Gun violence has becoming a very concerning issue lately as there is a lot of cases happening around us. In Garen Wintemyte’s article, he mentions that “On average, 88 Americans died every day from firearm violence”. The number of death because of gun violence is frightening, and gun violence can occur at anytime, anywhere in the United States. In order to reduce the numbers from gun violence in United States, a gun control act has been implemented. This act was passed into law in response to the assassinations of President John F. Kennedy, his brother Senator Robert F. Kennedy and the civil rights leader, Martin Luther King Jr. Residents in the United States, especially the younger generation should know about the gun control law, and knowing how it is able to reduce the overall crime rate. Gun control laws reduce the overall crime rates in the United States by implementing a stricter background check for the buyer, by encouraging the owner to register their gun with the police department and by creating bans on assault weapons.
Younger generations in the United States should support the implementation of a stricter background check for gun buyer. When the background check is initiated, three different databases are accessed, including their criminal records. If there is no match is found in any of the checked databases, the deal is considered clear and the buyer can proceed with the purchase of the gun. Otherwise, the Federal Bureau of Investigation or FBI will contact the judicial department for more information. A stricter background check for the gun buyer can help to reduce the number of the overall crime, as people that have past records in gun violence or were involved in any violence activities will not be able to access gun easily. Moreover, a stricter background check is proven to reduce the number of gun violence by looking at the statistics provided by different states that implemented it. In the nineteen states and Washington D.C., which implemented a stricter background check, 47 percent fewer women are shot to death and 53 percent less law enforcement officers are shot in the line of duty. It is also proven that in these states, there is 47 percent fewer firearm suicide and 48 percent less gun trafficking in cities. The survey also shows that 83 percent of the gun owners and 73 percent of the members from the National Rifle Associations support the criminal background check for all gun sales. (Background Checks Save Lifes)
It is important for the gun owner to register their guns with the local police department. The government can create an online database system where the police departments in the United States can access to it nationwide. The police department have to make sure that the databases are updated regularly, so they can easily track the gun owner if there is a gun violence case that has occurred in the community. The forensic department can trace the owner of the gun just by comparing the bullet. According to Ann L. Davis, who is from the Virginia Division of Forensic Science and the Virginia Institute of Forensic Science and Medicine, she mentions that the modern guns and rifles are manufactures based on blueprints that specify their configurations. The examiner from the forensic department can compare the bullet (obtained) from the crime scene to the bullet from the databases to determine the suspect. With the databases, it (allows for) the police and forensic department to narrow down the suspect(s) and to solve the case in a shorter period of time. Registering the gun with the local police department also helps in knowing how many guns are there in the certain community. In this case, the police officers can know which family is holding a gun, the amount of guns present in a certain family and also the model of the guns owned by the family. The police can constantly check in and be aware of the citizen’s behavior. The police department can also pay close attention if one of them or any citizens are acting abnormally or going out with their gun on them.
Gun violence can also be reduce by creating bans on assault weapons. According to the Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence, assault weapons are defined as a class of semi-automatic firearms that are designed to kill human quickly and efficiently. It enables a large amount of ammunition to spray in a short amount of time while retaining control of the weapons. Assault Weapons Ban was passed on 1994 by President Bill Clinton. Assault weapons should not be allowed in the community and country as there is many incidents happened in the United States. In 2012, there was a mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut. In the same year, there was a movie theater shooting at Aurora, Colorado. A review of mass shooting between January 2009 and January 2013 by Mayors Against Illegal Guns found that assault weapons incidents resulted in 135% more people being shot and 57% more people got killed, compared to other mass shootings. This study also shows that the federal assault weapon ban has successfully decreased in the use of assault weapons in crime. (Assault Weapons)
Some people in the United States are debating that the gun control law is not working as gun violence is still occurring even though the gun control law has been implemented. Mark Hemingway mentions in one of his paper that “From a practical standpoint, we’re not ending gun violence. As long as we have guns, we’re going to have gun violence”. However, when we are talking about gun violence, what we want to do is to reduce it, but not ending it. In fact, it is impossible to stop gun violence. However, we can prevent it through the implementation of the gun control law. The gun control law has been proven to reduce the crime rates by half for the past 20 years. (Feeling the Heat) In New York City, the number of murder has reduced in 20 years, not because of the reduce of crime rates nation widely, but also the police department has done all the possible actions against the illegal gun source, and against the people who carry them. (Dickey)
Besides, some people claim that even though the gun control law is implemented, people can still get guns from black market. In 2007, the United States and Mexican governments agreed to a regional security framework guided by the principle of shared responsibility. United States committed to intensify its effort to combat the illegal weapons trafficking. However, in 2013, the civilian firearms market in the United States continues to supply regional criminal network with high-powered weaponry, especially from any unlicensed individuals. To solve this issue, past president of United States, President Barack Obama, pursued the executive consistent with the Second Amendment to (help) reduce the firearms trafficking which contribute to crime and violence by adopting a federal rule which requires the gun dealers to report sales of more than two semi-automatic rifles to the same person in the five-day period. (Nelson and Rockefellar) Besides, it is understandable that different states have different gun control laws, which also result in gun or other assault weapons flowing from one state to another. To solve this, the police department should be working with the local authority to conduct a frequent check or road block at the border of each state as to prevent guns or other assault weapons to flow from a state to another.
Although it is debatable that gun control law is not reducing crime rates in every state in the United States, it has been proven to be able to decrease the overall crime rates, especially gun violences in most of the states that implement it. The purpose of gun control law is to prevent it so that the crime rates can be reduced. People should always understand that reducing gun violence is not about ending it. Young generation should really learn about gun control law, as they are the future leader for the United States. They should also know how gun control law works and how to improve it to make United States a safer country to live in.