The Pros And Cons Of Gun Control

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Due to recent mass shootings, gun control is a huge topic discussed all over our country today. People are sensitive about this subject on both sides of the debate. To fully understand how to find a solution, we need to first look for the cause of the problem. This is not an easy task because there are so many pieces to this puzzle and the effect it can have on the rights of American citizens. Guns are objects or tools that cannot hurt anyone unless used by someone as a weapon. A car is an object with the purpose of moving use from one place to another but can be used as a weapon. An airplane is an object with the purpose of conveniently taking us long distances but as we saw on September 11th 2001, they can be used as weapons also. Medications …show more content…

By definition, control means to “to have power over”. Anytime there is a “control” put over us, then that is one less freedom that we have. Gun control is basically a set of laws that control how law abiding citizens buy, sell and own firearms. We have many gun control laws in existence today that already govern many of the arguments we hear on a daily basis. Here is a list of some Federal firearm laws:
National Firearms Act of 1934 (First piece of national gun control legislation. Banned machine guns, sawed off shotguns and silencers)
Federal Firearms Act of 1938 (Banned convicted felons from purchasing firearms)
Gun Control Act of 1968 (Raised age of handgun purchase to 21 and banned mentally ill individuals from purchasing firearms)
Firearm Owners Protection Act of 1986 (Enhanced laws on manufacture of silencers and tightened the definition of machine guns)
Crime Control Act of 1990 (Banned guns on school property by unauthorized individuals)
Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act of 1994 (Enacted background checks and established the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS)
Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994-2004 (Also known as the “Assault Weapons ban”. Banned sale and importation of “military style” firearms for 10