Gun Violence Research Paper
Gun violence is any act committed by the use of a firearm that causes bodily injury or fatality. Gun violence in the United States has become increasingly evident and has led to mass tragedy nationwide, affecting all walks of life. It has had a devastating effect on communities throughout the country and has resulted in numerous injuries and deaths. Within the past decade, there have been more than “100,000 people killed as a result of gun violence” in America, and millions more have been victims of robbery, assault, or other crimes involving a gun (“FACT”). Within this same timeframe, hundreds of thousands of people within United States borders committed suicide with a gun or suffered from other gun inflicted injuries (“FACT”). Additionally,
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a large amount of government officials and police officers have been killed in the line of duty, and an unbelievable amount of children have become victims of gun related violence, a majority by accident (“FACT”). Although many Americans believe gun control disobeys their second amendment right, an equally large amount of citizens, including gun owners, believe that due to historic events, Obama’s executive order is ethical and such action should be taken to address these horrible incidents.
Throughout history, the government has been influenced by numerous debates and a large amount of public attention on the issue of firearms. Gun laws made their first appearance in the early 1930’s during the Roosevelt administration, resulting in two minimalist federal statutes (Vizzard). Approximately thirty years later, following the assassinations of Martin Luther King and both John and Robert Kennedy, the Gun Control Act of 1968 was produced (Vizzard). However, “this modest control effort was subsequently diluted by the Firearms Owners Protection Act of 1986” (Vizzard). United States President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden are currently committed to using every resource within their reach to reduce gun violence in the United States. In a first hand account from the White House, the President claims that he believes many of the deficiencies in the country’s current gun laws can only be fixed through legislation, thus leading the President “to call on congress to pass commonsense gun safety reforms supported by the majority of the American people” (“FACT”). Since Congress failed to get laws passed that would expand background checks to reduce gun violence, the President has announced multiple commonsense executive actions to make their first steps towards a revised nation. Based on historic events, Obama utilized his executive order to keep firearms out of the hands of criminals through background checks, mental health checks, and the revision of the future of gun technology.
Historically, the only prominent movement towards background checks for firearm purchases, entitled the Brady Act, occurred during the Clinton administration. (Bogus). The Brady Act required a five day waiting period, but was replaced by an instant background checks in 1998 (Bogus). This instant background check system, however, had one major flaw. It applied only to sales by licensed gun owners, therefore private sales, many of which are held at gun shows, are not covered and contribute to more than forty percent of all firearm sales (Bogus). So regardless of the law, people who have desired to purchase a firearm have had little to no difficulty in doing so without a background check being performed. One majorly traumatic event occured due to this flaw in the system. This event, the massacre at Columbine High School, was committed by two students who had an eighteen year old friend purchase a semi-automatic rifle and two shotguns at a gun show with no background check performed (Bogus). This demonstrates how previous background checks have lacked regulation and therefore had minimal influence on stopping dangerous criminals from obtaining firearms. Obama’s executive order states that, regardless of where a firearm is purchased, background checks and gun licenses will be required.
President Obama’s executive order also plans to increase mental health care and mental health reportings to the background check system. The first steps made towards this initiative can be seen in history shortly after the Brady Act, when a new system created by the FBI began improving upon previously existing background checks. This system entitled the National Instant Check System, has had great improvement in providing law enforcement officials and firearms dealers with immediate access to an immense database full of “domestic abusers and other prohibited gun purchasers”, however, very minimal mental health records have have been included in the system (“The Promise”). Many believe that mental health records should not be added to government files or be utilized to prohibit firearm purchases, however the addition of mental health backgrounds could have prevented numerous traumatic events. One main example of this was the Virginia Tech massacre involving “32 people, led by Seung- Hui Cho, could have been avoided” if the shooter’s name had been in the NICS system for mental health concerns as it should have been (“The Promise”). With Obama’s plan of increased mental health checks and mental health reportings to the background check system, those who are deemed mentally unsafe will not have access to fatal weapons, thus preventing multiple tragedies each year.
In addition to increased mental health care and background checks, Obama’s executive order plans to shape the future of gun technology to make all communities in the United States safe from gun violence.
The word safe has many different definitions when in the context of firearms. Many republicans believe that the country will not be safe until citizens can freely defend themselves, their families, and their homes through the use of weapons, if necessary. In contrast, many democrats believe that the nation will not be safe until guns are taken out of the hands of all individuals, with the exception of police and federal agents. Since Obama is democratic, his views of safety relate closely to the average democratic view, however his plans in his executive action are far from unconstitutional. The White House claims that in an effort to make the nation safer, Obama’s executive order calls for a limitation on the size of magazines (“FACTS”). In not so distant history, this limitation on the size of magazines could have prevented the deaths of numerous individuals. Adam Lanza, the man who committed the acts of violence against Sandy Hook Elementary School was armed with two pistols and a Bushmaster .223 caliber AR-15 assault rifle (“The Promise”). He loaded—and reloaded— the firearms with “ten 30-round high-capacity magazines and twenty 20-round magazines,” and these 700 rounds were enough to kill everyone in the school” (“The Promise”). It was only during the brief moments in which he was changing magazines that several children were able to escape. If Lanza had been limited to standard 10-round magazines, he would have had to reload 16 times instead of six, thus providing more time for the children to escape, resulting in less unnecessary deaths. With this one tragedy, it is evident that Obama’s plan to reduce the size of magazines is beneficial and can lead to less fatalities, which in return makes the nation safer
everyone.
Although gun laws have been present throughout history, their lack of efficiency and effectiveness has lead to increased violence and tragedy throughout the United States. After witnessing this, Obama utilized his administrative powers to present an executive order on the issue of gun control which includes increased background checks, increased mental health care and reportings, a change in the future of gun technology, and lastly, a nation full of communities that are safe from gun violence. If Obama’s plans had been executed in the past, monumental tragedies may have been prevented including the devastating shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary School, Columbine High School, and Virginia Tech. Due to the loss of innocent lives, the citizens of the U.S. have a duty to instate laws and regulations that will prevent future massacres from occurring. Thus concluding that the executive order set in place by President Obama is not only ethical, but necessary.
a large amount of government officials and police officers have been killed in the line of duty, and an unbelievable amount of children have become victims of gun related violence, a majority by accident (“FACT”). Although many Americans believe gun control disobeys their second amendment right, an equally large amount of citizens, including gun owners, believe that due to historic events, Obama’s executive order is ethical and such action should be taken to address these horrible incidents.
Throughout history, the government has been influenced by numerous debates and a large amount of public attention on the issue of firearms. Gun laws made their first appearance in the early 1930’s during the Roosevelt administration, resulting in two minimalist federal statutes (Vizzard). Approximately thirty years later, following the assassinations of Martin Luther King and both John and Robert Kennedy, the Gun Control Act of 1968 was produced (Vizzard). However, “this modest control effort was subsequently diluted by the Firearms Owners Protection Act of 1986” (Vizzard). United States President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden are currently committed to using every resource within their reach to reduce gun violence in the United States. In a first hand account from the White House, the President claims that he believes many of the deficiencies in the country’s current gun laws can only be fixed through legislation, thus leading the President “to call on congress to pass commonsense gun safety reforms supported by the majority of the American people” (“FACT”). Since Congress failed to get laws passed that would expand background checks to reduce gun violence, the President has announced multiple commonsense executive actions to make their first steps towards a revised nation. Based on historic events, Obama utilized his executive order to keep firearms out of the hands of criminals through background checks, mental health checks, and the revision of the future of gun technology.
Historically, the only prominent movement towards background checks for firearm purchases, entitled the Brady Act, occurred during the Clinton administration. (Bogus). The Brady Act required a five day waiting period, but was replaced by an instant background checks in 1998 (Bogus). This instant background check system, however, had one major flaw. It applied only to sales by licensed gun owners, therefore private sales, many of which are held at gun shows, are not covered and contribute to more than forty percent of all firearm sales (Bogus). So regardless of the law, people who have desired to purchase a firearm have had little to no difficulty in doing so without a background check being performed. One majorly traumatic event occured due to this flaw in the system. This event, the massacre at Columbine High School, was committed by two students who had an eighteen year old friend purchase a semi-automatic rifle and two shotguns at a gun show with no background check performed (Bogus). This demonstrates how previous background checks have lacked regulation and therefore had minimal influence on stopping dangerous criminals from obtaining firearms. Obama’s executive order states that, regardless of where a firearm is purchased, background checks and gun licenses will be required.
President Obama’s executive order also plans to increase mental health care and mental health reportings to the background check system. The first steps made towards this initiative can be seen in history shortly after the Brady Act, when a new system created by the FBI began improving upon previously existing background checks. This system entitled the National Instant Check System, has had great improvement in providing law enforcement officials and firearms dealers with immediate access to an immense database full of “domestic abusers and other prohibited gun purchasers”, however, very minimal mental health records have have been included in the system (“The Promise”). Many believe that mental health records should not be added to government files or be utilized to prohibit firearm purchases, however the addition of mental health backgrounds could have prevented numerous traumatic events. One main example of this was the Virginia Tech massacre involving “32 people, led by Seung- Hui Cho, could have been avoided” if the shooter’s name had been in the NICS system for mental health concerns as it should have been (“The Promise”). With Obama’s plan of increased mental health checks and mental health reportings to the background check system, those who are deemed mentally unsafe will not have access to fatal weapons, thus preventing multiple tragedies each year.
In addition to increased mental health care and background checks, Obama’s executive order plans to shape the future of gun technology to make all communities in the United States safe from gun violence.
The word safe has many different definitions when in the context of firearms. Many republicans believe that the country will not be safe until citizens can freely defend themselves, their families, and their homes through the use of weapons, if necessary. In contrast, many democrats believe that the nation will not be safe until guns are taken out of the hands of all individuals, with the exception of police and federal agents. Since Obama is democratic, his views of safety relate closely to the average democratic view, however his plans in his executive action are far from unconstitutional. The White House claims that in an effort to make the nation safer, Obama’s executive order calls for a limitation on the size of magazines (“FACTS”). In not so distant history, this limitation on the size of magazines could have prevented the deaths of numerous individuals. Adam Lanza, the man who committed the acts of violence against Sandy Hook Elementary School was armed with two pistols and a Bushmaster .223 caliber AR-15 assault rifle (“The Promise”). He loaded—and reloaded— the firearms with “ten 30-round high-capacity magazines and twenty 20-round magazines,” and these 700 rounds were enough to kill everyone in the school” (“The Promise”). It was only during the brief moments in which he was changing magazines that several children were able to escape. If Lanza had been limited to standard 10-round magazines, he would have had to reload 16 times instead of six, thus providing more time for the children to escape, resulting in less unnecessary deaths. With this one tragedy, it is evident that Obama’s plan to reduce the size of magazines is beneficial and can lead to less fatalities, which in return makes the nation safer
everyone.
Although gun laws have been present throughout history, their lack of efficiency and effectiveness has lead to increased violence and tragedy throughout the United States. After witnessing this, Obama utilized his administrative powers to present an executive order on the issue of gun control which includes increased background checks, increased mental health care and reportings, a change in the future of gun technology, and lastly, a nation full of communities that are safe from gun violence. If Obama’s plans had been executed in the past, monumental tragedies may have been prevented including the devastating shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary School, Columbine High School, and Virginia Tech. Due to the loss of innocent lives, the citizens of the U.S. have a duty to instate laws and regulations that will prevent future massacres from occurring. Thus concluding that the executive order set in place by President Obama is not only ethical, but necessary.