Payment systems and methods

¶ … Supreme Court's recent decision to uphold gun rights in the famous DC gun ban case, the issue of gun control has become a topic of great discussion in recent weeks. While the Supreme Court's decision to uphold the second amendment in terms of private citizens answers some constitutional questions about the issue, it does not put an end to all firearm regulations. For instance, the sale of firearms can still be regulated; criminals and the mentally ill can still be banned from carrying weapons; bans in certain areas, like schools, are still permissible; and conceal and carry laws are still in place (Doherty). Despite the regulations that remain, lifting the Washington, D.C. gun ban has implications for both legal and criminal justice fields. While this decision will greatly impact the law by questioning the constitutionality of other city-wide handgun bans, such as Chicago's, the decision's impact on criminal justice is equally severe. With the ban lifted, police officials in Washington, D.C. are likely to now see a rise in gun and gun related crime. It is not only Washington D.C., however, but states and cities worldwide that suffer from this interpretation of the second amendment. Because allowing citizens over the age of eighteen to own handguns increases both gun related death and injury in addition to crime, handguns should be banned not only in cities, but also across states nationwide.

Without a federal gun ban, the number of injuries and deaths caused by guns is likely to rise, especially in the demographically vulnerable such as juveniles and the mentally ill. According to the Harvard University Gazette, each year 30,000 people suffer fatal gunshot wounds, while 65,000 suffer non-fatal injuries at the trigger. Thus, nearly 100,000 people are either killed or injured by guns each year. According to these statistics, only ten years would be necessary for a million U.S. residents and visitors to be killed as a result of gun use. Not only are these numbers rather drastic, but also they affect a disproportionate amount of the vulnerable, namely juveniles and the mentally ill. In fact, the U.S. justice department has discovered a direct link between gun use and homicides. Of the nearly 100,000 killed each year by guns, 20,000 are children and adolescents under twenty (Reich, Culross, and Behrman 5). In fact, the department found that the surge in juvenile homicide that occurred between 1987 and 1993 "involved gun-related killings," and the subsequent de-escalation in the mid-1990s "was fueled by a "drop in gun-related killings" ("Juveniles and Guns"). Despite this drop, guns have become a major issue in juvenile delinquency, crime, and safety, according to a 2002 study by Reigh, Culross, and Behrman, who assert that "the lethality and widespread availability of guns have worsened youth violence in this country" (5). Gun injuries and deaths also pose a very real threat to children and adolescents who may cause injury to themselves and others through accidental firings. A 2001 Yale University study gives credence to these finds when it suggests that safe storage laws did not result in a reduction of juvenile death or injury due to accidental gun use (Lott and Whitley). In addition, a recent study by the Centers of Disease Control have suggested that most of the gun deaths in the United States are suicides. Because suicides involving guns have a higher rate of succeeding than other types of suicides, where victims often fail the first time and have a desire to continue living, the statistic is particularly harmful ("More than half firearm deaths are suicides"). In fact, Evaluating Gun Policy: Effects on Crime and Violence, postulates that one explanation of the high rate of suicide successes involving guns is that "availability influences the number of attempts" (Cook and Ludwig 42).

Thus, the availability of handguns not only results in a surprisingly large amount of deaths each year, but also those deaths disproportionately affect juveniles and the mentally ill. If hand guns were unavailable to the population, juvenile murders would be less likely to occur, as would accidental discharges resulting in death and suicide. Because of these statistics and the lives that were lost or severely altered due to gun violence and gun accidents, a federal gun ban is necessary.

In addition to death and injury, public access to firearms results in an increased rate of crime. Although this problem is of a serious nature, it has been around, and left unaddressed, since the Civil War (Deconde 117). This is especially true in regards to juvenile crime. As already mentioned, the increase and decrease in juvenile homicides was linked to an increase and decrease in gun-related deaths ("Juveniles and Guns"). Besides simply violent crime, the issue of juveniles and firearms increase the frequency of other crimes, including illegal gun sales to minors ("Juveniles and Guns"). Additionally, the cost of gun crimes in the United States equals about $100,000, not to mention the lives taken by the mostly-unwarranted acts of violence (Cook). While homicides and shootings are obvious gun crimes, other crimes that may be associated with gun use and possession include gang related violence and, illegal gun sales, and illegal gun ownership. Access to guns leads many ex-cons to violate the terms of their probation by purchasing a gun for protection because they are aware that their former enemies (and sometimes friends) are in possession of firearms. Even if this convict is trying to live a lawful life, the possession of this firearm could cost him or his/her freedom (Morley).