Gun Control

Gun Control

Gun control is a topic that can be debated for days. Firearms have and will continue to affect many lives. Trying to eliminate the bad people from getting their hands on firearms should be done with a sort of vigilance. One way of doing this is the Brady Bill. The Brady Bill was implemented to so that those who desire to own a gun must go through a background check first. "The Brady Bill was implemented on February 28, 1994. This law established a national 5 business day waiting period on handgun purchases through licensed dealers. It also required local authorities to conduct background checks on handgun purchasers" (Ruoco, 1999, para. 5). Once a person has passed the background check they must complete a firearms safety course and be of a certain age. Our problem statement is gun control because of homicide, suicide and accidents.

The goal is to create a greater awareness of the dangers of guns and implement a more firm control on guns of all kinds. Currently state and federal laws are not able to assist us on this issue due to the leniency of them and the fact that society does not adhere to them.

The first objective is to use analysis and data to control the availability of legal guns. Across America the media continuously reports gun related crimes and deaths that are caused by shootings. For example in the DC area Sniper John Muhammad and his accomplice were sentenced to death for the killing of 10 people, we also experienced a tragedy in an Amish community where a gun man shot 10 school girls execution style, then there was the young 17 year old Lee Malvo who went on a killing spree, and we cannot forget the massacre at Columbine High School in Colorado where two students killed a teacher and 12 fellow students while wounding several others before taking their own lives. "... It's an American way of death. More than 30,000 people die from gunshot wounds every year, through murder, suicide and accidents." (MSNBC.COM)

In order to understand why there is a need for tighter controls on gun ownership, or gun availability to the general public, you have to understand the Second Amendment of the United States Constitution; "which is part of the Bill of Rights, declares the necessity for "a well regulated militia", and prohibits infringement of "the right of the people to keep and bear arms."" (Wikipedia, 2007). This Amendment was created in 1786, a decade after the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Whether the federal government should play a stronger part in the role of regulating handguns and firearms is currently being debated by many Americans. The National Rifle Association (NRA) is a group that strongly supports the second amendment and apposes tighter federal regulations. The Brady Bill is a law which was approved during the Clinton administration as the result of an unsuccessful attempt to assassinate the former President Ronal Reagan. This bill requires that any prospective handgun buyers are to wait five days while a background check is performed. In 1997 an "Assault Weapons Ban" was also signed into law which banned the manufacturing, possessing, and importation of semiautomatic assault weapons (Just the Facts, 2007).

The second objective is to ensure the enforcement of the gun control laws. There are report cards that rate each state on their laws of how families are shielded from gun violence. According to a 2005 report card Arizona was rated a "D." Figure 1 below outlines Arizona's State Laws. California achieved an "A-" and New Mexico received an "F." On the average across the United States, two thirds of the US received a D or F. (Brady Campaign: State Gun Laws, 2007). Certain laws have a negative impact on Arizona which are secondary sales, child safety locks, gun show checks, attorney general regulations, and child access prevention. The enforcement of gun laws can be very complicated because of political federal and state legislators.

ARIZONA STATE LAWS

Figure 1

The third objective is to improve gun safety training programs. The NRA slogan, "Guns don't kill people, people kill people" is prevalent in American society today. Gun safety training and educational programs are dominated by the NRA. Locally, gun safety education is found only in local gun shops. They offer Arizona Concealed Weapon Permit Classes & Renewal Permit Classes, and NRA Certified Classes. Even though there are various gun safety training and education classes available to the general public, there are no programs that are targeted to the non enthusiast.

The first criteria are to improve the awareness of the good and bad components of owning a gun. Usually gun safety training is targeted for the gun enthusiast. By expanding safety training and the awareness of irresponsible gun use to the general public, especially children the number or responsible citizens should increase. Also children and adults would begin to establish a certain amount of respect for guns and may not become gun enthusiasts.

The second criteria are safety training programs for guns of all kinds. Gun safety training programs are designed to provide understanding of the operations and dangers of a gun, and to establish safe, responsible, and respectable gun ownership.

The third criteria are to evaluate and encourage greater gun laws within our rights to bear arms. In order for the public to recognize the decisions that the elected officials are making in regards to gun crimes in the communities the general public needs to be aware of how their state ranks in gun laws. Citizens then may change their votes when electing new politicians or laws.

Unhappy citizens can be a negative effect from gun control. Many gun owners are law abiding citizens and use firearms for hunting and protecting their household. Gun control is necessary due to the majority of crime that spins from firearms and illegal firearms. There are and have been many instances where a gun is needed by a person to protect themselves and their families. This usually arises when people live in areas of high crime. For this reason it is understandable that a gun may be necessary to impede criminals. Some may feel that the extensive background check is an invasion of his or her privacy and in a sense may feel as though they are being treated like a criminal.

A positive effect from gun control is having the amount of homicides and suicides go down. Those whose intentions