The need for stricter gun control laws in the United States has grown. Since its inception, the Second Amendment to the United States Constitution has guaranteed the right to keep and bear arms. The availability of firearms is governed by laws that control their production, distribution, purchase, ownership, transfer, storage, shipment, and destruction. Recent years have seen a widespread normalization of gun ownership in American culture. There is a clear need for stricter gun reforms in light of recent events and mass shootings in America, which show that existing regulations have not been sufficient to ensure the safety of citizens. The frequency of such incidents has been growing, making the situation more pressing. However, these reforms are necessary to save lives, reduce crime, prevent guns from falling into the wrong hands, and prevent the sale of guns in general, even if gun rights advocates view them as an infringement on their rights and an attack on their freedom. The issue of Gun reforms in the United States will be discussed in the essay.
Over the past three decades, Americans have vigorously discussed and argued how best to regulate the country’s access to firearms. Gun ownership in the United States has skyrocketed over the years, partly because of the country’s large population and the prevalence of cultures and laws supporting individual gun ownership. The rising crime rate and calls for more gun rights have contributed to a high gun population (Ghiani et al.,1256). As a result, many discussions have been about changing the rules to make regulating guns and gun ownership easier. As a result of the potential disruption to their lawful businesses, such as drug trafficking and game hunting, the vast majority of private gun owners have rejected the move on gun reform. American attitudes toward guns have shifted in the previous two to three decades.
Moreover, the rise of criminal gangs in places like Chicago, where weapons are misused, is largely attributable to this shift. A recent incident involving the murder of schoolchildren by members of illegal gangs exemplifies the societal impact of the widespread misuse of firearms. The government should enact the current gun reforms to prevent future deaths like these. The possibilities for implementing gun control measures in the present day are vast. Countries like the United Kingdom have implemented reforms where gun control is the primary responsibility of the government and private security firms (Webster et al.,173). Since law enforcement in the United States is already stretched thin by the high volume of gun-related crimes, they must investigate, the country would be wise to decentralize these security concerns as well. Numerous innocent people have lost their lives due to gun-related crimes in the United States.
Today, theft is just one of many types of crime that span international and national boundaries. These illegal acts are often accompanied by violent acts, which increase the risk of death and the financial cost. The crime rate has skyrocketed over the past four decades, and unless drastic measures are taken, it will remain high for the foreseeable future. However, due to the loss of life, property damage, and multiplied effects, this is a major threat to the safety of our nation. The growing insecurity in the world is a source of concern for people everywhere, this includes renowned and powerful leaders like the President of the United States. Several recent reports indicate that gun violence is currently the most common type of crime (Swanson and Jeffrey,176). The ease with which minors and children, such as themselves, can gain access to firearms is particularly disturbing. The fight against gun crime is made more complex and difficult by the ease with which firearms can now be obtained. The availability of firearms to young people has contributed significantly to increased acts of violence, murder, and other social immoralities.
Illegal gangs in several U.S. states, such as Chicago, utilize firearms to defend their drug operations and increase their dominance in the local drug market. The conflict between gangs based on race can also lead to violent behaviour. Gun violence debates are bound to heat up as a result of these terrible acts happening all around the world. These occurrences are typically recorded in economically disadvantaged urban areas. According to the data, young individuals make up a disproportionate share of those involved in criminal gun violence. If we look at the past, we can see that gun violence is not a recent phenomenon in the United States of America; for example, four American presidents were shot dead: Abraham Lincoln in 1865, John F. Kennedy in 1963, William McKinley in 1901, and James Garfield in 1881. Gun control debates have been mostly extinguished by assassinations and other acts of violence (Kruis et al.,30). Scholars agree that armed robberies, assassinations of public figures like U.S. presidents, and even suicides with firearms all count as acts of gun violence.
Generally, the proper interpretation of the Second Amendment to the United States Constitution, which reads, “A very well Paramilitary force, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed,” is at the heart of the ongoing debate over gun control in the United States. Furthermore, up until the beginning of the 21st century, the majority of U.S. courts held that the first clause of the amendment guaranteed the right of states to maintain militias or the right of individuals to keep and bear arms in connection with their service in a state militia, an interpretation that was consistent with a wide range of existing restrictions on individual gun ownership and use.
Works Cited
Webster, Daniel W., et al. “Evidence concerning the regulation of firearms design, sale, and carrying on fatal mass shootings in the United States.” Criminology & Public Policy 19.1 (2020): 171-212.
Ghiani, Marco, Summer Sherburne Hawkins, and Christopher F. Baum. “Associations between gun laws and suicides.” American journal of epidemiology 188.7 (2019): 1254-1261.
Swanson, Jeffrey W. “Preventing suicide through better firearm safety policy in the United States.” Psychiatric services 72.2 (2021): 174-179.
Kruis, Nathan E., et al. “Firearm ownership, defensive gun usage, and support for gun control: does knowledge matter?” American journal of criminal justice (2021): 1-30.
write