The subject of gun control is hotly debated not only by the media and special interest groups but also by law enforcement agencies, and ordinary citizens alike. Some feel that since the Second Amendment was written before the advent of modern firearms that it is outdated. Others believe that it is an inalienable right that must be preserved in order for Americans to remain a free people. The Second Amendment states: “A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right
was convicted under the National Firearms Act for unlawfully possessing a fully automatic assault rifle that was not properly registered with the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Records. Staples claimed he had no idea that the gun could fire automatically. At the trial Staples requested a jury instruction that he could not be found guiltily unless there was proof that he knew the gun was fully automatic. The trial judge ruled that the National Firearms Act did not require knowledge
In 1994 the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act came into effect. A sharp spike in the crime rate happened once the act came into effect. In 2004 the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act expired and then there was a sharp drop in the crime rate(Alexia). Once again in 2007 another act passed that banned a broad range of firearms (Magoon pg 92). This directly relates to the small spike of crime rate in 2007. In the statistic to the
Gun control laws aim to regulate the possession and purchase of firearms by requiring registration, licensing, and identification restrictions. The current federal and state laws in place permit the ownership and purchase of firearms under certain limitations. The controversial issue embedding in this topic can be derived from the second amendment: "A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed." Some
interpretation. Simply stating the term “gun control” is sure to start a heated debate. Our country is sharply divided on political, ideological, and geographic lines on what needs to be done with firearms. Since the country was founded, many laws have been enacted to limit the violence and destruction caused by various firearms. It is important for citizens of the United States to fully understand the history and present meaning of the term so that they can enact laws that they feel will best suit the country
intended to regulate the possession and usage of firearms. In the United States, gun control is a controversial issue because the ownership and usage of firearms are provided for in the Second Amendment in the American Constitution (U.S. Const. am. 2). The main reason behind the debate on gun control is the frequency with which mass murders occur with firearms as the weapons. The push for reforms in the gun control policies is a matter of debate with the National Rifle Association (NRA) at the center of
have been prevalent for a long time in US history. In the 1930s, guns and firearms were being used by gangsters and were deemed threatening to US society. Therefore, the National Firearms Act was enacted in 1934, imposing “a tax on the making and transfer of firearms defined by the Act, as well as a special (occupational) tax on persons and entities engaged in the business of importing, manufacturing, and dealing in NFA firearms” (ATF). Soon enough, help towards claiming this idea came in US v. Miller
Due to the prevalence of guns in today’s society and the amount of recent mass murders, Congress has needed to review the effectiveness and constitutionality of firearms regulation. The obstacle persists because there are many people either for the laws or against them, but in the aftermath of shootings such as the Aurora, CO movie theater shooting and the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, banning semiautomatic weapons has been a topic on everyone’s mind. Guns are nothing new for the United
guns benefit citizens and or do they harm them more than they help each be safe? The citizens of the United States have lived with firearms in our society since the founding of this great country. It’s part of the American fabric of this great nation that has become engrained in our culture. However, some in our country have begun to question whether owning a firearm should actually be a right. Terrorism, public shootings, and suicides have sparked the fuse that is gun control. Our government has
questions of government authority: does the government have the right to impose regulations, and should the government regulate guns? Some believe the federal government should regulate guns, so all Americans have to follow the same rules to purchase firearms instead of states regulating
An Act Throughout the recent years of living in the US, it is not unusual to hear about a shooting happening every day. The US skyrocketed above other nations around the globe statistically in the amount of shootings every year. Because of the second amendment, “The right of the people to keep and Bear Arms, shall not be infringed,” citizens in the United States, in the past, have been protected by the 2nd amendment since 1789. However, the amount of shootings are increasing in the US and the staggering
In order to understand the impact of proposed gun control laws, it is vital to understand gun control itself. Gun control laws are regulations of the owning, manufacturing, and use of firearms. In the United States, some see gun control as needed and others see it as a form of tyranny. This divide in beliefs is what has caused gun control to be such a highly discussed issue. The emotional connection that surrounds it, due to shootings and gun violence, also leads people to misjudge the impact on
According to a report by the CDC over 35,000 people were killed by guns in 2015. ( National Vital Statistics Reports) Over the years gun control has been a controversial topic about how to control, restrict, and ban firearms in the United States, this affects several people who fall in the middle of the gun control spectrum. Due to news and media sources who try to make headlines, people think that guns are all bad and that it would be better to get rid of them. In truth, a gun is a deadly weapon
require a waiting period to purchase a weapon. Some states have longer waiting periods than others do. Waiting periods do not prohibit the purchase or sale of firearms, but it does regulate the sale of firearms. In 2012, 64% of reported gun deaths were from people committing suicide (washingtonpost.com). Waiting periods to purchase a firearm can be lifesaving for someone attempting suicide. In a CBS News and New York times poll based off gun owner’s views towards wait periods, 87%-89% were in favor
constantly brought up with well thought out arguments from both sides, the topic has become one of the most controversial issues in American Society today. Before delving into this issue, a person must understand what the current regulations on firearms are. The highest law in the land, the United States Constitution, made the original laws on gun control as stated in the second amendment. It reads as the right to, “A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the
current, and proposed, make no sense such as the Magazine Capacity bans that some states are putting in place, the entirety of the National Firearms Act of 1934 (NFA), and the 1994 Assault Weapon Ban(AWB). There isn’t a clear definition for so-called “Assault Weapons”, magazine bans aren’t going to stop a criminal, and for what reason is the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (BATFE) enforcing, and still modifying a document from the 30s? A large portion of gun control laws are completely
striping the law abiding citizen of their ability to protect themselves against an unlawful society will never be the answer. Most Americans that own guns have went through all the necessary channels to possess a firearm. The ones who are committing gun related crimes have typically purchased a firearm from someone who did not do a background check and didn't care who they were selling to. What actually is gun control and what does it mean? Efforts to regulate or control sales of guns is the denotative definition
terrorism threats have resulted in the Australian people feeling the immediate need for protection from the malicious radicals that may have integrated into our society. This premature haste has lead to avid promotion of the introduction of personal firearms - and other assortments of weaponry - to Australia’s society by various citizens and conservative political parties. Groups such as
Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, as known as ATF. They are a “law enforcement agency that is in the Department
“The Brady Handgun Violence Prevention act of 1993 requires federally licensed firearms dealers to preform background checks on prospective firearms purchases to ensure that the firearm transfer would not violate any laws”(Federal Law on Background Checks). The Brady Act was put in place to insure people who cannot handle guns safely do not get their hands on them, yet they still do because of the illegal gun market. So what exactly is the illegal firearm market and how can it be prevented? Being