The History of Gun Control in the United States

Introduction

Gun control in the United States has been a topic of controversy, conversation and politics since time in memorial. The first notable legislations on gun laws were implemented in 1934 by President Franklin D. Roosevelt during his operation to bring down the drug Kingpin Al Capone and other criminal organizations at the time who use firearms to commit crimes (Gregory Krieg, 2016). Gun laws continued to evolve in the United States with the advent of every new president. President Reagan signed the Firearm Owners Protection Act that was seen as open season for most in the gun business. In as much as the law prohibited the sale of fully automatic weapons, it discredited the creation of the national firearms database and also allowed for interstate gun trade on the conditions that the weapons for trade be locked away or unloaded.

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In 1993 President Bill Clinton signed the Brady bill which required that all licensed gun dealers should conduct a background information check on their clients before selling any form of ammunition to them (Gregory Krieg, 2016). The law had a one moth waiting period for the confirmation of the background check, however, this was scraped when the FBI come up with the instant background checking system. One year later, President Bill Clinton signed another bill that banned the manufacture, sale and possession of some forms of weapons to the general public. The assault weapons ban expired during the reign of President Bush in 2004 and has never been renewed ever since (Gregory Krieg, 2016). Ever since that time there have been several attempts to review gun laws in the United States but with no major progress in the works. Since that time there have been unending debates between parties that are pro-gun and those that are anti-gun control.

A Comparison Between Gun Laws in the United States and Australia

The United States has had the legislation of many gun laws as compared to most nations in the world. Taking a look at the gun laws in Australia, it can be seen that from their enactment of gun laws, the country has been able to reduce the number of mass shooting to zero over the years since the enactment of the law. The Australian government passed its gun legislation law that needed all civilians to sell to all illegalized firearms to the government (Rosen, 2016). After the enactment of the law its enforcement was followed up strictly and the Australian government was able to collects more than half a million guns from its citizens. In Australia, the government banned the sale for all semiautomatic firearms and also made it much harder for civilians to purchase any other form of fire arm (Rosen, 2016). Gun laws in Australia needs the buyer to give enough and satisfying reasons why they need to have a firearm. After the buyer, has given satisfactory reasons to the state or their need of the gun, they ought to pass a safety test administered by the state. After they have passes the test, they need to pass a background check and wait for 28 days before they are given are issued with the gun (Rosen, 2016). These restrictions have gone a long way to reducing the rates of gun violence in Australia. Due to this, Australia has never had any mass shootings after the event on Port Arthur in 1996.

The United States is a total contrast of the gun laws in Australia. From an evaluation of the USA gun laws, it can be seen that the enactment of most of the gun laws in the United States have not been stringent and as aggressive as in Australia. In fact, gun violence in the United States has been on the rise even with the laws in place. It, therefore, means that, the enforcement of the laws has not been strict enough to make sure that ownerships of guns in the united states is managed. For example, the non-renewal of the assault weapons ban allows for American to have combat automatic weapons in their possession. It can be clearly seen that the gun laws in Australia are stricter than those in the unites states from the requirements of the laws to their enforcement.

The Gun Control Debate

Over the years there has been a n ongoing debate on the viability of the gun laws in the United States. One school of thought believes in the fact that by allowing citizen to have firearm, they are able to protect themselves from danger. The Anti-gun groups on the other hand, believe that the reduction of firearms to the general public will go a long way into reducing the cases of gun violence in the United States. In as much as the two groups are seen to be at logger heads, they all hold one mutual goal which to reduce the cases of gun violence in the United States. Each of the group have supporting facts to their claims.

For the pro-gun debate, it is believed that the second amendment to bear arms not a free ticket for anyone to bear arms. From the case of 2008 of the District of Columbia versus Heller, the supreme court gave a ruling that showed that the second amendment right to bear arms is not for anyone (Justin Briggs and Alex Tabarrok, 2013). From the case, it was clearly stated that the right to bear arms is not unlimited and not everybody had the right to bear arms because the right does not allow for one to carry an arm in any way they want to any place they want. The second amendment right is set for the right of mind and after one has had a background check done on them. In most of the states, the right to bear arms is after the approval of the state and a thorough background check of the individual.

For the pro-gun control group, it is also believed that more restriction on the ownership of guns by civilians would go a long way in the reduction of gun-related violence in the society (Justin Briggs and Alex Tabarrok, 2013). Pro-gun groups refer to the current data on the number of deaths that have been caused by gun violence. It is estimated that from 1999 to 2013, there have been more than half a million deaths related to firearms in the United States (John R. Lott, 1998). It has been found out that guns are the leading cause of most deaths in the United States. 66% of all homicides in the USA are as a result of gun violence while more than 50% of suicides have been committed using a firearm (John R. Lott, 1998). The BBC gave a report stating that children in the USA are nine times more likely to die from gun-related violence as opposed to other places in the world (Justin Briggs and Alex Tabarrok, 2013). From this argument, the pro-gun control debate holds the position that gun legislation will be good in the reduction of gun-related violence in the USA.

The anti-gun control movement, on the other hand, believes in the second amendment right for citizens to own and bear arms. In this context, it is argued that the second amendment right allows for one to own a gun for the purposes of protection and self-defense against invaders both from within and without (Lawrence Hunter, 2012). They argue that legislations that prohibit the ownership of guns is an infringement of one's right to bear arms as is stated in the constitution.

The second argument in this school of thought is the argument that gun violence in the united states has been on the rise irrespective in the current laws on the ownership of guns by individuals. In a study conducted in 2013 it was found out that even though the assault weapons ban was enacted there was no reduction in the cases of gun violence in the country (Lawrence Hunter, 2012). The fact that states that have the highest number of gun ownership have the lowest rates of gun violence also fuels that debate against gun regulation in the country. Studies have also found out that states that have allowed for people to own concealed guns have had a reduction in the number of multiple shootings. It was also found out that deaths from multiple shooting reduced by more than 80% in states where civilians were allowed to own concealed weapons (Lawrence Hunter, 2012).

From an evaluation of the two schools of thought, it can be seen that each of them has their roots embedded in the constitution and also on da afro the ground. The pro-gun control believes in the fact that proper regulation of gun ownership will help in the reduction of gun-related violence. On the other hand, the anti-gun school of thought hold the position that with everyone owning a firearm there will be less incidents of multiple shooting and also, criminals will be sure to be brought down because they would not know who is armed or not.

Conclusion

From an evaluation of the gun evolution of gun laws in the United States, it can be seen that in most cases the enforcement of the laws have not been up to date. Like in the example of the Assault weapons ban, there was no serious enforcement that followed afterward. Secondly, after the expiry of the law in 2004, there have been no attempts to reenact the law or renew it. The process followed by the federal government in the issuing of firearm is a little slim as to what it really is supposed to be. A comparison on the enforcement of the laws in the USA and Australia shows that there is poor enforcement of gun laws in the USA. The steps followed in the issuing of firearms in the USA are not a comprehensive as the ones laid out in Australia and other countries.

References

Gregory Krieg. (2016). Gun control in America: How we got here. CNN Politics.

John R. Lott, J. (1998). "An Interview with John R. Lott, Jr. Author of More Guns, Less Crime: Understanding Crime and Gun Control Laws,".

Justin Briggs and Alex Tabarrok. (2013). "It's Simple: Fewer Guns, Fewer Suicides,". Retrieved from www.slate.com

Lawrence Hunter. (2012). "Gun Control Tramples on the Certain Virtues of a Heavily Armed Citizenry,". Forbes. Retrieved from www.forbes.com

Rosen, M. (2016). Strict gun laws ended mass shootings in Australia. Science and Society.