length: 21 words 6 double spaced pages rating: red free crime and guns. But are the two really associated? do guns necessarily lead to crime? and if so do laws placing restrictions on firearm ownership and use stop the crime or protect the citizens? these are the questions many citizens and lawmakers are asking themselves when setting about to create gun control laws. In 1924, presidential candidate, robert la follete said, our choice is not merely to support or oppose gun control but to decide who can own which guns under what conditions. Clearly this debate still goes on today and is the very reason for the formation of gun control laws. Any way you look at it, guns are powerful tools, not only physically but socially. As college students it is important to stay abreast of the current events and issues circulating our country today, one of which is the controversial issue of gun control. The directions they take not only affect our nation and society but our future as well as we all move to communities and begin to raise families.

So why is gun control such a hot debate? perhaps to answer this question it would be important to look at some key statistics concerning handguns in our society. In this nation, where nearly half of all us households own at least one gun, nearly 30,0 people die from a gunshot each year dahl. From this alone it is no wonder gun control is such an important issue, however as bad as this may seem, the number of firearm related incidents have decreased over the years. Since 1993 however the us has seen a steady drop in deaths due to firearm the lancet. Fatal firearms accidents have declined as well, nearly 40 percent in the last decade, and are now at the lowest levels ever recorded poe. So why the sudden drop? antigun advocates would like to attribute this to an increase in gun control laws while pro gun advocates point to a decrease in unemployment rates along with other social factors. The real question here is, do gun control laws work? from the statistics it would appear so.

But in order to fully understand the issue it is important to first take a look at the current gun control laws that are now in effect. There are a number of laws both at the federal and the state level restricting the sale, purchase and use of guns. Though they vary from state to state there are some basic federal laws which are in affect nationwide.

Some of these include that no person convicted of a crime can own a gun, a person must be 21 or older to purchase a handgun and that persons who engage in the business of buying or selling firearms must be licensed nra. Perhaps one of the laws having the most profound impact recently was the passing of the 1993 brady handgun control act which is now in affect in 32 states. This act requires a waiting period for the purchase of a handgun as well as background check system to ensure against the possession of guns by criminals. The effects of gun control laws have been extensive and far reaching though they don’t altogether deter people from acquiring a firearm. The brady handgun control act made it increasingly more difficult and trying process to purchase and own a gun. Gun control advocates say this is not enough, that although firearm related incidents have declined since its enactment tougher laws are needed or more acts of firearm violence will continue to plague the nation. Pro gun advocates see gun control laws as only a way for the government to control its citizens.

The real debate, for both sides, comes down to who should own a gun and under what restrictions should they be able to possess it? this is an important question to everyone involved in the issue, and extremely important to society as a whole. Guns play a role in everyone’s lives to some degree, whether it be your own personal possession of a hunting rifle or a pistol in the hands of a youth in your neighborhood. We as americans value our rights to freedoms granted to us by our forefathers, which includes the possession of firearms as stated in the second amendment. As citizens we must ask ourselves do we really want gun control laws which are created to protect us, to take away our basic rights as citizens? as such an important issue, there is a myriad of groups involved in the debate. It is not simply one of pro gun/anti gun but rather is one that transcends the usual pro and con debate to become a national issue on a number of levels and approaches, three in specific, all with different interests and views. These approaches include the political approach the social approach and the criminality approach. The political approach on gun control deals with the issue of laws and political organizations that surround the debate.

Int 2 English Critical Essay Marking

The government is where the critical laws are made concerning gun control, which in turn effect the entire country, and therefore is important to look at as a key player in the debate. There are two major sides or parties in the political realm that are lobbying either for or against gun control. These two would of course be the democrats and the republicans, the two dominating parties in the country today.