Gun Control

Introduction

This paper aims at exploring the issue of gun control by presenting the proponents and critics arguments. It assess the both the aspects of gun control issue by highlighting arguments made in favor and against the issue. Guns have always played a prominent role in America, from revolution and war to the march westward across the frontier. Daniel Boone, Annie Oakley, Al Capone and John Wayne--guns are almost as much a part of America as the Wild West and Hollywood. But guns are not only a staple of our entertainment culture and an integral component of our history. From the toy guns marketed to children playing cops and robbers to the sporting guns sold to their parents, guns are also part of many of our personal lives. Guns can be found in approximately one-half of all American homes. More than 200 million guns currently are owned by Americans, and another six million are produced or imported every year (Kurtzleben, 1).

But some believe that the right to own guns has been abused. In the past several years, millions of people have been victims of criminals who use guns as their weapons of choice. In 1993 alone, more than 16,000 people were murdered by an assailant who used some type of firearm. Gun-control advocates say that the number of guns must be reduced if crime is to abate, warning that violence will continue to escalate if gun ownership is not controlled (Henigan, 54-58).



History of Gun Control

The modern debate over gun control first surfaced in the 1960s and 1970s, when the country experienced a significant jump in its crime rate--a rate that has held relatively steady since then. Following the 1960s assassinations of President John F. Kennedy (D) and civil-rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr., Congress passed the Gun Control Act of 1968. The act prohibited the sale of guns to minors (children under the age of 18) and limited the mail-order sale of firearms across state lines. It also required dealers to keep records of gun sales, an especially troubling requirement for Second Amendment advocates since it would allow the government to know who in the country has a gun. Some believe that a list of this kind could facilitate federal attempts to confiscate firearms, precisely the kind of action they believe the Second Amendment forbids (Lott, 89-93).

Despite the 1968 law, the rate of crime--and the sale of guns--remained high during ...