Watkins, C. (2012). An Updated Background Check System Will help Prevent Gun Violence. Retrieved from http://ic.galegroup.com/ic/ovic/ViewpointsDetailsPage/ViewpointsDetailsWindow?displayGroupName=Viewpoints&zid=09f25cf4b1025b220de942513a8391bc&action=2&catId=&documentId=GALE%7CEJ3010015251&userGroupName=hayw93983&jsid=114c2b5a6ccaa287e3bf391ad5c6dbdf…
The claim of this essay is that in the debates of gun control logic has lost out in the past and is currently losing out. This article describes the difficulties and rationale of both sides of the gun control debate. The author talks about how a proposal in 1978 would have manufacturers, wholesalers, and send purchase reports to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. The idea was that creating such a database would allow for instantaneous tracing of guns found at crime scenes, and potentially track sales of firearms to the illegal gun market.…
One of the big weaknesses is that many transfers of firearms are not done through dealers, but through friends, family, and other ways. Non-dealer transactions probably account for the majority of transfers of guns to criminals (Wright and Rossi, 1986). If a criminal wants a gun they are not going to go through a dealer and get a background check, they are going to do whatever it is they have to do to obtain one. One strength of the checks is that less motivated offenders who do not get a weapon through other ways could be deterred by the checks and not go through with the crime.…
In the article “The Accessibility of Guns Lead to Gun Crime,” written by Alan M. Ruben apprises us that firearms have one sole purpose and that is to cause harm, meaning committing an injury, homicides, or suicides. Most people believe that owning a firearm gives the reassurance that they are protected and no harm can come to them. Ruben shows statistics that guns are not the most secures ways of bringing protection, but it can actually bring danger. “States with the highest level of gun ownership have 114 percent higher firearm murder rates and 60 percent higher total homicide rates than states with the lowest gun ownership”(Ruben). Gun ownership has shown that there is more danger being brought upon rather than protection. Statistics have made an estimate that not every gun owner is capable of having the responsibility of a firearm. “It is estimated that over 40 percent of gun acquisitions occurs in the secondary market. That means that they happen without any background whatsoever… guns show rank the second to corrupt dealers” (Ruben). Not every person who purchases a firearm are trustworthy, some may have a negative use instead of a greater purpose.…
Most adults, who have a background check, have no Medical issues. If some adults who have medical issue could use the gun in the wrong way and not have a background check. Although background checks should be enforced when purchasing a gun. Although over 90% of the public supports background checks for all gun purchases, yet it failed to pass the U.S senate. Background checks will help, people that are not mentally ill be able to own a gun. Mentally ill people would need a background check to see their side effects, and then they can get clear to purchase a…
Firearm injuries are one of the top ten causes of death in the United States (“Statistics”). Firearms are the second leading cause of traumatic death related to consumer product in the U.S. and are the second most frequent cause of death overall for Americans ages 15 to 25 (Violence Policy Center para.4). Every two years more Americans die from firearm injuries than the total number of American soldiers killed during the eight year Vietnam War (Violence Prevention Institute). In 2005, 11,346 people were killed by firearm violence and 477,040 were victims of a crime involving a firearm. In 2006, firearms were used in 68 percent of murders, 42 percent of robbery offenses and 22 percent of aggravated assaults nationwide (National Institute of Justice). “Homicides committed with firearms peaked in 1993 at 17,075, after which the figure steadily fell, leveling off in 1999 at 10, 11. Gun-related homicides have increased each year since 2002”(National Institute of Justice). The federal government needs to take action to prevent similar tragedies from happening in the future. In an effort to stabilize and decrease firearm related injuries and deaths in the U.S. a strong federal law to control guns is…
In response to an article titled (Gun Debate: Where Is the Middle Ground?) written by Mallory Simon, writer and senior producer of online presentations for the Cable News Network (CNN) on January 31, 2013, the argument can be presented that “Guns don’t kill people, people do.” The article highlighted the common topic of gun control. In that phrase alone it is proposed that somehow guns have a mind of their own and can somehow control themselves. The author presents the proposal that somehow there may be a common ground in maintaining the use and sanction of guns in our country by creating a medium of strict public policy in the form of background checks and security. It is with strong supported evidence that an attempt will be made to argue that the power to control the illegal, malicious and careless use of guns is to limit the power of people to obtain them with a…
Every day, dozens or even hundreds of people find themselves victims of gun violence. 30,000 people on average are killed each year by firearms while 64% of all firearm deaths are suicides, and firearms are the third-leading cause of injury-related deaths nationwide. ("Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence," May 11, 2015). With those statistics, it would make sense why people think that gun control is the answer, and some regulations like background checks and increased penalties for those convicted of using guns in crimes are needed.…
I believe background checks remove a certain element from the problem and should be expanded to include psychological information. I believe we should consider requiring handgun safety courses and certifications before allowing individuals to carry concealed weapons into public. Safety courses for properly handling and storing weapons in homes is another requirement that I consider prudent. But at the end of the day, I think Domenech’s point is well taken. When the time comes and evil is staring at us in whatever form, only individuals standing up for justice will create a true difference. The actions of Todd Beamer and Mark Bingham on flight 93 serve as an example to all of us, that individuals cause the difference not…
Shortly after the massacre at Columbine High School in 1999, the National Rifle Association endorsed background checks for all buyers of firearms at gun shows. This would have closed an infamous loophole that allows private, non-dealer sales with no checks. Three of the Columbine shooters' weapons had been bought at gun shows but the NRA's willingness to compromise angered hard core gun advocates, and the loophole remained open. Fourteen years and many mass shootings later, the influential gun-rights group has reversed itself, opposing the expansion of background checks to gun shows and anywhere else they don't now apply. The NRA had it right after Columbine, and its flip-flop sets up a crucial battle in Washington. The move to apply instant checks to virtually all the gun sales is looking like the gun-safety proposal with the best chance of becoming law this year in the wake of December's elementary school massacre in Newtown.…
Obama has delved into all forms of solutions to help prevent incidents like the mass shootings and accidental child deaths. Sources of this problem are a matter of changing the opinion of the public. When the man cannot be changed the only thing left is to modify the nonliving component of the issue. Guns can be made safer; designers have been developing personalized guns that cannot be used by just anyone. Circulating the guns that can only be discharged by a certain wristband, ring, or fingerprint would decrease the likelihood of someone being shot by their own gun. Though a personalized gun costs much more than a regular gun, polls say that gun owners are willing to invest in a gun that will be programmed just for them. Creating firearms in this way will prevent children and teenagers from accidentally discharging the gun and committing suicide more frequently via the use of a gun. “When personalized guns replace present day guns that are operable by anyone, the unauthorized use of guns by children and adolescents will decrease, as will the incidence of gun-related morbidity and mortality.”,also written by the team of health experts on Issues magazine. Getting parents more involved in their children’s activities not only improves family life but could raise awareness of any struggles the child might be facing, for example, depressive behavior, bullying, or drugs. Parents can install programs that control and monitor what their children are looking up online. However, realistically at times, the parents could have never known, they have a biased view of their child which would cloud an objective analysis of their behavior. Lastly, building a stronger health care system to aid the psychological needs of troubled teens and adults could prevent inclinations to commit…
Gun control legislation is a very controversial topic and one that has taken a lot of attention in both academic and public policy circles here in the United States for the past 20 or 30 years. One of the most powerful tools which people have discovered for dealing with the issue of controlling who should or shouldn’t have access to guns is through the creation of background checks. The purpose of background checks in a general sense is to allow for gun sellers and overseeing authorities to make sure that they are selling weapons to only those individuals who should be allowed to possess them. The main purpose of these background checks is to ensure that criminals, ex-convicts,…
I believe that if corporations that sell firearms were to create more advanced background checks that include both criminal and mental health history, the number of suicides, school shootings, and robberies would decrease. Author of, Mental Illness, Mass Shootings, and the Politics of American Firearms,Jonathan M. Metzl, explains that “60% of perpetrators of mass shootings in the United States since 1970 displayed symptoms including acute paranoia, delusions, and depression before committing their crimes.” Including past mental illness history as well as criminal history would allow sellers of firearms to better decide if one is suitable enough to own such equipment. Enhancing the process of purchasing a gun would lead to improvement of the public health crisis of gun violence because less mentally ill individuals and criminals would be allowed access to firearms.…
Johnson, Fawn. "Gun-Buyer Background Checks Both Effective And Politically Achievable." National Journal (2013): 4. Academic Search Premier. Web. 18 Mar. 2013.…
Have you ever thought why were gun violence was created? Did you know so far this year police officers have taken away 5,900 guns in the city of chicago.Gun-related homicide is most prevalent among gangs and during the commission of felony crimes. In July 2013, Illinois passed a law that permits concealed carrying of handguns, making it the last state in the U.S. to allow concealed carry.Gun violence poses a serious threat to U.S. teens and their communities. Many young people are surrounded by constant reminders of that threat– from hearing the pop-pop-pop of gunshots at night to losing friends and family members to shootings.Being exposed to gun violence can have a deep impact on kids, including aggression, insomnia, depression, anxiety…