Analysis of proposed legislation - Essay Example

Analysis of proposed legislation Illegal possession and use of guns in the United s is a fundamental social issue that that continues to deteriorate the state of security in the country. As such, the country’s lawmakers continue to develop varied legislations that try to control the possession and use of guns in the country. Among the latest bills, is HB 1562 sponsored by Kratky Michele and co-sponsored by McDonald, Tom. The bill seeks to strengthen the existing legislations governing the use of guns in the country by introducing unique yet related features to the legislation.

The bill claims that an individual automatically commits a crime of illegal use of firearms if he or she possesses a gun while in possession of a specific amount of a controlled substance in the country. The bill is categorical and appropriate since it makes appropriate propositions that will govern the use of firearms while strengthening other existing laws that control specific substances (Webster and Jon 32). Drug abuse for example is another closely related legal aspect the bill seeks to curb.

The government has categorized numerous types of drugs as controlled substances. Such drugs as cocaine, marijuana and heroin among others are example of controlled substances. Besides the hard drugs, the government regulates the use of other medicinal drugs often proposing for prescription before any form if over the counter purchase of such drugs. Such stringent legislations are responsible for the growing illegal trade on different types of drugs in the country. Drug peddling is a major social menace responsible for the rising crime rate and extrajudicial killings in the country.

Drug peddlers operate in effectively structured syndicates characterized by heightened conflicts most of which result in violent use of both legal and illegal guns in the country. This validates the unique features of the law that seeks to control the use of firearms by associating guns to drugs among other types of controlled substances in the country. The bill will criminalize being in possession of a legal firearm while in possession of a specified amount of a type of controlled substance.

Such is an appropriate clause that will help curb the rising number of gun violence in the country since some of the people implicated in both drug business and gun violence are always reputable business people with legal firearms. Without the bill, such individuals may readily use their guns to settle conflicts arising from the sale and use of rugs in the country. Proponents of the bill often cite the close relationship between gun violence and drug sale and use in the country. Those opposing the bill on the other hand claim that the United States has numerous laws governing both the possession of guns and drug use a feature that makes the bill redundant.

Additionally, the specified amount of controlled substances is yet another contentious clause of the bill since all controlled substances are illegal and harmful. Determining the amount in the bill thus elicits contentions from both sides of the floor. The bill will receive support and opposition from different pressure groups depending on the inclination of their interests on the issue. Work citedWebster, Daniel W, and Jon S. Vernick. Reducing Gun Violence in America: Informing Policy with Evidence and Analysis.

Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2013. Print.