Roadmap: The Issue Of Gun Control

Roadmap The issue of gun control has been controversial for years and it is far from being resolved. This paper’s intent is not to pick and choose a side but to explore the different opinions and to look at past court cases and current legislation on gun control to gain a wider perspective on the issue. Some believe that firearm regulation is a safety net and thereby prevents crime from occurring. Others argue that those who are planning to commit a crime are not opposed to finding illegal methods of obtaining firearms while the ordinary citizen will not go to those drastic lengths and therefore are more vulnerable due to the ‘roadblocks’ those regulations can become. Finally, this research paper will look at past court cases and current President

While most people agree that the rate of violence must be curbed, there is much debate, some of it extremely heated as to how that can be accomplished if at all. Detroit is a strong argument against the use of restrictions and regulation against firearms but it has been refuted by pro-regulation believers as well. In a recent speech to the International Association of Chiefs of Police on October 27th 2015, President Barack Obama refuted the argument that restrictions exacerbate crime rates by leaving the ordinary citizen vulnerable by saying that “60 percent of the guns recovered in crimes (from Chicago) come from out of state”. Along with this claim, President Barack Obama insinuated that Indiana was partly to blame for these high crime rates because “you’ve just got to cross the border”. In response to the President’s argument that Detroit’s crime rates have less to do with high regulation but more to do with state borders that allow for the passage of firearms, Indiana State Senator Jim Tomes replied, “it doesn't matter where the guns come from. It’s a societal problem, I don't know what in the world Indiana could possibly have to do with their inability to deal with their criminal activity”. Of course, neither of these assertions are completely objective but they illustrate how hard to issue of gun control is to resolve because arguments from both sides have validity. Tomes’ comment is not necessarily an argument against regulation but it does not completely dismiss it