The paper performs a review of the article, Guns and gun control, taking into consideration the text presented in the article. It includes various amendments made by associations to control the possession of Guns in the United States. It provides information concerning the resolution of the conflicts, and provides an opinion on the content of the article. The paper provides recommendations regarding ownership and control of guns.
Gun Control: Restricting Rights or Protecting People
The article carried on the New York Times dated 28 February 2013 christened 'Guns and Gun Control' highlights a number of issues that relates to the whole issue of guns. The debate surrounding the issue of gun possession and a prohibition of the same is a thorny issue and as such, it has been an elicited debate at different levels of government in the United States. For the purpose of this paper, the discourse will take a multi-angle analysis of the contents captured in the aforementioned article.
The assassinations of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. And President Kennedy ushered in a new constitutional dispensation, which was characterized by the legislation of strict federal laws aimed at controlling the proliferation and possession of guns among the citizens. This law on gun control remained in force for about three and a half decades a democratic-controlled Congress revisited the issue, instituting new restrictions on the purchase and possession of assault rifles.
The legislators also proposed a host of requirements that a potential gun owner must fulfill before he could be allowed to own a gun. Top on this list of requirements was that which required that a thorough background check must be done for every gun purchase. Al gore's defeat in 2000 was a proclamation on the fraction of the Americans that they preferred a pro-gun administration to an anti-gun administration. The National Rifle Association, NRA has emerged to be known as a strong advocate for pro-gun legislations ("Guns and Gun Control," 2013). This association enjoys a wide following in the U.S. They are said to possess strong political and financial muscles.
The Second Amendment is also pro-gun in its self. According to this Amendment, the Bill of Rights expressly permits people to own guns. The ruling by the Supreme Court in 2008, which affirmed the position of the Bill of Rights for individuals to own guns, dealt a defeating blow to the strict gun laws of some cities in the U.S. The cities such as Washington, New York and Chicago are considered politically and economically significant and as thus, these cities need to be shielded from the proliferation of guns. Additionally, the strict gun control laws adopted by the State administrators in these cities aimed at preventing the recurrence of gun violence that had been witnessed at some point in time in history in these States ("Guns and Gun Control," 2013).
Gun control is further advocated for by the events of gun violence, which took place in the not so distant past. The horrendous mass shootings that have been witnessed in public places and schools, with some leaving behind large numbers of fatalities, also helps shape the debate towards a more gun-controlled society. The introduction of Bills to restrict the sale of some weapons and refine background checks has not born many fruits. Guns are still a big problem in the United States. The events of December 2012, where a gunman entered an Elementary School and killed 27 people, 20 being school going children reignited the debate on gun control ("Guns and Gun Control," 2013). This unfortunate event caused the supporters of pro-gun laws e.g. The NRA come up with proposals that would see school guards being armed to prevent a recurrence of the same.
In January of 2013, President Obama called for tougher Congress-backed gun laws that would confront the escalating cases of gun violence and mass murders. In his submission, the president proposed a plan that would see the adoption of stringent background checks, prohibit the sale of assault rifles and tighten the noose on gun trafficking laws. The president further promised an increase in inter-agencies flow of information to ensure that illegal guns not are found in the hands of criminals ("Guns and Gun Control," 2013).
Aside from the president's commitment to Gun control, Governors and other State administrators have also moved to ensure that the escalating problem of gun violence is brought under control. For instance, Governor Cuomo of New York proposed a package of amendments to the gun laws that would see the expansion of State's ban on assault weapons. The amendments will also assure that individuals with mental impairments are not allowed possession of firearms. Gov. Malloy of Connecticut has also made a commitment to pursue the issue of gun control with a bias on school safety ("Guns and Gun Control," 2013).
Statistics indicate that more Republicans own gun than the Democrats do. This disparity in gun possession might be inspired by the fact that Republicans are more pro-gun than the Democrats. Gun possession is seen as a major predicator or determinant of one's political alignment. More pro-gun Bills are lined up for discussion, some proposing a law that will allow people to carry concealed weapons to virtually all places in the guise of self-defense.
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