Gun Control
Definition of the Problem (Gun Control)
In America as well as other parts of the world, the role played by guns in committing violent acts, and what must be done in this regard, is a hotly debated topic. However, some facts are incontestable. Over 31,000 individuals sustained gunshot injuries in the year 2010, in America. As these victims are mostly youths, gun violence can be considered as one among the primary reasons for premature deaths in the U.S. Apart from mortal wounds, there were, in the same year, approximately 337,960 non-fatal acts of violence perpetrated with the use of guns; emergency departments of American hospitals received 73,505 cases of nonfatal wounds made by guns. The economic and social costs associated with gun violence are also huge, in the U.S. (Webster, 2013)
However, ironically, in spite of gun violence's colossal impact, a majority of public discussions in regard to gun policy revolve only around mass shooting incidents in public sites. Usually, these tragic and shocking incidents are presented as random violent acts that can neither be predicted nor prevented, perpetrated by persons with severe mental ailment. Cosequently, anybody who sees, hears, or reads gun policy-related media reports may infer the following: (1) principle concerns are mass shootings, weapons used for assault, and mentally unstable people; (2) regulations for gun control disarm honest and respectable citizens, but have no effect on lawbreakers' accessibility to weapons; (3) no evidence exists regarding whether or not gun control regulations are effective; and (4) society doesn't show sufficient interest and enthusiasm in strengthening existing gun regulations. Still, facts (backed by proofs) contradict all the above misperceptions. As indicated in the essay by Miller and colleagues (2002), gun accessibility significantly elevates risks of death by violence in the U.S., as a number of violent acts committed by guns involve impulsive altercations leading to lethal wounds or death, if guns can be easily accessed. Vittes and coworkers (2012) elucidate, in their demand for enhancing disqualifying conditions to possess firearms, that this holds true particularly when the conflicts involve people with a history of committing crime, domestic violence perpetrators, youth, and substance abusers (Webster, 2013).
America is not the only country plagued by mass shooting incidents, or addressing a prevalent issue of gun violence. There have been mass shooting incidents in Scotland, Dunblane, and Tasmania's Port Arthur, giving rise to significant changes in UK's and Australia's gun laws. Brazil was known for having one of the world's highest gun violence rates; here, too, massive alterations in gun laws brought about reduced violence rates. While bans on specific handguns (such as in Britain) or mass buybacks and bans of particular long guns (such as in Australia) will not likely happen in America, researchers did review the lessons which may be learnt by American lawmakers and advocates, from the success of other countries, in this respect. For several years, some groups maintain that the American Constitution's Second Amendment is a barrier to a majority of gun laws. Another key factor, which contributes to any specific evidence-based rule becoming a law is public opinion (Webster, 2013).
Thesis Statement: In America, guns can be uniquely accessed, when compared with other developed countries of the modern worlds, and hence, the U.S., has the highest global murder rate, by far (Kates & Mauser, n.d.)
Trading of guns in secret has emerged in America as a response to laws by the federal government forbidding possession and ownership of firearms by a specific population group believed to have an excessively high likelihood of misusing them -- i.e., chiefly youngsters and adults having serious criminal history -- while maintaining convenient access for all others (Cook, Ludwig, Venkatesh, & Braga, 2007). Since long, global comparison and evidence have, been testament to the belief that "more weapons" implies "more deaths"; therefore, "fewer weapons" implies "fewer deaths." Ever since 1965, at the very least, the false claim that America is the developed country characterized by the highest global murder rate, remains a myth created by politically-driven Soviet minimization aimed at hiding actual homicide rates. Well before 1965, extremely strict Soviet gun controls were established by a state policing system providing rigorous enforcement. The success of that regime may be understood through the fact that even to this day, there are very few civilians in Russia who possess firearms; also, very few homicides involve guns. Nevertheless, obvious success in ensuring that its citizens remain disarmed has not prevented Russia from being at the top of the list of developed nations with the highest global murder rates. During the sixties and early seventies, rates of Russian murder cases without...
GUN CONTROL & PUSH FOR GUN CONTROL Surname The research paper is on gun control and the push for gun control. To respond to the topic the paper first lays down in the first paragraph basic concepts of the gun control ideals and the pro-gun movement. The introduction explores the basic tenets and motivations of the pro-gun and gun control activists in America. The paper uses the motivation and opposition of both
Furthermore, it is suggested that the roots of the problem lie deeper than the superficial debate about gun control. In sociological terms, this problem is to do with the lack of meaning and the breakdown of inherent normative structures. In this sense the debate about gun control should be seen against the underlying background of these sociological issues. Even if a compromise was be reached about whether or not to
Crime rates do not drop with restrictions on gun control because crimes have been shown to be intent driven rather than means driven. Which simply means that those who are interested in committing crimes will usually do so given any access or restrictions standards? It is evident from this analysis that guns have little impact upon crime rates. However, gun control advocacies use misinformation to present a dangerous position
As a consequence, it is difficult to conclude that strict liabilities for gun owners (a la LaFollette) represent and appropriate and reasoned response. "Gun ownership fails to clearly possess any of the three characteristics of ultra-hazardous activities." It fails to be an activity that is not commonly done, that necessarily involves a risk of serious harm, and that cannot be made safe even with extreme care (Hunt, 2001: p.
Gun Control in United States Gun control Gun control is a particularly controversial topic in the contemporary society, as especially in the U.S. people have been accustomed to living in a culture focused on guns. Factors like the Second Amendment in the Bill of Rights influenced people to identify with an environment that is widely supportive with regard to the masses having access to guns. The U.S.' history made it possible for
4% of that group favored current policies. However, support for the current policies grew in the senior group, with 41.2% of people over age 65 supporting the current gun control policies. Gender Gender was one area where stereotypes proved to be very reliable at predicting a person's attitude towards gun control. The hypothesis was that females would be much greater advocates of gun control than men, and the results reflected that they
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