Gun Control

[Name of the Institute]

Gun Control

Introduction

Gun controls are basically policies or laws that regulate the use, possession, modification, manufacture, transfer and sale of firearms. Gun controls vary from country to country, some countries like the United Sates of America have laws that vary between its states. This assignment aims in explaining gun control and how this issue is concerning the United States of America. It also aims in explaining how governmental and political action is dealing with or failing with the given issue of “gun control”.

Discussion

At the United States of America, the debate over gun control has waned and waxed over the years, stimulated through a series of incidents including mass killings in civilian settings by gunmen. In December 2012, the killing of twenty school children at Newton, Ct raised a national discussion over gun laws and calls by the Obama administration to limit the accessibility of military-style attack weapons. On the other hand, compromise legislation that would have banned weapons that are semi-automatic and also expanded gun background checks was overwhelmed at the Senate in April 2013, regardless of widespread public support (The New York Times, 2014).

Gun ownership at the United States of America far exceeds other countries, and the current mass killings, on the whole, have increased comparisons with international and other countries policies (Jonathan Masters, 2013). Democratic countries that have witnessed same incidents of traumatic shooting, for example, have taken important and effective measures to control gun ownership and restrict attack and deadly weapons. They usually experience lesser gun violence incidents as compared to the United States of America.

The United States Constitution's second amendment clearly explains that a well-managed Militia, being essential to the security of a liberated State, the right of the residents or people to bear and keep arms and weapons, must not be disobeyed or violated (The New York Times, 2014). Citing this amendment, Supreme Court rulings have upheld the right of states to regulate arms and weapons. On the other hand, in a decision made in 2008 verifying or authenticating an individual right to bear and keep arms and weapons, the court struck down the laws of Washington DC that prohibited handguns and required those in the home to be disassembled and locked (The New York Times, 2014).

Several number of gun possession advocates declare it as a necessary part and also a birthright of the county's heritage. According to the 2007 report of the “Swiss-based Small Arms Survey”, the population of the United States of America is five percent of the entire world, but has almost 30-35 percent of the entire world's civilian-possessed guns. In addition to this, in terms of firearms per capita, it ranks number one. On the other hand, the homicide-by-fire rate of the United States of America is also highest among the world's most developed and modernized nations (OECD). However, according to several analysts these statistics and data do not necessarily have a cause and effect type relationship.

Above mentioned results of research conducted through two different sources ...