Homicides and Handguns in the United States - Essay Example

Homicides and Handguns in the United s Handguns are the weapon of choice for homicides in the United s. Gun ownership has generated considerable political controversy. As such, the possession of handguns poses risk of homicide and in most cases; the presence of handguns had increased the chances of transforming an assault into a homicide. According to the panel on the Understanding and Control of Violent behavior, there were several instances, wherein, a person bearing a handgun had not chosen it with the sole intention of killing the other person (Iadicola & Shupe, 2003. Pp. 106 – 107). It was established that the person had chosen the handgun to wield power, because of its availability and ease of access. Although, most of the firearms owned by the people are long guns, all the same, most homicides are committed with handguns, rather than long guns. Handguns are the most preferred weapons in homicides and homicide and handgun ownership are associated with each other. A study conducted in Seattle and Vancouver revealed that handguns are frequently used in homicides. These two cities have similar demographic characteristics, but the number of handguns owned in Seattle, is much higher than that in Vancouver. Not surprisingly, the chances of being killed are five times more in Seattle than in Vancouver. Per se, owning a handgun is very common in the US (Iadicola & Shupe, 2003. Pp. 106 – 107). Handgun ownership has been on the increase, since 1960. The reasons for this trend had been identified as rapid urbanization, increase in new households and wealth. People who already owned guns had purchased even more guns. In addition, several people had chosen to own guns in response to the growing crime in the society. In many incidents, people who previously did not have guns had purchased guns to feel secure from crime. Thus, a higher number of handguns were purchased for self – defense reasons. Some argue that there is a positive association between gun ownership and crime rates. Interestingly, the crime rates had a greater influence on the increase in gun ownership, whereas the latter had not influenced the former in any way (Kleck, 1991). On the other hand, long guns are owned for recreational purposes by most of their owners. They are seldom used in crimes. Handgun ownership has increased rapidly, and this has brought about an increase in crime rate. The increase in such ownership was found to be less among the public, who were nonviolent and non-criminals. Moreover, criminals and violent people were unreported and unrepresented in surveys conducted to assess the position. This makes it very difficult to ascertain the exact rate of gun ownership in households. That is why accurate figures could not be elicited and the relevant data remained the constant, despite the high level of privately owned guns (Kleck, 1991). In addition, the US is characterized by the free use of guns and two out of three homicide killings are carried out with handguns. Easy access to handguns at homes is contributing to this high rate of crime. Research studies have elicited the fact that the homicide crime rate is higher in states that have more guns in the homes. The other factors for the increase in such crime were the socioeconomic status of the people and gender based violence. The United States is the only nation among the developed nations that has the greatest number of firearms with its citizens. Moreover, a majority of these firearms are handguns. The American firearm regulations are more liberal than in any other democracy. In the US, there is no system of national firearm licensing or registration system, unlike the other developed nations. In addition, there are no statutory obligations that require gun owners to receive training as to how to use or not to use guns. Thus, it can be surmised that the rate of gun related violence is the highest in the US, in comparison to any other nation and most of the American homicides are gun related homicides. Handguns are widely used in most homicides in the United States. The Federal Bureau of Investigation had estimated that handguns were used in 6,686 homicides. Handgun related homicides constituted about 43% of the total homicides committed in the US; whereas, other types of firearms such as rifles and shotguns were used less frequently in homicides (Bryant, 2003. P. 261). The fundamental objective, for which the handguns are sold, is to ensure the self-protection of individuals. Several studies revealed that most of the homicides resulted from acts of self – protection. The US Department of Justice conducted the National Crime Survey with regard to the use of guns by individuals. This survey revealed that there were 1.3 million crimes committed with guns (Moore, Feliciano, & Mattox, 2003. P. 31). On an average, 37,500 guns are sold every day; of which, 17,800 are handguns. These sales are authorized by the law and they represent the fact that the number of gun owners is increasing in the United States every day. This situation enhances the threat of offenders acquiring guns purchased by the individuals, by either robbing or burglarizing these individuals. In 1994, approximately, 600,000 guns were stolen by criminals (The Nature of the Problem and Current Trends). It is very important, to stress that all gun owners are not psychologically abnormal people. They are not racists, anti-social elements or violent people. Gun ownership involves cultural patterns and hunting customs. These traditional customs have been handed down from generation to generation. Moreover, quite a few gun owners are trained from their childhood by their parents, as part of the tradition for recreational and hunting activities under the process of socialization. However, handgun owners who use them for defensive measures have not inherited any traditional gun handling methods (Kleck, 1991). Many modern handgun owners are not associated with any gun ownership tradition, and they lack training for handling guns safely. Therefore, defensive gun ownership is a purely individual approach. Handgun owners bear them, in order to gain protection from future or probable danger in their lives. Most of the defensive gun owners are of the opinion that the police may be unable to provide sufficient protection against crime to them. This perception brings to the fore the contention that fear is responsible for handgun ownership. It also reveals the fact that these owners lack emotional preparedness, in respect of future attacks or victimization (Kleck, 1991). Research studies in this area had discloses that the majority of homicides were committed by persons who had a criminal record. As such, in most instances of homicide there had been a preplanned intention to kill the victim. A large number of homicides are committed with handguns. For instance, in the year 2001, 49% of the homicides had been committed with handguns (Gun Homicides, 2003). Crimes involving the use of handguns contribute 86% of the entire firearm based crime and every sixth American owns a handgun (FBI Supplementary Homicide Report data, 1978-1997). Guns provide a measure of protection from potential crime against their owners, and the common perception is that gun owners can deter criminal attempts on them. Such possessors of guns can prevent or disrupt crimes taking place in their surroundings. Guns serve as violence reducing agents, and they promote a sense of danger among criminals who wish to perpetrate violence against the owner of a gun. On the other hand, a gun in the wrong hands would only serve to enhance violence. The traditional perception has been that weapons always induce violence; and that their use and possession increases chances of death or grievous injury to victims (Newton & Zimring, 1969). However, this perspective is limited and it would be more correct to recognize that weapons confer power upon their owners. This can be seen in the use of weaponry to achieve one’s goals by using guns to force others to comply with one’s demands. Thus, the use of guns is not necessarily to cause death or injury to the victim. There can other objectives, like extorting money, demanding respect, and humiliating or dominating the victim. The threat posed by a gun is usually sufficient to achieve these aims and seldom is there a need to cause death or injury to the victims. Hence, these threats are more effective than actual physical attack (Kleck, 1991). A major cause for deaths in the US is gun related. They cover all age groups, and approximately 19% of all injury deaths are gun related deaths. Gun related deaths were more numerous than those caused by motor accidents in three states and the District of Columbia in 1999. Of these deaths, nearly 57% of deaths caused by guns had been suicide cases and the other 38% of the deaths were homicidal deaths. Among these deaths, unintentional deaths accounted for three percent, in which 624 people were killed in the same year. Most of the victims were male adults and young people. Guns have been the second largest cause for deaths in the age group of 10 to 14 years. Furthermore, the gun related death rates in the age group ranging from 15 and 34 years, are more in males by seven times than those in females. Similarly, this is the same with young black males who are in the age range of 15 to 34 years. As such, gun related mortality in the United States is more than in any other developed nation (Moore, Feliciano, & Mattox, 2003. P 31). In the United States, handguns are widely used to kill others and from 1990 through 1997, handguns were the primary weapons that were used in all firearm homicides. The homicides perpetrated with handguns exceeded the number of murders caused by all other weapons combined together. In that period, the total deaths due to firearms were 2, 93, 781. Some of the causes for these deaths were homicide, suicide and accidental shooting (Hoyert & Kochanek, 1999). In the United States, there were more than a 1, 60, 000 homicides in that period, 1, 10, 000 firearm homicides, and 89, 000 homicides entailing the use of handguns (FBI Supplementary Homicide Report data, 1990-1997). There were nearly 30, 000 gun related homicides in the year 2004 in the United States. Of these, nearly 40% or 11, 624 had been murders for gain; 57% of the total gun deaths were suicides; accidental gun deaths were 649 or two percent; and gun related death, whose cause could not be ascertained, were below one percent or 235 (WISQARS, 2004). Among the total homicides in the year 2005, only 143 homicides were justified homicides, which were committed by private individuals using handguns in the US. It was reported that in 2004, that every day on an average nearly eight children and teenagers below the age of 19 years were murdered with guns. In the age group of 10 to 24 years, gun related homicide has been the second largest cause of death in 2004. For black people, in the age group of 15 to 34 years, gun related homicide was the major cause of such death. In the category of suicides with guns, from 1999 through 2004, the number of suicidal deaths per year was 916 among children and teenagers. Juvenile offenders below the age of 18 years have frequently, used guns to kill other people and they have killed 1, 621 people on an average, every year, between 1993 and 1997 (WISQARS, 2004). Household firearms serve as a major source of guns that can be accessed easily; and in the states that have highest number of household guns; the crime rate is three times more in comparison to states that have fewer firearm households. Female victims are most often killed inside the home with handguns located in the home; whereas, most male victims are killed outside their home. Several research studies have indicated that female victims are killed by persons closely associated with them like ex – boyfriends or separated spouses (Bryner, 2007). The popular gun culture is the major contributing factor for the extreme rate of homicide in the United States. It has become a part of American customs and second nature for most of the Americans. Most of them subscribe to the view that the US Constitution had bestowed them with the right to bear firearms through the Second Amendment. The National Rifle Association supported these claims and contended that this constitutional right could not be repealed by anyone (CRISSMAN & PARKIN). In the US, there is widespread domestic violence, which is usually combined with guns. The principal victims are women, and every day at least one woman falls victim to domestic violence, involving the use of handguns. Most of the women victims are killed by their spouses who employ handguns. These handgun deaths are more numerous than the deaths caused by knives or other weapons. Most of these women had been murdered by their close acquaintances and not strangers. One third of these women are murdered by their present spouses or by ex-spouses. In the year 2000, nearly 1,300 women were killed by their close acquaintances. In other words, more than three women were killed, per day in that year, by their intimate partners. Easy access to handguns intensifies the risk of homicide to women, subjected to domestic violence that is perpetrated by their intimate partner or ex-partner. The risk involved is five times greater than circumstances where there is no presence of firearms. Furthermore, offenders who hold guns are more prone to subject their partners to such serious crime (The Facts on Guns and Domestic Violence). More than 54% of the women murdered, in the year 2002, had been killed with handguns, which makes it evident that handguns are widely used in such crimes. Furthermore, men killed more women using handguns than women offenders killed men; and the ratio of women killed by men with handguns to the number of men killed by a woman with a handgun was 83 to 1. During the period between 1994 and 1998, there was sharp decline in applications for the purchase of handguns. This was due to an increased number of convictions and restraining orders imposed by the courts on offenders, proved guilty of domestic violence. However, between 1998 and 2001, nearly 2,800 persons, accused of domestic violence, were able to purchase guns by successfully circumventing the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (The Facts on Guns and Domestic Violence). Furthermore, 1,703 women had been killed with handguns in the year 2004. Of these 838 were white women, 601 were African American women and 210 were Hispanic women. 1,159 of these women had been killed by their close acquaintances. In contrast, as few as 179 men had been killed with handguns. Spouses and ex – spouses had killed these women with handguns. Among young women in the age group of 15 to 24, 182 African Americans and 67 Hispanics were killed with handguns (Guns and Domestic Violence). Handguns are widely used in the United States and either kill or cause severe injuries to the victim. There are new and innovative handgun models, incorporating sophisticated technology, which are powerful and concealable. These weapons are portable and thus can be carried around easily by the user. In the interest of the public health and in protecting public safety, the government is required to ban the sale, possession and use of handguns in the US, immediately. It was estimated that there are nearly 65 million handguns in use in the US and they accounted for 34% of the total firearms produced in the US (Cook & Ludwig, 1996). The American gun problem can be described as a handgun problem, because the latter claim more lives than any other weapon. Handguns such as pistols and revolvers are easily concealable, which makes their ownership for self-defense very attractive. This characteristic of handguns increased the risk of death or injuries to victims. Many public health professionals and consumer health and safety providers had called for an immediate ban on the production, sale and use of handguns in the US. At present, there are 65 million handguns in use in the US, and they constitute 34% of the total firearms produced in the US (Handgun Ban Backgrounder). Several research studies have indicated that handguns are employed largely, in comparison to other weapons, in homicides. Some of the reasons for this preference for handguns are that they are easy to conceal, smaller in size compared to other firearms, easily procurable, do not require any training for being used, can be used from a distance and bestow a tremendous sense of power on the possessor. List of References Bryant, C. D. (2003. P. 261). Handbook of Death & Dying. SAGE. ISBN: 0761925147. Gun Homicides. (2003, July 25). Retrieved August 10, 2008, from http://www.guncite.com/gun_control_gcgvmurd.html Handgun Ban Backgrounder. (n.d.). Retrieved August 10, 2008, from http://www.vpc.org/fact_sht/hgbanfs.htm Iadicola, P., & Shupe, A. D. (2003. Pp. 106 – 107). Violence, inequality, and human freedom. Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN: 0742519244. Kleck, G. (1991). Guns and Violence: A Summary of the Field. Retrieved August 09, 2008, from http://www.catb.org/~esr/guns/point-blank-summary.html Moore, E. E., Feliciano, D. V., & Mattox, K. L. (2003. P. 31). Trauma. McGraw-Hill Professional. ISBN: 0071370692. The Facts on Guns and Domestic Violence. (n.d.). Retrieved August 10, 2008, from Family Violence Prevention Fund: http://endabuse.org/resources/facts/Guns.pdf The Nature of the Problem and Current Trends. (n.d.). Retrieved August 10, 2008, from http://ojjdp.ncjrs.org/pubs/gun_violence/sect01.html Read More