Gun Control - Research Paper Example

In these regards, gun control had no real impact on the murder rate in these nations. An even more startling fact is that despite gun control in many nations, the murder rate has often risen; this again demonstrates that there is no direct correlation between gun control and reduced murder rates. When considering the statistical correlation between gun control and increased or decreased crime rates, there are a number of startling facts that demonstrate gun control is an effective policy. One of the most prevalent such examples of these trends occurs when statistically comparing Canada and the United States.

In both 1991 and 1995 Canada enacted increasingly stringent gun control laws, while the United States largely held onto a liberal policy regarding gun control. Rather than demonstrating a reduction in crime relative to the United States, this period witnessed an actual rise in the rate of theft and violent crime throughout Canada (‘Gun Control Fact-Sheet.’). Similar statistical trends have also been demonstrated in European countries. In 1997, the United Kingdom passed some of the most stringent anti-gun laws in the Western hemisphere.

In the wake of these regulations, it was demonstrated that in large part violent crimes rates did not increase but rose by as much as forty percent (‘Gun Control Fact-Sheet.’). . In fact, statistics demonstrate that over the last seventy-years the United States has experienced noticeably lower murder rates than the United Kingdom. While the lot of this statistical evidence is open for interpretation, a general qualitative analysis demonstrates that rather than decreasing crime, gun control laws allow criminals increased levels of freedom as they can now commit crimes unhindered by the threat of lethal self-defense.

In these regards, firearms can substantially be seen to be prominent self-defense mechanisms. In developing increased gun control laws countries are in-effect reducing citizens abilities to effectively defend themselves. In addition to the statistical evidence that demonstrates a correlation between gun control and increased crime rates, general quantitative and statistical research has demonstrated that in large part gun control laws are misguided. One of the most prominent research elements related to gun control considers it in relation to self-defense.

While this essay has earlier demonstrated that the use of guns for self-control can be inferred from rising crime rates in nations that implement stringent gun control laws, further research attests to the actual use of guns in these self-defense actions. In fact, guns have been implemented in self-defense over 2.5 million times annually (‘Myth #3: Gun Control Has Reduced The Crime Rates In Other Countries’ ). When one considers this from another perspective, it indicates that more than 6,000 times a day guns are used for self-defense.

Within the United States itself quantitative research has examined the Brady Law in regards to crime rates. The Brady Law is