Increasing Gun Control Legislation

I. Introduction

Gun control across the globe has become a polarizing and contentious issue. There have been
several reported problems in schools as well as in the public with mass shootings, making it a hot
button topic. Is gun control necessary? Does it work? Advocates claim that such tragedies would
be stopped if the government tightly controls the possession of weapons. Gun violence is a
constant tragedy which impacts the lives of individuals around the world. According to
GunPolicy.org, 75 percent of the world's 875 million weapons are owned by people. Around half
of these weapons are in the United States, which has the world's highest rate of gun ownership.
Globally, through the use of weapons, millions are injured or killed. In 2013, gun attacks resulted
in 180,000 fatalities, up from 128,000 deaths in 1990. Additionally, in 2013, there were 47,000
accidental firearm-related deaths. More than 500 people die every day as a result of gun
violence. Many nations have a comprehensive firearms guidance program, with only a few laws
being classified as permissive. Access to firearms jurisdictions typically limit access to only
certain types of firearms and then restrict access to firearms to groups of persons to whom a
license is given. In some nations such as the United States, firearms controls can be enforced
either at the federal level or at the local state level. In the United States, gun ownership is rooted
in the Second Amendment to the Constitution: “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.” the
statute is not however, unrestricted. Some gun regulations, such as bans on concealed guns and
the ownership of certain types of weapons, as well as laws on the selling of weapons to certain
groups of individuals, have been upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court. The Gun Control Act of
1968 restricts the possession of weapons by persons under 18 years of age, convicted criminals,
mentally ill people, dishonorably discharged military members, and others. Gun control does not
necessarily mean the government is going to take guns away or outlaw them. It only means
certain type of guns won’t be available. For instance, a warzone gun like an AK-47 should not be
available to the general public because it is not used to hunt with. Gun control will limit who can
buy a gun because certain people are in the right state of mind to own a gun. The purpose of gun
control is to prevent anyone who wants to hurt themselves or others from having easy access to a
gun. Hence, stricter and increased legislation of gun control is necessary to reduce gun-related
crimes and violence.

II. Arguments

Increased gun safety legislation will minimize gun death. According to what I have
researched, between 1999 and 2016, there were 572,537 total gun deaths: 336,579 suicides
(58.8% of total gun deaths); 213,175 murders (37.2%); and 11,428 accidental deaths (2%). Guns
were the leading cause of death due to murder (67.7% of all murders) and suicide (51.8% of all
suicides). A research in the New England Journal of Medicine found that weapons were the
second leading cause of child deaths, responsible for 15% of child deaths compared to 20% in
motor vehicle accidents. A research published in the American Journal of Public Health found
that "legal purchase of a handgun appears to be associated with a long-term increase in the risk
of violent death."

According to a March 10, 2016 Lancet report, imposing federal mandatory background checks
could reduce firearm deaths by an estimated 56.9%; background checks on ammunition sales
could reduce deaths by an estimated 80.7%; and weapons identification provisions could reduce
deaths by a projected 82.5%. Gun licensing laws have been correlated with a 14 percent
reduction in firearm homicides, while increases in firearm homicides have been seen in areas
with right-to-carry and in the land-laws. Siegel's recent study, published in the Journal of Rural
Health on 30 July 2019, confirms previous research findings that legislation to restrict who has
weapons is more effective in preventing shootings than legislation designed to limit what types
of guns are allowed. The study looked at state-by-state gun control in conjunction with FBI data
on gun killings obtained from police departments around the country.

Research found that universal background checks, permit provisions, "may issue" laws (where
local authorities have the power to allow who may carry a concealed weapon) and laws barring
individuals convicted of violent misconduct from owning firearms are, individually and
collectively, substantially capable of reducing gun-related deaths.

Countries with stringent gun regulations have lower rates of murder and suicide than the
United States. Based on my research, the countries namely, Finland, Switzerland, and Japan
which has the lowest gun deaths per year in the world, have all implemented strict gun control
laws. In Japan, there were just six gun deaths in 2014, compared to 33,599 in the US. If an
individual want to buy a gun in Japan, it requires patience and persistence. One must attend an
all-day session, take a written exam, and pass a shooting range examination with a score of at
least 95 percent. There are also exams on mental well-being and medications. Its criminal record
is reviewed and the police are searching for ties to terrorist groups. Then they even search the
relatives of the individual-and even their work colleagues. As well as having the power to revoke
gun licenses, the police also have sweeping powers to search and seize guns. That's not half of it.
Handguns are forbidden. Only shotguns and air rifles are permitted. The law limits the number of
gun shops. There can be no more than three in most of Japan's 40 or so prefectures, and you can
only buy fresh cartridges by returning the spent cartridges you purchased on your last visit. Both
Switzerland and Finland require gun owners to obtain licenses and to carry out background
checks, including psychiatric and criminal records, among other limitations and standards. In
2007, Switzerland ranked 3rd in the international rate of gun ownership, with 45.7 guns per 100
people (about 3,400,000 guns total). In 2009, Switzerland registered 24 gun killings (0.31 per
100,000 people) and 253 gun suicides (3.29 deaths per 100,000 people). Finland ranked fourth in
the international rate of gun ownership, with 45.3 guns per 100 people (about 2,400,000 guns
total). In 2007, Finland had 23 (0.43 deaths per 100,000 people) gun killings and 172 gun
suicides (4.19 deaths per 100,000 people). In 2007, the United States registered 12,632 gun
murders and 17,352 gun suicides. Harvard Professor David Hemenway, PhD, wrote, "We studied
the relationship between murder and gun availability using data from 26 developed countries
from the early 1990s. We also found that there are more homicides across developing countries,
where weapons are more available." According to a Mar. 2016 report, gun murder rates in the
United States were 25.3 times higher and gun suicide rates 8 times higher in 2010 than in other
populated, high-income countries.

According to Winkler and Adam (2011), 5 percent of the estimated gun killings experienced in
the United States have been committed by mentally ill individuals. Although the numbers are
low, it is apparent that psychological factors lead to gun violence in the country. In addition,
individuals from violent backgrounds, such as communities that host gangs, should be prohibited
from obtaining firearms.

III. Opponents Claims

Opponents of gun control contend that it would not lessen crime, since it would encourage
lawbreakers, who might figure out how to make sure about guns, to assault residents whom they
believe to be unarmed; they claim that an armed citizen is the best restraint against vicious
crimes. In discussing the issue with respect to whether weapon control is sacred, the emphasis is
on the Second Amendment and its interpretation. Gun control advocates contend that the Second
Amendment alludes just to the outfitting of a State local army and refer to legal disputes that
have offered this interpretation. Gun control opponents keep up that the "right to bear arms" is
ensured not exclusively to individuals from a State volunteer army yet additionally to each
resident. They refer to English precedent-based law as the reason for this interpretation and the
point of view of the designers of the U.S. Constitution. In discussing whether gun ownership is a
compelling methods for self-defense, adversaries of firearm control refer to occurrences where
weapon possession either dissuaded or forestalled a crime; supporters of gun control refer to
insights that show that firearms held at home were 22 times more likely to be used in accidental
shooting, murder or assault, and suicide attempts than in self-defense. In examining measures to
lessen gun violence, a typical worry of both opponents and advocates of gun control, a portion of
the proposals offered are extended Federal gun-control laws, expanded punishments for gun-
related crimes, the restricting of handguns, social change, a decrease in brutality on TV, the act
of weapon security, and item liability for firearm producers. An assessment of weapon control
and its adequacy in different countries is offered by the both advocates and opponents of strict
firearm control.

IV. Conclusion

Gun regulation is reducing gun violence. If gun safety is controlled, we're going to have less
violence. Hence, stricter and increased legislation of gun control is necessary to reduce gun-
related crimes and violence. Access to guns makes killing faster, more effective and more
impersonal, increasing the lethality of crime. Allowing untrained individuals to carry weapons
puts others at risk and may result in self-inflicting injuries from both suicide and accidental
accidents. Gun violence in America kills more than 30,000 people and wounds almost 70,000
last year. Guns can be misused and abused, which is why gun safety regulations is necessary in
order to reduce and decrease gun-related violence.

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