Annotated Bibliography: The Gun Control Act 1968

• Topic: The Gun Control Act 1968

The Act was initiated in 1968 October, by London B. The Act was initiated to burn mail-order sales of guns to prohibit drug users, felons, and mentally incompetent people from buying guns. The 90th United States Congress enacted the Gun Control Act, and it became effective the same year it was signed into law. The Act is important because it provides control of the traffic of firearms interstate.

• Krouse, W. J. (2012). Gun control legislation. DIANE Publishing. https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=4aiSTsQzG8sC&oi=fnd&pg=PA1&dq=the+constitutional+basis+of+The+Gun+Control+Act+1968&ots=WmWthBrz3R&sig=EETnTesT9lm-6PiBu1OQmweleLg

According to Krouse (2012), Congress has continued to debate on the constitutionality of the Gun Control Act. Even though several gun control proposals have been introduced in Congress, only a few have received action from the Legislation. On some occasions, the Gun Control Act has violated the rights of individuals, for instance, in the case of Heller versus the District of Columbia, where the Supreme Court issued a decision that the handgun can be lawfully possessed for self-defense. Due to such issues, the House of Financial Services Committee reported a bill prohibiting public housing from banning individual tenants from possessing firearms for protection in their lease. In addition, the author suggests that the emerging gun control issues for the Congress include smuggling of guns across the United States’ South West border to Mexico and denying firearms to people whitelisted as terrorists. Besides, there have been debates and different legislative proposals to restrict the availability of firearms to Americans through the years. Those against the Act have argued that the Constitution’s Second Amendment is obsolete in the presence of professional police officers and that it does not guarantee the citizens an absolute right. Thus, the article is important because it will help me support that even though the Gun Control Act is important in the US, there have been debates concerning its constitutional basis.

• Vandenbergh, M. P. (2020). Social checks and balances: A private Fairness Doctrine. Vand. L. Rev., 73, 811. https://heinonline.org/hol-cgi-bin/get_pdf.cgi?handle=hein.journals/vanlr73&section=22

According to Vandenbergh (2020), the private standards should induce the media forms to provide more accurate information on the gun control Act. The author argues that the government is viable for the flow of information on guns, especially those exacerbating political polarization. The article suggests that the new doctrines developed will replace the original one essential to grant fairness in the Gun Control policy. Also, the private initiatives will provide fair social checks for all individuals who want to own guns. Similarly, intervention in the flow of information has created risks concerning guns and their use; thus, private fairness can improve the information available for gun owners while limiting the risks it has on them and those not suited to possess it. In addition, the author suggests that private governance can promote social checks and balances when it comes to Gun Control in the long term. For instance, some private initiatives have taken the lead in adopting restrictions in the transactions of guns. Thus, this article is important for my research because it provides the basis of how social checks and balances come into play in the Gun Control Act.

• Newman, B. J., & Hartman, T. K. (2019). Mass shootings and public support for gun control. British Journal of Political Science, 49(4), 1527-1553. https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/british-journal-of-political-science/article/mass-shootings-and-public-support-for-gun-control/8F38356AF4DB22B8B7DF28052234FA09

According to Hartman and Newman (2019), the spate of the mass shooting in the US, which was reported by the media, has raised questions on how the events might impact the public policy of the Gun Control Act. The article suggests that residing around mass shootings have increased gun control support by the government while considering such cases. From the media sources in mass shootings, the consequences are due to stricter gun control in provision with the Gun Control Act. For instance, in 2014, a man shot twenty children and six adults. The issue received attention from the media and elected politicians since Gun Legislation has been an issue in American politics. The authors also suggest that the media reporting of the shootings has increased the public’s interest in the Gun Control Act. Conversely, mass shootings have increased over the past years in the US. Due to this, there have been debates in the media whether mass shootings affect the citizens’ preferences of gun control policy. However, the public has responded to the issue with the claims that mass shootings result from the Gun Control Act. I will use this source to support my argument on the role media and elections have played in the Gun Control Act.

• Joslyn, M. R., Haider‐Markel, D. P., Baggs, M., & Bilbo, A. (2017). Emerging political identities? Gun ownership and voting in presidential elections. Social Science Quarterly, 98(2), 382 396. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/ssqu.12421

According to Joslyn, Markel, Baggs, and Bilbo (2017), gun ownership is reliable in predicting vote choice in the US. Using data from the General survey, research has been conducted to determine whether gun ownership only began to shape and diverge people’s political behavior through the analysis of their voting patterns. The research results indicated that the relative predictors of voting choice are gun ownership among various people. From the 1970s, possessing an arm has increased the chances of the Republican Party candidates being voted. Also, the research indicates that gun ownership has an impact on the voting of the Republican Party, whose candidates and the level have increased since 1972 to nearly 50% in 2012. The authors also suggest that the voting choices of no owners and gun owners differ due to the gun control policy. The gun owners mostly vote for the Republican Party because they have been allowed to have guns and feel their voting choice should be no other party. Given that there is a significant difference between gun owners and non-owners, the prominence of guns will continue to impact the electoral process and voting between the rival groups. This article will support my argument on how the US’s voting and election process have influenced the Gun Control policy over the years.

References

Joslyn, M. R., Haider‐Markel, D. P., Baggs, M., & Bilbo, A. (2017). Emerging political identities? Gun ownership and voting in presidential elections. Social Science Quarterly, 98(2), 382 396. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/ssqu.12421

Newman, B. J., & Hartman, T. K. (2019). Mass shootings and public support for gun control. British Journal of Political Science, 49(4), 1527-1553. https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/british-journal-of-political-science/article/mass-shootings-and-public-support-for-gun-control/8F38356AF4DB22B8B7DF28052234FA09

Vandenbergh, M. P. (2020). Social checks and balances: A private Fairness Doctrine. Vand. L. Rev., 73, 811. https://heinonline.org/hol-cgi-bin/get_pdf.cgi?handle=hein.journals/vanlr73&section=22

Krouse, W. J. (2012). Gun control legislation. DIANE Publishing. https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=4aiSTsQzG8sC&oi=fnd&pg=PA1&dq=the+constitutional+basis+of+The+Gun+Control+Act+1968&ots=WmWthBrz3R&sig=EETnTesT9lm-6PiBu1OQmweleLg