Gun Control
A gun is a mechanical device that expels a projectile. In most cases the
projectile is a gyroscopically stabilized bullet which can accurately travel a
large distance. Most guns burn solid propellants to produce high-pressure gas,
which drives the projectile through the barrel. Guns have been used for hundreds
of years in the history of our world and nation. Although, gun control has been
a major debating issue during the past few decades. On one side there are those
who completely agree with the control laws and on the other there are those who
oppose gun control laws. Gun control opponents provide many uses for a gun, such
as the second amendment, self-defense, hunting, or target practice. The second
amendment preserves the right to own a gun, which 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.” One does not have to
belong to a well-regulated militia in order to have the right to keep and bear
arms. The militia clause is merely one, and not the only, rationale for
preserving the right. The founders were expressing a preference for a militia
over a standing army. Even if today's well-regulated militia is the National
Guard, the Second Amendment still protects an individual right to keep and bear
arms. There are approximately two million defensive gun uses per year by
law-abiding citizens. That was one of the findings in a national survey
conducted by Gary Kleck, a Florida State University criminologist in 1998. Kleck
also analyzed data from the Department of Justice where he found victims that
defended themselves with a gun against a robbery or an assault had the least
chance of being injured, or of having the crime completed. Doing nothing, trying
to escape, reasoning with the offender, or physical resistance, other than with
a gun, all had higher probabilities of injury and crime completion. Using more
recent data, Lawrence Southwick Jr. found that victims using guns were
consistently less likely to lose cash or other property than other victims, and
also establishing that this was true regardless of what weaponry was possessed
or used by the offenders.
Another study also found that burglaries in which
victims resisted with guns were far less likely to be completed. Other uses for
a gun may include hobbies like target practicing and hunting. There are many
shooting ranges in our nation where hundreds of people go to everyday to learn
how to use gun or simply for the experience. Also, hunting has been part of our
history for years. Hunting was used to as a food source and now it has become a
tradition for many people. On the other side of the debate are gun control
advocates who provide many reasons for their stand. On July 19, 1999 California
Governor Gray Davis signed two of the toughest gun laws in the country: the
nation’s strongest ban on assault weapons and ammunition magazines and a measure
to stop gun traffickers by limiting gun buyers to no more than one handgun per
month. Davis, like other successful state candidates, campaigned extensively in
support of responsible gun control laws during his 1998 bid for the
governorship, after former Governor Pete Wilson vetoed several gun control
bills. California voters elected solid gun control majorities in both houses of
the legislature. Every day in America, 13 young people aged 19 and under are
killed in gun homicides, suicides and unintentional shootings and many more are
wounded. The scourge of gun violence frequently attacks the most helpless
members of our society -- our children. Children can be their own worst
enemy-especially when a gun is involved. Only 16 states have any sort of Child
Access Prevention law. In most states there are no laws requiring proper storage
of firearms. Loaded, unlocked guns present an irresistible temptation to curious
children. Guns kept in the home for self-protection are 43 times more likely to
kill a family member or friend than to kill in self-defense. The presence of a
gun in the home triples the risk of homicide in the home.
Three fifths of all
U.S. suicides involve firearms. In 1997 alone, 35,957 Americans were killed with
firearms, in homicides, suicides, and accidents. In comparison, 33,651 Americans
were killed in the Korean War and 58,148 Americans were killed in the Vietnam
War. According to Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics, 1998, two
in 25 high school students, that is 7.9 percent, reported having carried a gun
in the last 30 days. A survey of 11th graders in the Seattle public schools
during the winter of 1997-98 found six percent of males had carried a handgun to
school; one-third of students reported easy access to handguns; and 6.4 percent
reported owning handguns. One-third of handgun owners had fired at someone. In
1998, handguns were used to murder 2 people in New Zealand, 15 in Japan, 30 in
Great Britain, 106 in Canada, 213 in Germany and 9,390 in the United States.
Although, since there is a seemingly equal side to both sides of the gun control
issue, gun control advocates and opponents are currently fighting for their
belief. Gun control advocates find themselves at a crossroads. We can continue
to push legislation of dubious effectiveness or we can acknowledge that gun
violence is a public-health crisis fueled by an inherently dangerous consumer
product. To end the crisis, we have to regulate--or, in the case of handguns and
assault weapons, completely ban--the product. The myths attached to gun
ownership stop many people from thinking of them as a consumer product. As a
result, the standard risk analysis applied to other dangerous
products--pesticides, prescription drugs, or toasters--has never been applied to
firearms. Yet guns are manufactured by corporations-- with boards of directors,
marketing plans, employees, and a bottom line--just like companies that
manufacture toasters.
What separates the gun industry from other manufacturers
is lack of regulation. In addition to the human toll, the economic costs of not
regulating guns are staggering. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) estimated
that the lifetime economic cost--hospitalization, rehabilitation, and lost
wages--of firearm violence was $17.4 billion in 1995, making it the third most
expensive injury category. The average lifetime cost per person for each firearm
fatality-- $383,520--was the highest of any injury. Such human and economic
costs are not tolerated for any other product. Many consumer products from lawn
darts to the Dalkon Shield have been banned in the United States, even though
they claimed only a fraction of the lives guns do in a day. The firearms
industry is long overdue for the simple, regulatory oversight applied to other
consumer products. THE CURRE IS YOU! We all hold the cure to the gun violence
epidemic in our own hands. And the cure is COMMON SENSE - common sense in the
responsible behavior that we demand of each other and common sense in the laws
that we pass. It's not about taking everyone's guns away, it is about steps we
can all take together to end gun violence. If you are like most Americans, you
probably already realize this. Eighty percent of Americans, including seventy
percent of gun owners, support sensible gun control laws. Gun control then is
simply about transforming this overwhelming support into meaningful action. It's
about empowering each of us to make our voices heard and to make a difference.
It's about creating a national outcry for common sense change. OK. You care
about the gun violence issue, you support common sense solutions, but what can
you do? The truth is, making a difference is far easier than most people think.
Gun violence can be cured if each of us commit to some simple ideas: Educate
yourself and your family about the facts of gun violence. Understand the risks
associated with firearms.
If you are a parent, talk to your children about the
danger of guns and make sure they are never in a situation where they could come
into contact with one. Before you let your children play at a friend's house,
make sure their parents don't have an unlocked gun in the home. If you are a gun
owner, make sure it is always kept locked and inaccessible to anyone but
yourself. The fact is that common sense legislation could help end the gun
violence epidemic. There is legislation, for example, that would keep guns out
of the hands of criminals and children. Although, believe it or not, some
legislators oppose such laws because they receive financial support from the gun
lobby. Your voice can help put a stop to this. Learn who your political
representatives are and how they stand on common sense gun control. Call them!
Write them! Tell them you will be voting based on this issue. For every letter
or call a Congressperson receives, they assume 500 people feel the same way. Get
involved with a gun control network organization in your area. You can
participate in anything from organizing events, petitions and letter-writing
campaigns to peer counseling and education programs. Another option is to bring
your own group into the gun control network. For example through your PTA, youth
club, religious organization or professional association, you can have a
significant impact in your community and make a meaningful contribution to this
cause. Always remember that Guns do not kill people. People kill people.
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