Gun Control Ideology

A simple summary of these two competing ideologies is as follows. On the left end of the spectrum are liberal-minded individuals who believe that guns are dangerous and create more problems than they solve. They often argue for strict gun control (and in extreme, far-left cases, an outright abolishment of firearms) and believe the Second Amendment to be outdated. On the right end of the spectrum are the conservative ideologists who believe in a strict interpretation of the Constitution - and therefore a faithful adherence to the Second Amendment - and want to protect, with as little restriction as possible, an individual’s right to bear arms. Conservative ideology also generally believes that guns are a means of protection, not violence, and

James Brady, the White House Press Secretary at the time, was shot in the head and paralyzed, and the Brady Bill was named in his honor. At its inception, the Brady Bill was rooted in the political world, inspired by an executive branch employee (Brady) and a Republican president (Reagan). The bill was first introduced under the Reagan administration, but was ultimately signed into law by his Democratic successor, Bill Clinton.

Politics is, simply stated, the application of ideology. The word “Republican” is often interchangeable with “conservative,” as “Democrat” is to “liberal.” And the gun control debate, as it is with the ideologies, is split down party lines as well. To create meaningful legislation in Congress, both parties need to compromise, and this is complicated by two key elements. One is the will of each politician’s constituents (but, maybe more accurately, the re-election prospects of each politician). The second is the influence of special interest groups and lobbyists, and none is larger or more influential than the National Rifle Association (NRA). The NRA has an estimated $250 million dollar budget each year (Wintemute, 2002). The NRA has a substantial budget, allowing them to influence members of Congress on gun policy by supporting

It is estimated that billions of dollars are earned every year in the gun business through firearms, revolvers shotguns that are manufactured each year and the millions of jobs that the industry creates each year is very beneficial for the economy. What most people do not see, however, is the negative economic impact of guns and gun violence and what little has been done since the Brady Bill to change any of the circumstances. Webster et. al. (2002), state that:

There are enormous economic cost associated with gun violence in the United States. Firearm-related deaths and injuries resulted in medial and lost productivity expenses of about $32 billion in 2005, but the overall cost of gun violence goes well beyond these figures. (p.