Gun Control in Chicago

Gun Control in Chicago

Introduction

The term “gun control” refers to any government policy limiting the ownership and use of firearms. Gun control policies can restrict the types of weapons and accessories that private individuals may legally possess or own. Such policies may prohibit firearm ownership to those who are below a minimum age, have been convicted of a felony, or have been diagnosed with a mental disorder. Gun regulations also may restrict ownership of certain types of weapons and ammunition, from machine guns and sawed-off shotguns to armor-piercing rounds and hollow-point bullets. Another form of gun control, involving safety requirements, may include mandating proper storage of guns and trigger safety locks.

The supporters of gun control reform believe the high rate of violent shootings in the U.S. can be traced to the country's lax stance on gun legislation. If bans on high-capacity weapons had been in place a great deal of bloodshed could have been prevented. On the contrary, critics of gun control reform are of the view that the right to own and carry weapons is granted by the Constitution and upheld by the Supreme Court, and that right has already been curtailed enough. Many of the states that allow citizens to carry concealed weapons have lower crime rates than those that do not.

Discussion

Although the past 25 years have seen a wave of gun legislation in the United States, attempts to regulate the sale and manufacture of firearms are neither new nor innovative. During the early part of the 20th century, Congress passed laws to help regulate the sale of handguns through the mail, and even attempted to curtail the use of certain types of firearms. In 1938, the federal government attempted to prevent the “criminal class” from obtaining firearms with the passing of the Federal Firearms Act. This act made it a crime to transfer a firearm to people who were under indictment or had been convicted of a violent crime (Cukier, 2002).

The Gun Control Act of 1968 (GCA), however, is the most significant piece of firearms legislation passed in recent history. The intent of this congressional act was to prohibit interstate firearms sales, the sale of firearms to dangerous individuals, and the importation of inexpensive handguns (“Saturday night specials”) and surplus military weapons. It also added certain destructive devices to the list of prohibited weapons. In addition, the GCA placed the monitoring of these provisions under the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF). Nevertheless, with the passing of the Firearms Owners' Protection Act of 1986 (FOPA), the provisions created in the passing of the GCA were curtailed. The FOPA permitted out-of-state sales of long guns, eliminated or reduced recordkeeping requirements, limited the power of the ATF, and made it possible for licensure of temporary events (e.g., gun shows) that had an organizational sponsor. Conversely, it did offer some new antigun legislation, including the prohibition of private ownership of machine guns and expansion of the list of ineligible persons (e.g., illegal aliens and dishonorably discharged military ...