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Example research essay topic: Gun Control Legislation Gun Rights Groups - 2,436 words

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Gun Control Columbine tragedy and countless others have added momentum to proposed gun control measures pending before Congress. Policy makers and legislators have made this issue a top priority, and are currently debating over controversial gun control policies and initiatives. The controversy over gun control revolves around two interrelated questions of government authority: does the government have the right to impose regulations; and, assuming the existence of such a right, should the government regulate guns? There have already been numerous gun control measures taken from Capitol Hill to the local level. Groups in favor of gun control are lobbying for mandatory child safety locks, tougher background checks, and other controls that will curb gun-related violence.

On the other hand, gun right supporters say that these measures and legislation would infringe upon their second amendment rights to bear arms as law-abiding citizens. However, statistics taken from polls in view of all the recent shootings show little support for these gun rights. Statistics show that deaths from gun injuries are much higher in the United States than any other industrialized nation (web). In addition, this numbers show that in 1996 handguns were used to kill 9, 390 people in the United States, compared with 106 in Canada and 30 in Great Britain. (web). Judging from these numbers and many similar statistics around the world, clearly something more has to be done in the United States to stop all of the gun violence. Even though control has been stymied on Capitol Hill, it is now time to get these new polices enacted in a form of legislation to curb all of this useless violence in this country related to guns.

For gun violence to decrease in the United States, someone must push for changes in policy. Polices are made and enforced by means of administrative agencies of government, constituted in large part a body of law usually called rules, regulations, or general orders which public administrators promulgate or execute within authority legislators delegated to them (Boyer 267). The policy making process can be thought of on terms of five steps. They include 1) initiating, 2) preliminary drafting, 3) public participation, 4) final drafting, and 5) reviewing (Boyer 267). For an organization to succeed and get its policy endorsed, it first must have an initiative, but even before it can think of an initiative, it must have money. Gun rights groups made nearly 2. 3 million in soft money, PAC, and individual contributions during the 1997 - 98 -election cycle, with most of the money going to the Republican side.

In contrast, many groups who are lobbying for gun control must realize that raising money may be a very rigid task. One would also face the challenge of the immense organizational power of gun rights lobbyists. The National Rifle Association (NRA), who makes up nearly 90 percent of the all gun rights efforts, is more organized, more powerful, and wealthier than all gun control interest groups combined. The NRA spends millions each year on not only political contributions and lobbing expenditures, but the NRA is a key special interest group that spends millions of dollars on independent expenditures and special communication costs. With this in mind, interest groups must know who is on their side, meaning we must form collations with our allies for financial support, and one must know who our enemies are.

For many years, several key groups have been the driving forces behind gun control measures. They include Cease Fire, Handgun Control and The Center to Prevent Handgun Violence, and the Violence Policy Center. On the other hand, Gun Owners of America, National Firearms Association and mainly the NRA are the major enemies of gun control. Interest groups are assumed interested in only one policy.

It will offers and provides legislators with campaign resources, in exchange for future services. One can define resource as it is used here: A resource is anything that can be used to sway the specific choices or the strategies of another individual. Thus, resources include money, in kind services, voluntary labor etc. Gun rights groups made nearly 2. 3 million dollars soft money, PAC, and individual contributions during the 1997 - 1998 election with more that 85 percent of the money favoring Republicans (web). The NRA accounted for nearly 90 percent of the interests giving over the last decade. Gun control advocates contributed 150, 364 dollars in PAC and individual donations during the 1997 - 1998 -election cycle, nearly 90 percent to the Democrats (web).

One can see from all of this that when dealing with the arguments over gun control issues money talks. The task in front of any interest group to make change and see their ideas implanted looks daunting, but it is especially difficult for gun control supporters in debate over gun control. Congress has been the main focal point in the on going debate over gun control measures. Presidents have played a minimal role in the politics of gun control, but have expressed interest in the past. The NRA has been the dominant player in the debate over gun control, but their power and influence had been declining since the passage of the McClure-Volume bill in 1986. It is interesting to note the NRA stronghold on blocking many gun control measures, considering the NRA is a minority in the debate, but there achievement can be contributed to there organization and that they are on the defensive on key legislation, which is much better position to be in than on the offensive.

In addition, another reason many key gun control measures have not passed is that the gun control supporters are not organized and have been very indifferent to passage of key procedures and measures. Yet, now that is a change in the horizon in the debate over gun control, and this can be contributed to a series of massacres from Columbine to Long Island. This change can be seen in a shift in agenda control in Congress. From 1968 to 1988, no bill to curb gun control came to a vote on the floor of either house of Congress, but from 1988 to 1994, twenty-seven floor votes on gun bills were taken stemming from bans on assault weapons, banning handgun sales to minors, and of course the Brady Bill. One must think that the United States should follow Maryland's example and pass national legislation requiring childproof locks for handguns. This kind of bill has become in the public spotlight since Maryland passed such action.

President Clinton declared the new safety law a model for this country and he urges Congress to follow the example of Maryland. The Nra's best strategy has always been to keep bills stalemated in the committee, just as long as they do not get to the floor of Congress, where bills get more public attention and there control advocator's are more able to tap into broad popular sentiments supporting gun control measures. For one to see a bill enacted for gun control one would have to make sure that the bill, one to enact safety locks on guns, was not stalemated in committee or in a sub-committee. If this was the case one would have to attempt to blast it out, so that the bill was giving equal consideration on the floor of the houses so there it would gain even more support. It would be on these stages where an interest group would have to do all the preliminary drafting of the actual bill and all goals one would hope to obtain by its passage. In the preliminary drafting is where all of the groundwork would be layer out for the bill.

One would try to have their initiatives take affect as soon as possible, but we also realize that gun makers need time to make this bill a reality. On April 20, 1999, what is quite possibly the worst school shooting ever to occur in the United States took place at Columbine High School in Columbine, Colorado. Around 11: 30 in the morning, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold moved from the hallway, to the library, to a science class, to the cafeteria killing students as they went, and then finally ending up in the main office where the killing spree finally ended with both killers taking their own lives. In a period of about fifteen minutes two gunmen who were also students at the school opened fire killing 13 of their peers and wounding 21 more, all with two firearms owned by their parents. After the investigation, it became apparent that these two boys suffered from many things including depression and that they had hoped to take many more lives. But the question remains that if the gun wasnt in their house, would this horror have ever taken place?

Is it time stronger gun control legislation? 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. Of course this is none other than the second amendment to the Constitution, spelled out for every single American in the Bill of Rights. For right now, lets focus only on the second half of it: the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.

It has been clearly laid out by our founding fathers that every citizen has the inherent right to bear arms to own guns. There is not a single person or organization, including the government, that has the ability to take this Constitutional right away from us. Gun control laws that are being lobbied for would clearly violate this amendment. Stronger gun control legislation would also infringe on recreational sportsman, namely hunters. The point of stronger gun control legislation is to keep guns out of the wrong hands, but it is impossible to prevent all hunters from owning guns. Many people feel also feel the need to own handguns for personal protection.

Whether the wish to protect their families or themselves in case of a predator, a gun would help them greatly, even if it was just to scare off the intruder. I agree with people feeling a need to fight for their rights as a citizen. If the government can dismiss one Amendment, where will it end? I also agree with people experiencing different types of hobbies, such as hunting. Without it, various animal populations, such as the deer and the duck populations would undoubtedly spin out of control and would cause many problems. Lastly, I also see nothing wrong with wanting to protect yourself and your loved ones.

This goes doubly for people living in high-crime areas and for people who have already been violated once and wish to prevent it from happening again. As much as I can see where people against gun control are coming from, I am still inclined to disagree with them. Gun control legislation should be made stronger to help in the prevention of losing innocent lives in acts of senseless violence. According to the Brady Campaign web site, In 1998, 30, 708 people in the United States died from firearm-related deaths 12, 102 (39 %) of those were murdered; 17, 424 (57 %) were suicides; 866 (3 %) were accidents; and in 316 (1 %) the intent was unknown. Also from the same site comes the following statistic: For every time a gun is used in a home in a legally-justifiable shooting [note that every self-defense is legally justifiable] there are 22 criminal, unintentional, and suicide-related shootings. I think that it is quite clear that more harm than good comes from personally owned handguns.

Too many accidental deaths are occurring because guns are so easily attainable. People are also more likely to take the law into their own hands with firearms so readily available. As far as the second Amendment goes, it was written in the 18 th century, when each individual state had its own militia for protection. Well-regulated simply means that the part-time soldiers had to abide by various requirements, including training and completing military exercises.

The amendment was created to allow them to supply and own their own firearms and in todays society is grossly outdated. People against gun control legislation tend to over look this initial clause of the amendment and manipulate it to fit their agenda. I think almost everyone can agree that the crime rate in America is extremely high and that something should be done about it. Why not try to get to the root of the problem, or at least at one of them, which in this case is with handguns. I think that its safe to say that the less guns that are out there, the less crime that is going to be committed.

People would be less apt to take someone elses life and to take matters into their own hands if this easily attainable weapon was quite so easy to attain. Lastly, I think it is fair to say that we realize that there is no longer a militia in every state, nor is there a need for one with our national armed forces. Ergo, the purpose for the amendment and the amendment itself no longer apply in our modern society. For every gun that is taken off of the streets, that is potentially at least one life saved.

In the case of the Columbine massacre, had those two guns not been so readily available, 13 young people would potentially still be alive. If both sides of the heated debate over gun control legislation could try working together to come up with a compromise, lives could be saved, and everyone would come home a winner at the end of the day. Bibliography: web web Brady, Jim and Sarah. Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence. 11 Feb 2003. Columbine Hope from Heartbreak.

RockyMountainNews. com. 12 Feb. 2003. The Charters of Freedom. U. S. National Archives and Records Administration. 11 Feb 2003.

Hardy, David T. , Origins and Development of the Second Amendment, Blacksmith Corp. , Southport, Conn. , 1988. Journal on Firearms and Public Policy: Topic: The Second Amendment, Center for the Study of Firearms & Public Policy, Bellevue, Summer 1988. Journal on Firearms and Public Policy: Topic: Gun Rights, Center for the Study of Firearms & Public Policy, Bellevue, Summer 1989. Korea, David B. , The Samurai, The Mountie, and The Cowboy: Should America Adopt the Gun Controls of Other Democracies? Prometheus, Buffalo, 1992. Korean, Alan, The Arizona Gun Owner's Guide, Bloomfield Press, Phoenix, 1989.

La Pierre, Wayne, foreword by Tom Clancy, Guns, Crime, and Freedom, Harper Perennial, New York, 1994.


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Research essay sample on Gun Control Legislation Gun Rights Groups

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