Evolution of Gun Control Laws in the United States - Research Paper Example

? Gun Control Laws Assignment) Introduction The increasing rate of gang and gun crime among the adolescents of the United States and other modern developed nations has become a major area of research for sociologists. The main objective of this paper lies with evaluating the development of gun control laws in the United States, their implications, strategic success and failures, and the socio-economic impacts of the increasing gun crime. Finally it would suggest some new strategies that could be implemented toward gun and gang crime control among the youth. Although studies are deeply at odds regarding the actual cause of the alarming growth of juvenile delinquency, all converge at the point that policy formulation along with effective law enforcement and other socio-psychological intervention is essentially required to address the issue. Evolution of gun control laws in the United States Although gun battles and issues related to it are getting higher in various parts of America, gun control in general is encouraged by a few Americans. They support handgun control in particular. The gun laws in United States are mentioned in the Second Amendment of the United States Constitution. The gun control in the United States may be Federal, State or even local gun control. Congress in 1934 commenced the first major gun control in 1934 which emphasized on the regulation of the firearms like machine guns. This was followed by a new federal law in 1938 which imposed license on the gun sellers. This also put restriction on aggressive individuals from purchasing guns. An additional ‘Gun Control Act’ passed in 1968 stressed on the regulation of imported guns and expanded the regulations passed in the previous law. An obligatory penalty for the utilization of gun was established by the federal legislation in 1986 followed by prohibiting the manufacturing and importation of semi-automatic assault weapons. The gun control law passed by congress in 1994 has proved out to be the most prominent attempt at the national gun control. Ban on certain assault weapons also accompanied the 1aw passed in 1994 which expire in 2004. Along with the federal gun control, state and local legislation play their role in gun control. Leaving a loaded weapon with easy access of a minor has been regarded as a crime by the legislation passed by the state. As part of gun control, some states forbid concealed weapons while some others highlight on putting forward the requirement former to the obtaining of license to bear the concealed weapons. “States also regulate private sales to minors and all secondary market sales.” (Gun control policy issues, n.d.). California imposed ban on certain automatic weapons in 1989 followed by its extension by some other states. Most of the states have ‘preemption’ laws forbidding the gun control ordinances from local authorities. Few states use additional state data for background study before the issue of handgun authority (Gun control policy issues). Multiple responses to regulations Gun control laws in the United States are believed to have brought significant reduction in the access of guns by immoral and illegal individuals. There exist controversies in the implementation efficiency of the federal laws. Some advocates claim that federal laws have indeed proved to be a milestone in the gun control efforts. They assert that state laws cannot be as effective as federal laws in restricting the states with few state laws from being the sources of guns for the immoral flow of guns to the restrictive states. The proponents of the federal laws have suggested for slight variations in the federal law components which would add to the effectiveness of laws and ensure the public safety. At the same time, there is equal denial on this claim from the opponents. “They argue that controls often create burdens for law-abiding citizens and infringe upon constitutional rights provided by the Second Amendment” (Gun Control). The opponents show little satisfaction on the measures furnished for the public safety. The two most significant laws passed as an outcome of federal control are National Firearms Act of 1934 and Gun Control Act of 1968. Both these laws had equal acceptance and opposition (Gun Control). Consequences of gun crimes in the United States Gun crimes can have adverse effect on the economy of a country. It may give way to several social and political related issues. The gun control measures and related issues play vital role in the development of a country. Existence of gun crimes in a nation requires the attention of police and government that they do not threaten the security of normal people. Measures need to be taken to make certain the security of the public. All these necessitate good financial assistance from the government. Hence the gun control measures may significantly affect the economy of nation. Youth is the most potential asset of a nation on which the future development of the country depends. The prevailing of gun crimes and associated matters can significantly influence the outlook of youngsters and they may be dragged towards crime and violence. It’s very important to keep the aggressive youth away from these issues as the future of a nation is in their hands. Though being a landmark in civilization and development, U. S. has not been able to eradicate the gun crimes completely from the country. The gun massacre and the linked issues purely draw attention to the negligence of the US government in controlling the gun crimes and ensuring the public safety. Critics are of the opinion that the country had lot of expectations with the entrance of President Obama in controlling the gun crimes and panicked the gun bearers. But the expectation gradually ruled out when “Loughner carried his Glock 19 loaded with 30 bullets all of which he fired within a matter of seconds” (US gun crime: death for sale). The critics argue that president failed to renew the measures taken by the previous government in gun control; and they warn that the increasing gun crimes may significantly affect the repute of the country if not well controlled. Initiatives toward gun violence control There have been many potential programs integrated across various parts of the country at the state and community level or within the city or state in order to keep the youth away from the violence. The Adolescent Wellness Program is one of the prominent multi –institutional program aiming at reducing the interpersonal violence among the adolescents. The social and medical risks associated with the violence are also being considered in this program. Assault Crisis Teams make use of strategies to alter the behavior to minimize the gun related fatalities. It emphasizes on the reduction of ‘risk of direct and indirect violence, family violence and sexual assault’. Another program considering the violence associated with middle and high school students Barron Assessment and Counseling Center started in 1987 by Barron (Bilchik, 1996). Gun ownerships in US (Source: Carroll, J. 2005, gallup.com) The Gallup has conducted a survey in order to assess the gun ownership status in US in relation with different categories. They mainly collected data by categorizing the US people as households, individuals, male, female, white, and nonwhite. The tabulated data reflect some terrific interpretations. The collected information precisely shows that 47% of males in US owe a gun and they are regarded as the largest gun owing group of the United States. With a slight diminishing difference from the above category, 42% US households possess their own guns. On the other hand, only 30% of individuals in US own a gun and it creates a 12% difference with that of households. It is hopeful to note that only 13% females in US owe a gun whereas it is 47% in the case of US males; hence females are the smallest gun owing groups in US under the studied categories. Similarly, a considerable difference is highlighted in the graph in the case of whites and nonwhites. The graph expresses that 33% whites possess a gun whereas the nonwhites possess only 18%. The graph points out some horrible social situations. From the graph, it is clear that almost half of the US males owe a gun whether they make use of it or not. The largest number of gun ownerships among the US males clearly reflects the inefficiencies of gun laws in US. Teenagers and gun crime statistics According to Children’s Defense Fund and National Center for Health Statistics, in a single year, 3,012 children and teens are killed by gunfire in the United States” (cited in National Education Association Health information Network). It indicates that a child is killed in every three hours by gunfire. The teenagers are the most vulnerable group of gun crimes as they use the guns on the basis of their instantaneous emotional variations. As a result of the characteristic features of the adolescence, the teenagers rapidly respond to the surrounding changes. The study results from Journal of American Medical Association (as cited in NEAHIN) reports that there were 253 school violence related deaths occurred in US between 1994 and 1999. There were thousands of students expelled from schools as a result of bringing a firearm to school. The students of Boston high school were found carrying weapons to the school. The headmaster claimed that “students were carrying the weapons to protect themselves to and from the school rather than to protect themselves at the school” (DiCanio, 2004, p.57). It is estimated that there were 8% students who lost their many lecture classes as they were afraid of attending the school. As NSBA reports, “135,000 guns are brought into US schools each day” (cited in NEAHIN). This statistics points to the burgeoning societal issue in the US school environment. The firearm culture among the school students never adds any values to nation’s education field. The US governmental reports reflect the fact that US has lost 90,000 children and teens between the periods of 1979 and 2001 as a result of gunfire. The scholars argue that gun related deaths among the teens represent the huge figure than disease related deaths. Center for Disease Control opines that (as cited in NEAHIN), American children have 16 times more possibility to be murdered with a gun when compared to other industrialized countries. Intensity of gun related crimes among US youth Although gun related crimes have been declining in US since 1990’s, the government could not wipe out it completely. The firearms in the wrongful hands make the situation worse and it is attributed to the inefficient law enforcements in US. The youth easily get the opportunity to use guns without any restrictions. The data show that major portion of homicides in the United States are gun related, among which the percentage of involvement of youth is alarming. In addition to homicides, gun related crimes also include assaults, robbery, and rape. The gun violence problems in schools are becoming a headache for the US governmental authorities as it cannot suppress by the employment of immense policing activities. The story of Sammy Nguyen, an 18 year old boy who flashed a loaded pistol at his schoolmate during an argument at Southeast High School in Bradenton is an example for the violation of the law. According to the Federal Law, children under 18 are not permitted to own guns. Although he was an 18 year old student, the prosecutors saw the crime as a serious offense; and Sammy Nguyen was given imprisonment for a period of six months (Scarcella, 2007). Youth always like to be attracted so that the easy accessibility of guns persuades them to engage in firearm violence. The gun related violence among US youth becomes a threat to the whole US communities. Guns and gangs The increase in the number of youth gangs is one of the main reasons for the horrible growth of gun violence. According to Bjerregaard and Lizotte (1995), the gang members like to recruit youngsters who own a gun and they use guns twice than non-members. Under US culture, the children who do not get enough care from parents have an increased tendency to join gangs. Similarly, the youngsters get a feeling of being belonged to a group activity when they attain membership in a gang. In addition, the youngsters experience a sense of protection while they involve in gang activities as these help them to earn a fearful respect from the public. Likewise, many students drop out their education due to the powerful influence of gangs and it makes their future hopeless. The culture of gun use from the school level leads to the emergence of a large group of criminals across the country. The Huffington Post (2011) reports that parents and relatives of teens carelessly leave gun so that children get easy access to the firearms. In addition to murders, the youth sometimes use guns in order to end their own life as a response to their instantaneous emotions. Anyhow, the gun related crimes among the US youth have caused insoluble difficulties across the nation. Suggestions The above discussions point to the need of initiating some effective strategies for the better control of gun violence in the United States. Firstly, the US government must keep a strong stance regarding the license issue of guns as it would be the most effective solution to the persisting crisis. Since it is not practical to give tough punishments to teenagers, it is suggestible for the US government to formulate some gun laws by which parents would be liable for their children’s deeds. It would compel parents to care their children more and subsequently reduce gun violence among the teenagers. The educational institutions can also play a vital role in implementing programs for the early intervention and prevention of gun violence. Similarly, adult convicts of gun violence must be punished severely because it would create a fear in the minds of adolescents. It is also recommended that gun dealer’s license must be renewed periodically. While the constitutional rights are guaranteed, there must be regulations on public safety norms. Thus the legislature can enforce laws to protect social interests each time a person is licensed to use a weapon for his personal protection. Conclusion Gang and gun crime has become one of the major societal issues in the United States that require immediate political attention. The alarming growth of gun crime could be attributed to numerous socio-economic and cultural aspects. They include family breakdown, economic downturn, cultural diminution, alcoholism and drug addiction, and the absence of effective criminal justice system. In addition to law enforcing, policies that would cover psycho-social aspects of adolescents must be given emphasis. The issue requires rather comprehensive approach because law enforcement can hardly influence an individual’s personal integrity. Reference Bilchik, S. (1996).Reducing The Youth Gun Violence: An Overview of Programs and Initiaties. Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.US Department of Justice. Bjerregaard, B & Lizotte, A. J. (1995). Gun Ownership and Gang Membership. Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology. 86: 3758. Carroll, J. (22 Nov 2005). Gun ownership and use in America. Gallup. Retrieved from http://www.gallup.com/poll/20098/gun-ownership-use-america.aspx DiCanio, M. (2004). Encyclopedia Of Violence: Frequent, commonplace, unexpected. United States of America: iUniverse. Gross, D. (2011). Gun Violence Prevention: Broaden the Search for Solutions. The Huffington Post. Retrieved from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/daniel-gross/gun-violence-prevention-b_b_814052.html Gun Control. (n.d). Almanac of Policy Issues. Retrieved from http://www.policyalmanac.org/crime/guns.shtml Gun Control Policy Issues. (2009). News Batch. Retrieved from http://www.newsbatch.com/guncontrol.htm Mitchel, M. G. (2005). Children and Gun Violence. Neahin. Retrieved from http://www.neahin.org/programs/schoolsafety/gunsafety/statistics.htm Scarcella, M. A. (2007). Teenager Punished for Gun at School. Herald Tribune. Retrieved from http://www.heraldtribune.com/article/20070505/NEWS/705050380 US gun crime: Death for Sale. (2011). The Long Good Read. Retrieved from http://thelonggoodread.com/2011/01/12/us-gun-crime-death-for-sale/ Bibliography 1. Bilchik, S. (1996).Reducing The Youth Gun Violence: An Overview of Programs and Initiatives. Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.US Department of Justice. The report gives details of the program initiated by US Department of Justice with intent to reduce gun crime and violence among the youth. The program emphasizes on the reduction of risk associated with middle and high school students. Barron Assessment and Counseling Center which started in 1987 is one of the notable initiatives of these kinds. 2. Bjerregaard, B & Lizotte, A. J. (1995). Gun Ownership and Gang Membership. Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology. 86: 3758. The journal explicitly points out the undeniable influence of gang on adolescents. The underlying notion is that gang members are more likely to own guns than non-members. And on the other hand gun owners have more access to gang activities too. Hence, gun control strategies must focus on members with gang influence or those who are more prone to gang influence. 3. Carroll, J. (22 Nov 2005). Gun ownership and use in America. Gallup. Retrieved from http://www.gallup.com/poll/20098/gun-ownership-use-america.aspx Gallup polls give a vivid account of the total number of gun owners in the United States, and the various purposes of their gun use. According to the pools, men are more likely to be gun owners than women. As compared to Easterners and Westerners Southerners and Midwesterners are more in gun ownership. The website gives a clear picture of the statistics of gun ownership in the states. 4. DiCanio, M. (2004). Encyclopedia Of Violence: Frequent, commonplace, unexpected. United States of America: iUniverse. The makes a genuine exploration of the intensity of crime and violence in the United States of America with its special focus on juvenile delinquency. The author points out several live examples to prove that gun and gang crime require immediate political attention. The book offers detailed description of crime related knowledge with alphabetical sequence as its major characteristic. 5. Gross, D. (2011). Gun Violence Prevention: Broaden the Search for Solutions. The Huffington Post. Retrieved from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/daniel-gross/gun-violence-prevention-b_b_814052.html Daniel Gross, the Chief Executive Director of the Center to Prevent Youth Violence (PAX) puts forward some relevant strategies toward adolescent crime control and prevention. According to him to a large extent gun crime among children is attributed to the negligence of parents, relatives, or elders. School shootings can be reduced if children are encouraged for effective interaction so that they would reveal their threats. 6. Gun Control. (n.d). Almanac of Policy Issues. Retrieved from http://www.policyalmanac.org/crime/guns.shtml The website provides learners with extensive knowledge about the developmental process of Gun control regulations and other governmental initiatives in the US so far. It also demonstrates the intensity of gun crime and deaths associated with gun shooting. One who visits this site would understand to what range the gun related crime and mortality rate in the US are inter-related. 7. Gun Control Policy Issues. (2009). News Batch. Retrieved from http://www.newsbatch.com/guncontrol.htm This source also has been dedicated for the US gun control issues addressing every dimension of the problem like crime rate, regulations in force, effectiveness of law enforcement, perceptional variance, and strategic solutions. It has described the various aspects of prevailing state and federal laws with regard to gun control; and also finally evaluate the areas where Republicans and Democrats diverge on the issue. 8. Mitchel, M. G. (2005). Children and Gun Violence. Neahin. Retrieved from http://www.neahin.org/programs/schoolsafety/gunsafety/statistics.htm The web page is user friendly for its well categorized data on crime rate, gun and gang violence, governmental and non-governmental initiatives on gun and violence control etc. The major feature of the site is that it has recorded the data on the basis of age, gender, social class, and region. 9. Scarcella, M. A. (2007). Teenager Punished for Gun at School. Herald Tribune. Retrieved from http://www.heraldtribune.com/article/20070505/NEWS/705050380 Herald Tribune illustrates the terrifying event how Sammy Nguyen, the adolescent flashed his loaded pistol at another student at his school and got punished later. The paper reports that despite his parents’ comments on his good conduct, Sammy was punished for his misdemeanor. 10. US gun crime: Death for Sale. (2011). The Long Good Read. Retrieved from http://thelonggoodread.com/2011/01/12/us-gun-crime-death-for-sale/ The blog points out governmental flaws on law enforcement and alarming severity of gun crime in the United States specifically in states including Arizona. Relevant examples of homicides back the arguments. Read More