Gun Control in the United States - Essay Example

Gun Control in the United s Gun Control in the United s Current trends in the U.S legislature ought to give advocates of gun control reason for worry. Presently, every state permits people to carry arms in some public places. In addition, the past year alone has seen 21 states enacting legislation to expand gun owners’ rights (The New York Times, 2014). In some states such as Georgia, the process to pass legislation permitting licensed gun owners to carry arms in public places such as bars, educational institutions and airports, is already in motion (The New York Times, 2014). This may be an indicator that perhaps, the efforts of pro-gun forces in ensuring passage of gun-friendly legislation are yielding fruits. They insist that strict regulations on gun ownership are not the solution to high crime rates. They point out that, since the 1997 ban on handguns in England, crime rates have more than doubled (Malcolm, 2003 as cited in Mackey & Levan, 2011). What has triggered this flurry of activity geared towards permitting people to carry guns in public places? Bruce & Wilcox (1998), note that in the U.S, when citizens learn of death occasioned by a gun attack, many believe that they stand a chance to survive such an incidence if they have a firearm. Pro-gun forces counter any criticism to gun-friendly legislation by pointing out that the government needs not worry about law abiding citizens who voluntarily go to have their backgrounds checked so as to acquire a gun license, but rather, the criminals who have no business in abiding by the law. Gun rights activists argue that law-abiding citizens carrying concealed guns may be able to save lives due to the history of mass shootings in the U.S. According to the Wall Street Journal (2012), in December 2007, there were 7000 people inside the new life church in Colorado Springs when an armed man stormed: He killed two people and wounded many others. What prevented him from killing and wounding more was a congregant who had permission to carry her licensed concealed gun in church property. On the other hand, advocates of gun control argue that even law-abiding citizens with authorization to carry weapons can lose their temper, with fatal results. Such a scenario is portrayed in a teenager succumbed to gunshot wounds after a dispute over loud music (The New York Times, 2014). In an attempt to neutralize the strength of the pro-gun forces, advocates of gun control have been developing initiatives to make the battle in the legislature more vicious. In April 2014, billionaire Michael Bloomberg announced plans to inject $50 million of his personal income into an initiative seeking to combat the electoral influence of the National Rifle Association-NRA (Aljazeera America, 2014). The NRA states that it seeks to protect the freedom of law-abiding individuals to buy, own and use firearms for legal purposes (NRA-ILA, 1975). Its mantra is the second amendment’s statement- “the right of the people to keep and bear arms” (Mackey & Levan, 2011). Its members argue that limiting the gun rights of law-abiding citizens puts criminals, who obviously have no regard to the law, at a position of advantage. Bloomberg’s initiative, dubbed “Everytown for Gun Safety”, directs its attention to state and local legislators (Aljazeera America, 2014). Having identified that lobbies like NRA spend millions of dollars each year to back pro-gun supporters in the legislature, Bloomberg’s group plans to balance this influence through the use of campaign donations, advertising and field operations (Aljazeera America, 2014). In an attempt at limiting access to guns by criminals, the initiative will be more attentive on the expansion of background checks on those buying guns rather than sweeping weapon bans at the federal level (Aljazeera America, 2014). The advocacy group hopes to put pressure on government, both at the state and national levels to impose stricter controls on gun owners. Commentators in Bloomberg’s camp argue that there is a correlation between high murder rates and easy access to guns. Citing Mother & Jones, who have tracked and mapped every shooting spree in America in the last three decades, Klein (2012) notes that, in most of these mass shootings, the killers had obtained their weapons legally. Furthermore, even when unable to obtain weapons legally, criminals are known to develop ingenious means of acquiring guns. In the recent Kansas shootings, the suspect- Frazier Glenn Cross- enlisted the services of a middleman; a law abiding citizen with a clean record. The middle man would buy the guns legally then sell or lend them to Cross in order to aid him evade federal background checks (CNN.com, 2014). Anti-gun activists thus use this case to advance the argument that stricter gun restriction laws are necessary even for people with a non-criminal background. According to CNN.com (2014), the Kansas shootings occurred in public places. Perhaps this ought to serve as a wake-up call to legislators on the need for review of legislation permitting guns in public places. Research questions on gun control in the U.S Given America’s history of repeated mass shootings and its rich ‘gun culture’, there exists a need to get an understanding of the public’s view on gun control legislation in 21st century America. The research questions also seek to get the public understanding of the relationship between gun control and safer communities. To achieve this goal, the questions posed to the respondents are; 1). Is the government justified in imposing gun restrictions on individuals? 2). Does the passage of legislation expanding gun ownership rights promote safety? 1) Is the government justified in imposing gun restrictions on individuals? Mary* notes that since the government has a responsibility to protect its citizens, then it ought to possess influence on how guns are accessed. Such influence will then lead to safer communities. Ali* noted that attempts by the government to involve itself in controlling gun ownership amounts to an invasion of people’s civil liberties. He added that stricter gun controls infringe on people’s right to self-defense. Jane* answered that the government ought to stamp its authority by passing stricter restrictions on gun ownership. Pointing to the case of the Kansas shooting suspect, she argued that universal restriction on gun ownership is necessary since criminals have shown a tendency to use people with a clean background to acquire guns. David* endorsed gun restrictions by the government. He argued that the government is the custodian of public order. Therefore, people who own and carry guns ought to understand that doing so is a privilege, not right. The government has the right to withdraw or restrict that privilege at whichever point it finds that doing so will be for the greater public benefit. He further stated that the government ought to do all within its might to keep guns out of the hands of criminals. Jill* argued that the government ought to pass legislation with conditions for tougher background checks on potential gun owners. He argues that universal background checks help in making difficult process of acquiring guns for people with a criminal record. 2). Does the passage of legislation expanding gun ownership rights promote safety? Emma* answered in the negative, stating that a heavily armed society poses a serious risk to the spirit of co-existence. Minor arguments between people authorized to carry guns may turn emotional and escalate to shootings thus causing death. Simon* stated that people needed guns in order to protect themselves and their families in case of attack by criminals. The government, therefore, ought to give greater access to guns to the public. Clinton* answering in the affirmative argued that stricter restrictions on gun ownership do not necessarily translate to safer communities. Jermaine* answered that expanding rights of gun owners will translate to more people having guns. More guns will lead to more murders. Paying reference to the Sandy Hook massacre, Damon* stated that permitting people to carry concealed weapons may be the solution to dealing the mass shootings. Overall, majority of the respondents agreed that guns are necessary for personal safety. In referring to the constitutional provision that guarantees the right to bear arms, it is clear that most of the respondents view the gun as a crucial tool for self defense. They seem to place personal safety first and thus will not let the fear of rising crime override their concerns about civil liberties. However, most of the respondents seem to agree on the need for the government to pass legislation necessitating strict background checks for potential gun owners. This shows that the public is concerned about the consequences of a heavily armed society. Responses from those interviewed also indicate that the correct way to deal with mass shootings in America is by passing legislation allowing carrying of concealed guns in public places. No respondent raised the issue of the mental health of mass killers. This is perhaps an indicator of majority of the American public’s love affair with guns. While it is true that members of the public carrying concealed weapons have been able to stop killers from doing serious damage, it is also beneficial to note that most of those executing mass shootings suffer from mental health issues. Government investment in a better mental health care system may help solve this problem. On the whole, most Americans seem to agree that a total ban on private gun possession will do no right to the country. The problem, for decades, has been on how far the rights of gun owners ought to stretch. In developing legislation on gun control, the government ought to consider the delicate balance between the right to bear arms and the right to life. If the U.S is to reduce the number of deaths caused by firearms, legislation necessitating tough background checks for gun buyers is necessary. *names of respondents have been altered for the purposes of this research References Aljazeera America. (2014). Bloomberg Takes Aim at Gun Lobby with $50million Advocacy Group. Retrieved from http://america.aljazeera.com/articles/2014/4/16/bloomberg-guns-nra.html. Bruce, M. John, Wilcox, Clyde. (1998). The Changing Politics of Gun Control. Lanhan, M.D: Rowman & Littlefield. Buchsbaum, Herbert. (2014, March 24). Amid Wave of Pro-Gun Legislation, Georgia Proposes Sweeping Law. The New York Times. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/25/us/amid-wave-of-pro-gun-legislation-georgia-proposes-sweeping-law.html?_r=3.. CNN.com. (2014). Alleged Kansas Jewish Center Gunman Charged with Murder. Retrieved from http://edition.cnn.com/2014/04/15/us/kansas-jewish-center-shooting/index.html. Klein, Ezra. (2014, December 12). Twelve facts about guns and mass shootings in the United States. The Washington post. Retrieved from http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2012/12/14/nine-facts-about-guns-and-mass-shootings-in-the-united-states/. Mackey, A. David & Levan, Kristine. (2011). America’s Gun Culture. Crime prevention. Sudbury, MA: Jones & Bartlett. National Rifle Association. (2014). NRA-Institute for Legal Action. Retrieved from http://www.nraila.org/. Read More