control is an action of the government that is supposed to reduce crime.
Congress has passed many laws on this subject and there really has not been an
effect. Gun control has been a controversial issue for years, but the citizens
of the United States have a right to own guns and the Constitution states that.
On the government's path to control guns they created the Brady Act. Handgun
Control Incorporated is the major organization for lobbying, and introducing
legislation on gun control. It is headed by Sarah Brady, wife of former White
House Press Secretary James Brady. James Brady was shot during an attempt on
President Reagan's life in 1981. Sarah is the one responsible for introducing
this bill. This bill was supposed to stop criminals from obtaining guns. If an
individual wants a firearm bad enough, chances are they will get one (Brennen
and Polsby). All it does Is prevent honest people from being able to purchase
guns. The person purchasing the gun has to wait for two week while the
government performs a background check. The problem with this is it stops the
average citizen from purchasing a gun on the whim, while it protects the common
criminal. What if a burglar enters a house with full intention to maim or kill?
The innocent victim can not get a gun to protect his family because he was
arrested seven years ago for drunk driving (Larson). According to the General
Accounting Office, in the first seventeen months of the law's existence only
seven criminals were convicted for attempting to buy a handgun. Banning more and
more guns may reduce gun violence, but it will not eliminate guns from society
and will only lead to more and bigger problems. While continuing to take more
freedom away from the American people. Gun control laws do not prevent little
kids from using guns and harming people. Violent video games help children with
their marksmanship and to get over their fear of shooting someone. Parents of
three slain girls in the Heath School shootings are going after the
manufacturers. They feel that violent video games are partially responsible for
their children's death. They claim that the video game taught the shooter how to
be an excellent marksman. The boy had never used a gun, but was skilled enough
to hit eight moving targets in only eight shots (Prichard). Another fact that
backs up the parent's belief is that of military training. Each year billions of
dollars are spent to train police and the military how to shoot. Video
simulation is the best way to help overcome the natural resistance that most
people have about shooting someone. Studies show that people are extraordinary
susceptible to programming. One main difference between military training and
video games is that military instructions are constantly pausing the action and
where the video game is in constant action (Blakemore). There is no direct
relationship between the number of guns and the amount of crime in the United
States. Between 1973 and 1992, the rate of gun ownership increased by forty-five
percent while the homicide rate during that period fell by nearly ten percent.
Even with the increasing number of guns in society the homicide rate decreased,
highlighting that guns are not the root of the problem, people are. Guns do not
kill people, people kill people. Guns do not work as self-protection against
criminals. Guns are just as valuable to civilians as they are to police
officers. As many as sixty-five lives are protected by guns for every life lost
to a gun. Every year potential victims kill between two thousand and three
thousand criminals, and wound an additional nine thousand to seventeen thousand.
Private citizens mistakenly kill innocent people only thirty times a year,
compared to about three hundred and ten mistaken killings by police. Criminals
succeed in taking a gun away from an armed victim less than one percent of the
time. Gun control laws are needed to prevent the purchase of saturday night
specials and assault weapons. Criminals generally prefer larger caliber and more
expensive handguns (Brennen and Polsby). President Clinton proposed a
restriction on armor piercing ammo. However, the FBI reported that sixty-eight
percent of officers killed were not wearing a vest. Of those killed wearing a
vest ninety-five percent were shot in unprotected areas. Many people like to use
guns for recreation use. The NRA, National Rifle Association, even has its own
hunting magazines. These magazines are the American Hunter and American
Rifleman. Hunting is a great sport and with these new gun control laws it is
harder and harder for good citizens to buy guns for recreation. Hunting is not
only a sport but also a hobby. Target shooting is even part of the Olympics.
Another thing people use guns for is target practice. This is mostly for
personal safety. The better marksman you are the easier it is to protect
yourself. Some people even like to shoot targets for fun. The government has no
right to take away hobbies from the American people, especially if its not
hurting anyone. The government keeps chipping away at our right as American
citizens by imposing gun control legislation. There are several major anti-gun
control groups. These groups include the National Rifle Association (NRA) and
the Gun Owners of America (GOA). The National Rifle Association is a national
group dedicated to the upholding of the Second Amendment of the Constitution. In
their magazines, American Hunter and American Rifleman, they say, "The
National Rifleman Association believes that every law-abiding citizen is
entitled to the ownership and legal use of firearms." The National Rifleman
Association does many things to help display their beliefs and persuades others
to their beliefs. This association also has a strong influence on legislation,
because it has many lobbyists and supporters in government. This group has many
members in Congress, and former presidents George Bush and Ronald Reagan are NRA
members. The Gun Owners of America is another group that is against gun control.
The Gun Owners of America preserves and defends the rights of gun owners through
legislation. They publish books, articles, and videos on gun issues and how
those issues affect people. They also conduct seminars for the press and
Congress about issues on the Second Amendment, and gun issues. The GOA opposes
bans on semiautomatic weapons, armor piercing ammunition, and handguns. The
Second Amendment states that, "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 functions of the militia as stated in Article
1, Section 8, clause 15 of the Constitution are to execute the Laws of the
Union, suppress insurrections, and repel invasions. If we allow the government
to regulate and ban the only effective method of defense the people have, then
on that day this country will no longer be one ruled by the people and for the
people, but instead one that has surrendered all its power to the government.
With the apparent failure of gun laws one could agree that more is not the
answer. Banning guns will not solve the crime problem it will only change the
method. If guns are not available then another weapon will be used or an older
gun. Simple laws will not stop a person who is determined to cause someone harm.
This is why people should be allowed to own and carry guns. This allows them to
protect themselves from those kinds of people. Proper education in school and
other places to teach how to use a gun and to respect guns as a dangerous weapon
is what is needed to reduce gun violence in the future. If we allow the
government to ban guns the American people will be defenseless and powerless to
stop the government from taking over or to stop an outside invasion if either
were to occur. This country was born because the citizens were armed and could
fight for themselves. How can we remove the very object that helped give our
country its freedom?