Tim Brian Prof.

Davis 4/11/2013 Gun Control

Here in the United States firearms are ingrained in our history and people believe we should be able to possess all types of weapons, claiming gun control infringes on our 2nd amendment Constitutional rights, or that assault weapons for self-defense and hunting are completely necessary. However, the massacre that took 26 lives on Dec. 14th in Newtown, Connecticut, the shooting that killed 4 people in upstate New York or the murder-suicide that took place at the University of Maryland suggest firearms are too easily accessible. Gun control needs to be made stricter than in the past through unified gun regulation, federal background checks, and holding firearm owners accountable for negligence. These measures must be implemented today to serve justice to victims and protect our citizens against horrific events. The agreement in gun regulation among states is creating loop holes and granting access to weapons that would be certainly be unattainable in different parts of the U.S. The differences in regulation among states can be categorized into three groups: shall-issue states, may-issue states, and no-issue states. shall-issue states has the majority of all 50 states, it consists of 40 states in which all qualified applicants are able to obtain concealed carry permits. may-issue states consist of 9, in which applicants must often present a reason for carrying a firearm to an issuing authority, who then decides based on his or her discretion whether that applicant will be approved for the permit. And only one state has the no-issue policy where concealed carry is forbidden, which is Illinois. This type of non-uninform regulation presents great problems to other states who are trying to apply gun regulation. People who want to obtain different firearms, which are not permitted in their state, can easily go to a state with

favoring firearm laws. Neighboring states basically aid in the breakdown of another states efforts to more extensive gun control. Investigators with the Government Accountability Office had a 100% success rate buying firearms in five states that just met the minimum federal background checks with fake drivers licenses bearing fictitious names. A report in 2001, that followed this investigation, does not positively identify purchasers of firearms and people using fake IDs are not even identified! Lee Leffingwell, Mayor of Austin, Texas was quoted saying, polls show that 90% of Americans and 74% of NRA members support criminal background checks before all firearm purchases, in a statement he gave to politifact.com. Even with Americans feeling so strongly towards background checks, under federal law private individuals are not required to conduct a background check before selling or transferring a firearm to someone who resides in that state under the United States Code Title 18, Part 1, Chapter 44, Section 922:Firearms, Unlawful Acts. Gun shows also present a huge loop hole; these shows give opportunity for private sellers and buyers to purchase firearms without any legal obligation to ask purchasers whether they are legally eligible to buy guns or verify purchasers legal status through background checks. Gun owners who neglect gun regulation need to be held accountable for the damage they cause. A 1997 survey done by the U.S. Justice Department asked 14,285 state prison inmates who carried firearms during their offense, and sent to jail, how they obtained their firearm; 39.2% got their firearm through illegal/street source, and 39.6% through family or friends and as little as 8.3% obtained from a retail store, yet the ones who helped these inmates obtain these firearms arent held accountable for their actions. Hold gun owners accountable for their actions and they would be less likely to just hand over a firearm that they possess.

About 16,272 murders were committed in the U.S. during 2008. Sixty-seven percent of these murders were committed with a firearm, the report 2008 Crime in the United Stated, Expanded Homicide Data revealed. Its clear that our firearm laws are failing the citizens of the United States. Without unified gun regulation, federal background checks, and accountability held to firearm owners we just continue a two-step forward, five-step backward scenario. If we cant eradicate the firearm loop holes completely, then we are dimming the safety of Americans.