Why Gun Control is a Must-Have Today - Essay Example

Gun Control In the U.S, the deaths resulting from gun violence is single handedly one of the biggest epidemics known to the Western world. The purpose of this paper is to discuss the need for gun control as well as to discuss facts and statistics about gun violence and gun possession. For most who feel that owning a gun is a basic American right, it is the Constitution which is utilized to create an argument for bearing arms and making such an argument. The second amendment of the Constitution does in fact say that U.S. citizens are permitted the right to bare arms, in the event that there is no established militia or military. At this time, as has been the case since the Civil War, America possesses not only a military, but a very heavily outfitted and populated one. This essentially voids the Constitutional stipulation which is a stated tight dependant on whether or not this country has a military. The second amendment was initially drafted in 1791, it was not until 1938 that the Federal Gun Control act was implemented, however. When the Second Amendment was drafted, America was a completely different country than it is today and in most cases, civilians had only themselves to rely on. The Gun Control Act of 1938 had more to do with shipping and receiving of guns through international channels, versus individual citizens owning or carrying guns. In more recent accounts of history involving the issue of gun control, the issue lays mainly with the responsibility of the Federal Government to accurately restrict and enforce gun sales and possession, on U.S soil. The topic of gun control did not resurface heavily until the shooting of John F. Kennedy. The gun which Kennedy’s assassin used was bought through the mail by Lee Harvey Oswald. Additional shootings including the shooting of Martin Luther King jr. and Robert Kennedy took place, which served to act as catalysts for stricter gun regulations. At this point, heavier restrictions were placed on gun ownership including more required paperwork and screenings for prospective buyers. This was all implanted by the Gun Control Act of 1968. A mere 4 years later, the Department of Alcohol, Tobacco and Fire arms was assembled. The eighties brought with it the increase in street crime and gang violence which led the Law Enforcement Officer Protection Act. This essentially protected police officers by making illegal the use of bullets which were capable of penetrating through armored apparel. This type of ammunition was known as “cop killers”. By the time America was ushered into the nineties, gang and street violence became even more prevalent than ever before and led to the Brady Handgun Violence Protection Act, implemented in 1994. This act would disallow the legal sale of semiautomatic riffles which were incidentally used in one of the most tragic and violent school massacres in U.S. history. (Gettings, 2008). America wept in unison as the events of the Columbine High school massacre unfolded before our eyes in the media. In Littleton, Colorado, another day at school became a day that would represent everything that anti-gun legislation has tried to prevent, as well as a day which would go down in history as one of America’s most tragic. On April 20, 1999, two young men named Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, arrived at school wielding assault rifles and heavy ammunition. The two young men, having been victim to bullying, were on a rampage and opened fire killing 12 people, wounding 23 others and ultimately committing suicide themselves. This event marks one of the 4 most heinous school shootings in America. It also claims the highest death count with regard to any other high school shooting in the country’s history. After the events of this tragic day unfolded, leaving many to feel helpless, there was a great deal of debate over not only anti-gun legislation but the availability and over production of fire arms in the nation. Since the Columbine massacre, there have been other major incidents which have led to an increase in America’s controversy over gun control and rights regarding the owning of guns, “The tragedy at Columbine High School and other mass shootings—like the one in Santee, Calif. last March—are always followed by a public debate of gun safety and gun owners rights in America”(Gettings, 2008). The recent Virginia Tech Massacre brought further attention to the need to make serious political decisions on gun control and gun ownership. As of 1the 1994 bill which was passed to ban on assault weapons, few suspected the near future which consisted of more and more guns being brought into schools as well as the ages of gun victims and users, appearing in younger and younger individuals. This very same act was passed a mere 5 years prior to the Columbine incident. As of the passed 8 years, not much has happened in the fight to make gun ownership illegal. The Bush administration has worked hard to uphold the Second Amendment with little regard for how damaging gun ownership was been to America. Sadly, gun violence accounts for a great deal of homicides, suicides and other fatalities occurring yearly in America because of the White House’s failure to ensure civilian safety by eliminating any and all civilian gun ownership, “It is unlikely that any federal restrictions on guns or gun dealers will find support from President George W. Bush. The Bush administration is a firm defender of gun rights, which means that if there are any noteworthy gun laws passed in 2001 it will likely be done at the state level”(Gettings, 2008). As of the last few years, despite the resistance from the Bush administration, the general public has more of an affinity for the idea of banning gun ownership. A film by Michael Moore was made on behalf of the American gun problem and highlighted the events of Columbine to illustrate the need to get rid of guns. Moore met a great deal of ridicule on his work from the NRA (national Riffle Association), which claims to protect the Second Amendment rights of American citizens, “The NRA argues that the Second Amendment of the U.S. Constitution guarantees individuals the right to own and carry guns. They are concerned that federal regulations will continue to increase until owning a handgun will be difficult to achieve, infringing on their Constitutional rights. They also argue that if law-abiding citizens have guns, they are safer from criminals, bringing crime rates down”(Dr. R. Jerry Adams, 2008). In more recent news, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of banning guns in the District of Columbia, despite the fact that support from President Bush was lacking. The NRA was also party to resisting this ban. Ultimately, America faces an ongoing over gun control as well as a steady increase in gun violence. Certainly, those in favor of keeping guns legal for civilian purchase, states that citizens have the right to protect themselves and their families. While this is true, it is defeating a greater purpose. If guns were to become obsolete due to their non legalization, many individuals with violent behavioral tendencies will not be able to get a hold of guns in order to necessitate citizens from having to protect themselves. The second amendment does provide for a legal right of all citizens but it is such under certain circumstances such as the lack of an organized military, “The court had not conclusively interpreted the Second Amendment since its ratification in 1791. The amendment reads: "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."(Time Magazine, 2008). Law enforcement officers and military personnel are placed in the position to protect and defend the general public and therefore should be the only individuals allowed to purchase, own or carry a gun at any time. Works Cited: Almanac of Policy Issues (2008) retrieved from website 10 July, 2008 from website at: http://www.policyalmanac.org/crime/guns.shtml Adams PhD., Jerry R. (2008) “Handgun Control Debate”, retrieved 10 July from website at: http://www.awesomelibrary.org/guncontrol.html Gettings, John (2008) “Milestones in Federal Gun Control Regulation”, retrieved 10 July, 2008 from website at: http://www.infoplease.com/spot/guntime1.html Time Magazine (2008) “”, Time Magazine-CNN News, retrieved 10 July, 2008 from electronic magazine at: http://www.time.com/time/politics/article/0,8599,1818098,00.html The New York Times (2008) “Gun Control and the Second Amendment” retrieved 10 July, 2008 from website at: http://usgovinfo.about.com/od/guncontrol/Gun_Control_and_the_Second_ Amendment.htm Read More