control over the gun possession and usage. Generally, the gun control measures would largely act to protect not only the children and insane individuals, but it will be away of protecting the possessors as criminals have higher tendencies and opportunities for stealing the weapons from them and using them illicitly on other crime scenes. (Hogan, 1999)

Reference:
Kleck, G. (1997): Firearms and their control: Aldine de Gruyter
Moore, C. (1994): Gun control in crime: Institute for contemporary studies
Kates, D. (1984): Handgun banning in the light of the prohibition experience in firearms and violence: Pacific research institute
Nisbet, L. (1990): The Gun Control Debate:
Morrisey, M. (1992): Firearms, Firearms Injury, and Gun Control: Health Service Research Institute
Hogan, M. (1999): National case-control study of homicide offending and gun ownership: Vol. 46, pp. 180-275
Gertz, M. (1995): Armed resistance to crime: Vol. 86 pp. 145-190.

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