Handguns and Crime in US

Abstract

The United States of America holds a very prominent place in the world as the most crime free country in the world. The reality is different from this global perspective. In reality, America is succumbing at the hands of crime that are not only taking down the name and functioning of the police and security departments but also killing the national American dream. The crime rate is increasing by the day and the alarming factor is that a majority of these crimes are conducted and attempted using a hand gun.Handguns and Crime in US

Introduction

United States of America is suffering badly at the hand of the crime and the percentage is rising by the day. Statistics reflect that more than 68 % Americans feel that that the rate of crime in the United States has increased from what it was in the past year. The crimes that vary from small ones to violent ones have caused a series of fear and apprehension in people. Reports from the Princeton reflect that a majority of citizens feel unsafe to walk to their homes at night time due to the fear of being involved in some criminal activity. The reason of the increase in crime rate can be related to the state of recession that soared in the United States of America in the year 2006, resulting in joblessness and a state of poverty for a majority. This lead to desperation amongst majority of citizens and the best way out of the state of poverty and accompanying depression was to get involved in criminal activities. The difference was that the criminal activities varied from the criminal activities of the past on the basis of the weapon being used; hand guns. There were reported crime activities of robberies, one on one shooting and shooting while driving. The use of hand guns was involved in all these activities, reflecting a trend for the usage of the weapons in the criminal activities in the US.

Discussion

Hand Guns and America

Crimes in the United States of America are soaring and the major weapon that is used in all such criminal activities is hand guns. In the year 2008, there were 16.272 murders reported and all victims were killed by hand guns. As per the reports of the FBI, in the year 1996, the ratio of crimes being conducted using a hand gun were much less as compared to the other crimes that included assaults, rapes, murders, arson and vehicle theft. The situation has changed today. The nights are keeping the Americans captivated in their homes as they fear that stepping out might land them in some criminal activity (Cramer, 1995). With such a situation, not only the name of America as a crime less country is being tarnished, but is damaging the great American dream as well. The worst part is that there is going to be no returning back from this situation as the more the economy is going down, the more the crime ...