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Firearms policy In our contemporary world the issue of having the right to own and use weapons ins very controversial. There are many people who believe that the use of guns is the only way to freedom and to personal safety, others argue the point that if the use of guns was limited there would be more peace in the world. All of these opinions led to the formulating of such a branch in politics as the Firearms policy, or else known as the Gun politics. The phrase Gun politics refers to the views of different people within a particular country as to what degree of freedom or restriction (more gun rights or more gun control) should be enforced upon the private ownership and usage of firearms and to what extent ownership influences crime and the balance of power between the individual and the State. (1) The size of the issue of handguns, and firearms as a whole is enormous. Primarily this can be concluded from such an easy step as trying to research this aspect on the Internet, you can find thousands of sites for and against this issue. Thus we can understand that further research on this issue is needed.
Today the United States has the following set of statistics regarding the issue of firearms: 40 % of all US homes have guns; 81 % of Americans say that gun control will be an important issue in determining which Congressional candidate to vote for; 91 % of Americans say that there should be at least minor restrictions on gun ownership; 57 % of Americans say that there should be major restrictions or a ban. These statistics once again underline the whole issue of importance of the firearms policy. The main issue of controversy today is the fact of the actual legislative understanding to the meaning of the firearms policy as a whole. In the Second Amendment to the United States Constitution states: 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. (2) This fact is largely debated due to the that some people believe that the amendment refers to only official entities, such as the Army or National Guard, while others say that the amendment always guarantees the right of independent individuals to own firearms. Gun control advocates argue that only members of a "well regulated militia" have the right to keep and bear arms, with debate ensuing over what, exactly 'the militia' is. Opponents of gun control argue that the phrase "the people" applies to all individuals rather than an organized collective. (4) The United States, is probably one of the only countries where this issue, of firearms, is noted in the constitution, thus denoting it as an individual right of every person to own guns and be able to protect themselves.
The main areas in which the disputes arise are the following. The groups that are for the use of guns say that a well-armed citizenry prevents crime and that making civilian ownership of firearms illegal would increase the crime rate in a way similar to prohibition, while gun control organizations claim that increased gun ownership leads to higher levels of crime, suicide, and other negative outcomes. (5) There are numerous cases which can justify the importance of the opinions of both sides. In the literary sources there is a generalized outlining of the disputable questions. They can be divided into the following groups: types of firearms: whether some types of firearms be regulated differently than others; Criteria of eligibility Are there criteria that disqualify a person from owning firearms? (Possible criteria include age, mental competence, firearm training, and felony conviction); background checks Should there be background checks made to verify eligibility to own a firearm? Who should make them, and should there be a waiting period before a firearm can be sold? ; Registration Should all firearms and firearm owners be registered?
If so, how may the registration information be used, and who should have access to it? ; Concealed weapons Should carrying concealed weapons be regulated? If so, should concealed carry be regulated separately from ownership, and if so, how? ; Enforcement Can gun-control laws be feasibly enforced? Should executive policy be to strictly enforce gun laws? ; Storing Should there be any regulations on how guns are kept? Should the state mandate the dismantling, unloading or locking of guns in storage? There are certain statistics that show that there is a justification for one of the sides. The issue of child safety locks is extremely important due to the fact that in 1996, 140 children died after being accidentally shot (this number has grown in the past couple of years); about 1, 500 children are hurt by guns every year; "Trigger Locks" require entering a combination to use the gun (or some other locking method); they are intended to reduce inadvertent use by children or other unauthorized users (these locks are not set on all of the guns). (6) As George Bush in May 2000 (US president, the former representative of the Conservative party): Government should pay for voluntary trigger locks. (8) There is another major problem with the current situation of dealing guns, The "Gun-Show Loophole" means that there are no background checks when purchasing guns in a private transaction.
Guns sold at gun shows through dealers are subject to background checks; only those sold privately are not. (7) The most important issue in the contemporary situation in the gun control the biggest more gun laws are needed. Liberals and populists generally favor more gun laws. Moderate liberals and populists will generally favor more restrictions on ownership while paying lip-service "sportsmen's rights" or respecting "the right of self-protection. " A moderate compromise is to "extend waiting periods" before allowing ownership, to perform "background checks" of varying degrees of severity. (9) Conservatives and libertarians generally oppose gun laws. A call for "instant background checks" pays lip-service to gun-control advocates: it sounds like a restriction, but means allowing purchasing guns on the spot. Moderate conservatives and libertarians oppose gun laws while acknowledging that restrictions are inevitable.
Similarly, "more strict enforcement" of gun laws implies a pro-Gun Rights stance, unless it is accompanied by a call for new gun laws. (10) Centrists and moderates from both the right and left generally support restrictions on juvenile access to guns, especially in the wake of tragedies like Littleton and other gun-related deaths. Positive mentions of the NRA (the National Rifle Association, the largest pro-gun rights lobbying group) implies support of gun rights, while opposing the NRA or "taking on the gun lobby" implies support of gun restrictions. (7) In this general overview we see that in our current law system, this political issue is debated upon. There are general laws that guide the question of hand guns. In the United States, full-automatic weapons are legal, but have a very large number of restrictions. They must have been manufactured and registered before May 19, 1986; a $ 200 transfer tax must be paid; approval must be met in writing prior to purchase from the local sheriff or chief of police; fingerprints and a photograph must be submitted to the ATF; a criminal background check must be performed; and a waiting period of approximately 6 months applies. Written permission must be given by the ATF at least 30 days in advance if one wishes to take his full-automatic firearm out of his state.
Several states have decided to prohibit the sale of full-automatic firearms altogether. In most US states however, one can buy semi-automatic firearms over the counter if the buyer meets basic legal requirements, and after completing the proper paperwork and a criminal background check (and often a waiting period). (4) As a conclusion there can be denoted the following statistics. In 2004, the last year for which data are available, 213 people in the city were victims of handgun incidents, according to a 2002 San Francisco Department of Public Health report. Of all firearms used to cause injury or death that year, 67 percent were handguns. (5) These statistics is scary. The history of using guns is very long in the United States. It is very rich, as Benjamin Franklin has said: Those who would give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty or safety.
Nor, are they likely to end up with either. (3) This quote leads us to think about, what perspectives we are faced with, if the situation is left the same? Of course, when you have to protect yourself and your family you need weapons, because there are always people who will have guns (they will get them some illegal way), thus you will be left in danger. The only important aspect nowadays, is that not everybody should be able to purchase guns, there should be some very strict limits to this. Works Cited.
Armed and Secured. web Firearms and liberty. web Gun Control In the United States. A Comparative Survey. U. S.
Justice Fund. web Gun Control Truth. web Gun Laws, Gun Control, and Gun Rights. Jurist Legal Intelligence. 2005 web Gun Politics in the United States. Wilkrpidia the Internet Encyclopedia. web Horwitz Joshua, Anderson Casey.
Gun Advocates Won't Consider Conflicting Rights. Oct 21, 2005. web Nelson Andy. Conceal-carry again draws fire. web The Second Amendment to the United States Constitution.
Wikipedia the Internet Encyclopedia. web Vega Cecilia. The line of fire. Some citizens fear for safety if courts uphold S. F. s voters-approved ban on handguns.
San Francisco Chronicle. December 5, 2005. URL: web
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Research essay sample on Gun Control Advocates United States Constitution
