Gun control - Research Paper Example

The basis of the gun control debate lies squarely at the feet of the 2nd amendment. Created in 1791, the 2nd amendment 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". The purpose of the 2nd amendment was to allow individual states to form their own militias to protect themselves and their country in the event of an attack from outside sources. Such an amendment was deemed necessary by the founding fathers due to the fact that the Revolutionary War had ended several years earlier, and by necessity, civilian men (and at times boys) needed to take up arms as a matter of defense.

During the civil war, African American men were also called upon to join militias in an effort to defend the South from the invading Union soldiers. After the Civil War ended, there was much debate on whether the freed slaves should still be permitted the right to bear arms as a means of protection for themselves and their assets. The 14th amendment was drafted as a means to quelling the uncertainty surrounding the rights of former slaves in regards to the possession of firearms (Wilson 163). . The 1856 Supreme Court decision in the case of Dred Scott v.

Sanford denied African Americans the right to full citizenship. Due to this denial of full rights, African Americans were prohibited from carrying weapons and firearms of any sort. It wasn't until 1866 when the Civil Rights Act was passed by Congress that carrying a firearm became legal for all citizens despite their ethnic background (Wilson 164). Since that time gun control policy has been scrutinized for various reasons, but none stemming from racial or ethnic bias. Gun Control Policy 1900-2008 Since the year 1900, there have been reviews of gun control policy in the United States.

During the early 1900's, terrorist factions, such as the mafia began to take hold of major cities across the United States. Gun violence was erupting on a daily basis as crime bosses fought their battles to control the streets. Many individuals who were not involved in criminal activity were losing their lives. As a response to the increase in gun violence across the country, the Supreme Court passed the National Firearms act. The National Firearms Act of 1934 imposes an excise tax on those firearms believed to be used routinely in criminal activity (Lott 125).

This excise tax was imposed on the manufacturer of the firearm as well as the individual selling the firearm. Guns such as machine guns, short barreled rifles, short barreled shotguns and hand grenades topped the list of those firearms subjected to the increased excise tax. Congress first mandated that guns less than 16 inches would be considered short barreled, and thus subjected to the tax, but in 1960 the National Firearms Act was amended, changing the mandated barrel length to 14 inches (Lott 183).

The assassination of several prominent