Right To Bear Arms Essay Research Paper

Right To Bear Arms Essay, Research Paper

Right to Bear Arms

Americans are faced with an ever-growing problem of violence. Our streets have become a battleground where the elderly are beaten for their social security checks, where women are viciously attacked and raped, and where children are caught in the crossfire of drive-by shootings. The damage that these criminals are doing to our society cannot be ignored. However, the effort by some misguided individuals to eliminate the legal ownership of firearms does not address the real problem at hand. Making firearms illegal simply disarms the innocent law-abiding citizens who are most in need of a form of self-defense. Gun control activists such as the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence (CSGV), attempt to reduce crime by regulating firearm ownership and use, but organizations like the National Rifle Association (NRA) objects to the inconvenience that these laws may cause to law-abiding citizens that buy or own guns. All factions in this debate have some good points. Every organization, whether for gun control or against, use a mixture of facts, figures, and emotions to express their views. Although gun control activists and their opponents go head to head with gun control issues, research and statistics of gun control, crime rate, and the Second Amendment prove that citizens should have the right to bear arms.

Gun control enthusiasts want to take away guns in order to abolish crimes and gun related deaths completely. They attempt to banish crime by regulating firearm ownership and use through legislation. An example of these regulations includes the Brady Law , which was implemented in 1994. This law consists of waiting periods and criminal background checks. The waiting period allows for a cooling-off time to help eliminate crimes of passion. Another illustration of an attempt to banish crime is the Assault Weapons Ban , which is aimed to keep dangerous and deadly assault rifles off the streets and make them harder to find. The Right-To-Carry Law is also an endeavor that requires certain criteria to be met before a permit can be issued to carry a handgun. Proponents of gun control also contest the use of firearms for self-defense. Nisbet asserts, The use of firearms for self-protection is more likely to lead to a serious accident or death among family and friends than to the death of an intruder (Nisbet, 215). An example of this sort of accident would be if a child finds a gun and accidentally shoots someone, or when a criminal takes the gun away from the owner and kills the owner with his own gun. Since legislation controls firearm ownership and use, the laws governing gun control are enforced more, therefore, there are more prosecutions taking place. Another shady area concerns the Second Amendment. Gun control activists seem to have a problem with the words militia and people. Advocates say these two words are directed to the State National Guard Units and not to the civilian population. In brief, gun control activists claim that armed forces are the only persons that should be allowed to own and operate firearms.

Today s gun control activists work hard to pass legislation to keep guns away from criminals. One of the laws passed is the Brady Bill. This law is an attempt to keep potential hotheads from immediately acquiring a gun to harm or even kill someone. The waiting periods and background checks are good, but a special crime rate study done by John Lott states that there were no overall beneficial effects of the waiting period on violent crime rates (Gun Control, 3). While longer waiting periods and thorough background checks make it more difficult for minors, drug addicts, and people with mental deficiencies to attain guns; these measures would not prevent people who wish to obtain a weapon from getting one. Criminals will continue to violate laws, and they will continue to carry their firearms. Another effort of the gun control lobby is to banish assault weapons. The Assault Weapons Ban is an effort to keep civilians from manufacturing, possessing, or importing semi-automatic rifles. An assault weapon is a semi-automatic rifle with a detachable magazine. The rifle cannot have a bayonet mount, a pistol grip, a grenade launcher, or a threaded barrel. These rifles are considered evil and they create murderers. The information that the gun control advocates are conveying is wrong. According to the NRA, Assault weapons were involved in less than 1% of homicides before the assault weapons ban took effect in 1994. The same is true as of 1998 (Gun Control, 4). Assault weapons have always been difficult to apprehend. Even through underground channels, criminals have limited access to assault weapons. These statistics indicate that assault weapons were never an issue to begin with. The Right-To-Carry Law is another law of controversy. This law requires law enforcement agencies to issue handgun permits to all that qualify. Qualifications involve a clean criminal record and the completion of a firearm safety course. Gun control proponents argue that carrying a gun promotes crime. The NRA fact card concerning Florida statistics rebuts this information. In 1987, Florida adopted a Right-To-Carry Law. Between 1987 and 1996, homicide rates dropped 36%, firearm homicide rates dropped 37%, and handgun homicide rates dropped 41% (Gun Control, 3). A criminal is less likely to rob or harm an individual if he or she feels th