Free Essays on Gun Control
Controversies over gun control policies can be traced back to the early 1930's. Presently, in the year 2007, these issues continue to play a role in our society. The importance of gun control to Americans has actually declined from 3% to 1%; however, the effect it has on our nation is as crucial as ever. In 1997, 10,369 of 15,289 murders were committed with firearms. This should not be a surprise considering that as of 1994, 31% (59,100,000) of adults in the U.S. owned a gun and 49% (47,600,000) of all households held a gun. Strong supporters of gun control are few. They believe "that right does not extend to ownership of military-style firearms that are otherwise known as assault weapons" (Gun Control vs. Gun Rights). However, on the other side, "gun rights groups argue that these and other proposals infringe on the constitutional rights of law-abiding citizens" (Gun Control vs. Gun Rights). These groups are very passionate about their ownership rights and raise far more money than the advocates of gun control. The largest gun rights lobbying organization in the United States is the National Rifle Association. "From 1997 through 1998, their political action committee gave $1,330,111 to Republicans and $285,700 to Democrats." During that same period of time, the largest gun control lobbying organization's, the Handgun Control, Inc., "political action committee gave $136,892 to Democrats and $9,500 to Republicans." Gun control policies are for the benefit of all citizens and should be enforced throughout the country as well as the rest of the world.
The problem with guns
Arguments regarding gun rights tend to ultimately lead to the Constitution. The Second Amendment of the Constitution 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 original intent and purpose of the Second Amendment was to preserve and guarantee, not grant, the pre-existing right of individuals to keep and bear arms” (Original Intent and Purpose of the Second Amendment). The amendment refers to the necessity of a militia; however, it was not intended for it to be a condition under which people were given the right to bear arms. “Gun rights proponents have argued that the use of the word "Militia" in this Amendment, refers not to the State National Guard Units, but to the citizens of the United States” (Gun Control) “It was meant to preserve and guarantee an individual right for a collective purpose” (Original Intent and Purpose of the Second Amendment). The framers meant to use the preservation of the people's rights to bear arms as a way to make certain that a well-regulated militia will continue to exist, which was one of their sole purposes of creating the amendment. Although “there is no contrary evidence from the writings of the Founding Fathers, early American legal commentators, or pre-twentieth century Supreme Court decisions, indicating that the Second Amendment was intended to apply solely to members of an active militia” (Original Intent and Purpose of the Second Amendment). “Gun control proponents have argued that the use of the word "people" in this Amendment, refers not to the civilian population of the United States, but to the State National Guard Units” (Gun Control). Based on these findings, people have come to the understanding that the Second Amendment grants them to the right to keep and bear arms as they please and use them whenever necessary.
It is due to this understanding that so many gun related problems have arisen. Based on collected data, it has been found that “in the United States during 1997, there were 15,289 murders. Of these, 10,369 were committed with firearms” (Gun Control). In addition to that “there were approximately 7,927,000 violent crimes” and “of these, 691,000 were committed with firearms” (Gun Control). It is obvious that even though restrictions on guns may not have entirely prevented the deaths and injuries, there would have been a huge decrease in these numbers if there actually were stricter gun control policies. In another finding, it states that “in 2002, 1,202 women were killed by their intimate partners, accounting for 30% of all murders of women and of that 1,202, 58% were killed by guns” (Gun politics). If guns were not easily available at a time were intense emotions were at play, it is very likely that these women would still be alive today. People tend to reach for the fastest solutions to their problems, but if a certain solution was not a possibility, it would not be thought of or gone to. One would simply be forced to think more, which may possibly cause more danger, but more likely give the person some time to rethink their plans and be much calmer. Researchers have found that “Americans use firearms to defend themselves from criminals at least 764,000 times a year. This figure is the lowest among a group of 9 nationwide surveys done by organizations including Gallup and the Los Angeles Times” (Gun Control). In other conducted researches, such as one in 1982, it was found from a survey that “of imprisoned criminals found that 34% of them had been `scared off, shot at, wounded or captured by an armed victim'” (Gun Control). Study shows that despite the fact that guns are not accessible to juveniles, they are most likely to posse guns (Firearms and Crime Statistics). It was found that “about 6,000 children were caught with guns at school in 1997 and 1998,” which makes it no surprise that “in October of 1997, sixteen-year-old Luke Woodham stabbed his mother to death and then went to school with a rifle where he shot 9 students, killing 2 of them. Assistant Principal Joel Myrick raced to his car, retrieved a .45 caliber handgun, and used it to subdue Woodham until police arrived” (Gun Control). It seems as though guns are the leading cause of violent crimes. “From 1982 to 1993, of the 687 officers who were killed by firearms,” were killed with firearms, “other than their own guns” (U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics). Between 1985 to 1994, the FBI reported 274,000 stolen guns. “The Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services studied 844 homicides that occurred in 18 jurisdictions from 1989 through 1991. Firearms were identified as the murder weapon in 600 cases” (U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics). “The FBI's Supplemental Homicide Reports show that in 1993 57% of all murders were committed with handguns, 3% with rifles, 5% with shotguns, and 5% with firearms where the type was unknown” and even though we have strict rules for attaining a gun, in the survey for the National Crime Victimization Survey, over 400,000 victims faced an offender with a gun (U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics). Yet sadly, since 1973, over 40 million handguns have been produced and been accessible to the public, studies showing both adult and juvenile criminals have stolen, possessed, sold, or traded a stolen firearm. (U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics)