Impact of Increasing Gun Control Policies, Research Paper Example

Introduction

Gun violence forms one of the major causes of injuries and deaths among various individuals in the United States. According to US drugs and crime reports, around sixty seven percent of homicides and sixty one percent of suicides in the United States are mainly based on gun related violence.  Gun violence are mostly initiated through the use of handgun, rifles as well as other types of firearms. Furthermore, recent statistical data indicate that there has been high increase in active gun violence activities in the country thus there is need for increasing gun control policies and laws in the United States. This will promote safety of individuals especially women and children who are mostly abused in the society.

The crime rate in American society has dramatically increased during the last five years. Obviously, more and more people appear to be involved in firearms-related violent crimes; it is important to make mention that many Americans tend to commit violent crimes, even not reaching adulthood. In view of many psychoanalysts, it is worth drawing attention to the issue of gun ownership in the United States. The thing is that guns were often considered as the means to “make a nation safer” (Boseley). All in all, after a thorough analysis that a number of psychologists as well as sociologists conducted, it is possible to conclude that guns have nothing to do with lowering the number of crimes; conversely, the right-to-carry gun laws prove to result in a rise of violent crimes in the United States. Consequently, one should take seriously the fact that the bulk of Americans own guns, since, currently, numerous surveys appear to absolutely debunk the widely-spread arguments that “countries with higher gun ownership are safer that those with low gun ownership” (Boseley).  Regarding this paper, the focus lies in arguing that inefficient gun laws emerged to be the major cause of violent crimes in American society; apparently, it is worth taking into consideration the significance of increasing gun control, which is likely to lower the number of crimes.

Increasing Gun Control Policies in the United States

Based on a number of research reports and publications, it is evident that lack of adequate gun policies in the United States mostly contributes to high violent crimes in the country (Gettings, and McNiff 4).  This calls for the provision of changes towards gun ownership among various individuals in the country. Furthermore, according to Alan Ruben, the high accessibility of guns promotes gun related crimes in the country. Sarah Boseley also posits that the gun ownership policy allows individual in various countries to possess ad use guns thus resulting into less safety and lack of proper security of the people in some countries (Boseley 4). Therefore, in order to reduce and control high crimes rates and insecurity levels in the United States there is need for the provision of stronger gun control policies and laws in the country.

According to recent criminology studies and reports, it is true that regions as well as states with higher rates of gun ownership such as New York City also have higher rates of homicides in the country (Culp-Ressler 2). Furthermore, a number of domestic violence based research publications indicates that abusers of women are five times more likely to kill them if the abusers owns firearms and hand guns (Gun Control Act 2146).

There are also a number of accidental shootings that mostly occur in the country due to high number of gun ownership in the country. For example, around twenty to forty children and young adults usually shot themselves daily due to gun acquisition and accessibility to children in some regions in the country (Culp-Ressler 8). The high number of firearm related suicide rates in the United States especially among children between five to fourteen years is also mainly due to lack of proper and efficient gun control policies in the country (Federal Gun Legislation Timeline 31).

The provision of effective gun control policies in the country will regulate and control the selling as well as the possession of guns and other firearms in the country. The gun control laws and policies should be based on federal policies and should apply to all states in the United States. Furthermore, those who violated rules and policies regarding gun usage should be severely punished in order to reduce gun related criminal activities in the country.

According to the United States Constitution, the Second Amendment allows individuals the right to bear small arms (Culp-Ressler 7).    However, this policy should be changed in order to reduce gun related crimes in the country (Gettings, and McNiff 4). Gun control policies will also reduce election and fatal domestic violence activities in the country. This is because the increasing gun control policies will provide increased restriction towards gun ownership in the country through expansion of background checks on gun purchase in the society. Based on recent Quinnipiac poll survey reports, majority of people in the United States support the introduction of strict and background checks towards gun ownership in the country.  This is because around sixty six percent of Americans supports the introduction of stricter gun control policies in the country.  This will also allow various states in the country to protect and provide safety of individuals against gun based violence activities.

According to the US president Barack Obama, the introduction of background checks for gun sales, strengthening of assault weapon ban as well as putting more stronger punishment for gun trafficking form some of the best policies that should be adopted in order to reduce gun violence in the country (Koppel 27).

The Sandy Hook Elementary children shooting in New York led to death of around twenty six people including twenty young adults and the provision of gun control measures can prevent the occurrence of such criminal activities in future (Culp-Ressler 3).

Based on Journal of Pediatrics reports, it is true that around seven to ten thousand children are injured or killed by guns annually in the United States (Culp-Ressler 6). This has result into high mortality rates in the country and it is true that firearms related deaths is among the top three cause of death among children in the United States. In that sense, the gun control measures should restrict and prevent gun ownership by young individual of around eighteen to twenty years in the country (Mcinerny 209).  Gun control policies will also reduce high number of homicides and suicides in the country. Stricter gun control policies will also reduce the high school shootings in the United States (Culp-Ressler 7).

Mandatory Measures to Lower Gun-Related Crimes

It is important to understand that increasing gun control as well as bearing responsibility for lawless actions will definitely reduce crime rate in the United States of America; actually, this measure is necessary so as to live in a peaceful society. The human morale cannot be treated in rehabilitation centers, because it causes depression and loss for the rest of life, leaving the criminal far from prison. Obviously, the authorities have to be strict towards gun-related crimes, since each crime possesses the intention based upon certain reason or argument. Respectively, gun owners cannot be justified if they follow their clear reason and argument.

It is worth saying that the U.S. government makes a huge mistake when, for instance, justifying gun owners, since it is only about the prison, which is likely to prevent people from committing repeated crimes. One more reason to change attitude towards gun owners is the issue of their culpability. That is why the authorities have thoroughly reinterpret gun ownership laws in order to provide more security for each American citizen. The major point of the efficient gun ownership laws is that one should clearly see all the danger that gun owners are likely to provoke while being allowed to purchase arms. In order to prevent humanity from violent crimes or at least decrease its rate, it is advisable to improve basic gun ownership laws.

Apart from the aforementioned impact of American gun ownership laws, it is worth admitting that handguns emerge to be much correlated with the anxiety and fear that many Americans face due to a high crime rate within the society; people are forced to arm themselves, thinking that this step will safeguard them from unwanted outcomes. Nevertheless, despite the fact that “most citizens now carry their pistols every day for self-defense” (Ruben 4), the availability of handguns proved to be inefficient measure of raising people’s security (Boseley).

Laws Contributing to Growth of Crime Rate

Regarding the issue of firearms-related deaths, it is necessary to take into account the importance of changing the laws, which regulate the purchase, ownership as well as access of handguns, since the previous firearm ownership laws appeared to be quite inefficient. The thing is that the authorities should become aware that the attitude towards the gun control has to be thoroughly reinterpreted; the fact that the United States has high rate of firearms-related deaths (Ruben 1) cannot be disregarded. Moreover, considering the issue of gun-related deaths within the U.S. society, one should pay special attention to surveying the impact of socio-psychological forces on the increasing rate of violent crimes; the point is that Americans “own an estimated 270 million firearms” (“Stronger Gun Control Laws Will Save Lives.” 1). Regardless of this fact, the United States is by far not “the safest nation in the world” (“Stronger Gun Control Laws Will Save Lives.” 1). As a result, it is high time to rethink the approaches to emphasizing the keys to people’s private security. Endowing individuals with the right to own handguns, it is necessary to be conscious that aggression is likely to develop since the early childhood. Apart from poor parental care and control, aggression can also arise at school. The widespread cases of zero tolerance policy turn youth into unmotivated and violent. Thousands of American teenagers become juvenile criminals every year; because of ineffective juvenile justice system in general (Collier C01) and inefficient gun laws in particular such problematic people have very few chances to return to normal lives. The statistic reveals that almost ninety percent of American teenagers commit crimes repetitively; obviously, the law, enabling, for instance, 18-years old people to purchase a rifle or shotgun is not likely to reduce the number of gun violence acts (“Stronger Gun Control Laws Will Save Lives.” 2). The need to submit to a background check as well as purchasing guns only from a licensed dealer can hardly cover all the spectrum of actions necessary to be taken in order to minimize the risks of gun ownership.

Conclusion

Apparently, life of modern American people is hyperactive and often rebellious due to a variety of negative social outcomes that they collide with; moreover, societal attitudes towards gun owners appear to be quite staunch even though weapon in the homes failed to decrease crime rate in the United States. As a result, the authorities have to be focused on conducting a survey of possible ways to minimize the probability of committing crime among the citizens; the thing is that the statistics proves Americans to own of the biggest amount of weapon. For all that, it becomes clear that there is no social benefit in permitting people to keep weapon at home. Consequently, gun ownership laws should definitely be changed, since the current situation with regards to homicide death rates appears to be far from unfavorable. In spite of the fact that the opponents of strong gun ownership laws refute the need to increase gun control, one cannot but encounter the fact that Americans undergo dramatic changes in terms of their attitude towards gun owners. It is obvious that the laws have to be changed; otherwise, the crime rates will only rise, as the policy of giving the right to purchase guns is the predictor of gun-related deaths.

Works Cited

Boseley, Sarah.  High Gun Ownership Make Countries Less Safe, US Study Finds. The Guardian 18 Sep 2013. Web. 22 Jun 2015.

Collier, Linda. Adult Crime, Adult Time. Washington Post 29 Mar. 1998: C01. Print.

Culp-Ressler, Tara. 10,000 Kids are Injured or Killed by Guns Each Year in the U.S. (2014):1-8. Retrieved from http://thinkprogress.org/health/2014/01/27/3206581/kids-gun-violence-killed-injuries/

“Federal Gun Legislation Timeline.” Congressional Digest 92.3 (2013): 2-32.

Gettings, John and McNiff, Catherine. Milestones in Federal Gun Control Legislation. (2015): 1-5 Retrieved from http://www.infoplease.com/spot/guntime1.html

“Gun Control Act — Domestic Violence Misdemeanants’ Firearms Disabilities — Illinois Supreme Court Construes Federal Gun Control Act To Permit State Court To Remove Domestic Violence Misdemeanant’s Federal Firearms Disability.” Harvard Law Review 127.7 (2014): 2146-2153.

Koppel, David B. “Mexico’s Gun-Control Laws: A Model for the United States?” Texas Review of Law & Politics 18.1 (2013): 27-95.

Mcinerny, Thomas K. “Keeping Children Safe from Gun Violence.” Vital Speeches of the Day 79.7 (2013): 209-211.

Ruben, Alan. “The Accessibility of Guns Leads to Gun Crime.” Guns and Crime. Ed.

Christine Watkins. Greenhaven Press, 2012. At Issue. Rpt. from “Battle over Guns Continues.” Intelligencer and Wheeling News-Register 27 Mar. 2011. Gale Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 22 Jun. 2015.

“Stronger Gun Control Laws Will Save Lives.” Guns and Crime. Ed. Christine Watkins.

Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2012. At Issue. Rpt. from “Ten Myths About Gun Violence in America.” LCAV.org. 2009.Gale Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 22 Jun. 2015.