Gun Control Research Paper

Gun Control in the United States Gun control in the United States has become a highly contested topic recently due to the mass shootings that have occurred. The Federal Bureau of Investigation defines mass murder as a murder in which four or more people are killed in one incident (Morton). Over the past decade the topic of gun control has been prevalent in new legislation because mass shootings seem more frequent. Statistics reveal that although mass shootings have not become more frequent over the years, they have become deadlier with higher death tolls than ever before. The firearms and ammunition that civilians are able to obtain since the expiration of the Assault Weapons Ban in 2004 have led to the increase in the death toll (Duwe).

“If you want to buy a gun in Japan you need patience and determination. You have to attend an all-day class, take a written exam and pass a shooting-range test with a mark of at least ninety five percent” (Low). Even after passing these exams, a citizen is required to renew their license every three years with the same process if they intend to keep their firearm. Japan not only requires the exams, but similar to other countries, Japan has an intense background check that includes criminal records, drug history, and mental health. The police in Japan take gun control very seriously, they inspect guns once a year and know where a citizen’s gun is stored in their home. In Japan, strict limitations exist that only allow certain types of firearms to be purchased and in order to purchase more ammunition a person must return the used, empty casing. The Japanese do not view gun ownership as a civil liberty, but instead as an earned privilege (Low). The gun control laws of Japan are intense and among the strictest of the world, but they have been proven to be effective in deterring gun violence and lowering homicide

In most recent years, legislation in the United States has done little to implement stricter gun control laws due to the gridlocks in Congress surrounding the divisive issue. The Assault Weapon Ban was created in 1994 and lasted until 2004, and during these years, it became illegal to produce certain automatic weapons and purchase high capacity cartridges. After the creation of this law, many weapon manufacturers began to find ways around the ban by modifying weapons so they did not fall into the category of banned firearms (Plumer). With the research that exists today it is hard to credit the ban with reducing gun violence, but statistically during this time period the number of people killed in mass shootings did go down and since the ban has expired the number of mass shootings per year has